How Do You Determine Which Wheel Bearing Is Bad?

oldoutboardjim · Wed Mar 11, 2009 2:27 pm

I have some noise that I am assuming is a wheel bearing. It sounds about the same whether I have the winter or summer tires on the car, so it is not the tires.
I have had the noise for several months now. I don't think it has changed much since I first noticed it. It is kind of a whooping/grinding noise, and I can hear it at all speeds. So I have two questions:
1) How do I determine if it is a wheel bearing or not?
2) How do I determine WHICH wheel bearing it is?

dschlei · Wed Mar 11, 2009 2:40 pm

well first off does it sound like its coming from the front or the rear? and then a good trick to figure out what side its coming from on your own, when your out driving swerve left and right and the noise should get louder or quieter if i remember correctly its if you go left and it gets louder its on the left side and vica versa...its either that or if you go left and the noise gets louder on the right side this is also much safer than "driving" the car on jack stands though may still be a good idea to bring someone with who knows what to listen for cause as we all know sometimes 4 ears are better than 2

oldoutboardjim · Wed Mar 11, 2009 2:50 pm

dschlei wrote:...may still be a good idea to bring someone with who knows what to listen for cause as we all know sometimes 4 ears are better than 2

Personally, I don't know anyone with 4 ears - although I do know a few donkeys!

Wed Mar 11, 2009 2:59 pm

Then there's the possibility that it is coming from you differential, oh wait, thats just me after replacing all 4 bearings

It is not always easy to tell though, a second person in the car with the windows down seems to do the trick.

dschlei · Wed Mar 11, 2009 3:46 pm

Great a fellow wisconsinite ripping on another...wheres the love?

FocusMech.73155 · Wed Mar 11, 2009 7:10 pm

just a quick note, the stub shaft support bearing is extremely common to go out on focus'. this can cause a bearing noise to "echo" through the differential.

Wed Mar 11, 2009 7:53 pm

FocusMech.73155 wrote:just a quick note, the stub shaft support bearing is extremely common to go out on focus'. this can cause a bearing noise to "echo" through the differential.

How hard is that to replace? I'm pretty sure I'll be needing all three bearings up front soon and lucky me I just found out that our stellar used car department gave me incorrect info on the warranty I got from them and I don't have any coverage left.

I also don't have a garage due to our recent move becuase it's full of junk

dschlei · Wed Mar 11, 2009 9:04 pm

have fun they are all press in style...atleast the non svt ones but i think the svt are press in as well so yeah best to either take it apart and bring the knuckles to a shop or bring the whole car to a shop and just let them mess with it

dschlei · Wed Mar 11, 2009 9:06 pm

oh never mind the shaft support bearing comes as a part of the cv shaft, at least thats how it is on my zx5 not sure about the svt but i would assume they would be the same, sorry was thrown off by the wheel bearing title

Wed Mar 11, 2009 10:12 pm

The support bearing on Zetecs, SVT's and some Duratecs is pressed on to the shaft, later manual trans Duratecs have a one piece shaft with the bearing built in.

dschlei · Wed Mar 11, 2009 10:23 pm

really? could you check to see if that bearing is a ford only part? cause when i went to napa all they had listed was the whole shaft bearing and all

Thu Mar 12, 2009 9:13 am

dschlei wrote:really? could you check to see if that bearing is a ford only part? cause when i went to napa all they had listed was the whole shaft bearing and all

What year is your car and what engine trans combo, I don't have any way to check aftermarket but I can tell you if yours is replaceable.

dschlei · Thu Mar 12, 2009 9:28 am

02 zx5 2.0 zetec with the 5 speed its the later part of 02 if that matters

Thu Mar 12, 2009 1:15 pm

dschlei wrote:02 zx5 2.0 zetec with the 5 speed its the later part of 02 if that matters

All Zetecs have a press on bearing on the passenger half shaft, they run $35.00 and I have them in stock.

focinite · Thu Mar 12, 2009 4:50 pm

alright!! the drive and swerve thing works great untill the bad spot of wheel bearing is on bottom of the race, then it will get wors when going that way, for example, turn left , the noise gets worse, swerve right the noise gets less, ok replace the right side....wrong. the best way to find out for sure is to jack the car up, spin the rear wheels by hand and hold on to the coil spring this is a old school methode, the sound travles through the spring and amplifies it so you can feel it. for the fronts you need a helper to modulate the speed, then you grap a stefascope and listen to the inner part of the knuckle by the c/v stub. or you can do it like tom ryan from the blue team at toulsey did to me. throw the asset student in the trunk and book around the back lot at 50 mph swerving and slamming on the brakes!!!!!