bachands

New poster to this forum, but I just replaced the driver's side wheel bearing, hub, cv axle, and axle nut and I thought I'd share my troubleshooting and final results....

About a month ago I started hearing a humming/light groaning noise from the front end. I had recently replaced all four tires to get rid of loud road noise coming from the rear. So I thought maybe the real problem had been a bent wheel all along. To check this I swapped both front tires for the rears. The noise was still up front. So that told me the tires and wheels weren't the cause.

I assumed wheel bearing, but I wanted to be sure. Since I had recently replaced the transmission fluid, engine coolant, and engine oil & filter I thought there was a chance I did something wrong. To test for a trans issue, I put it in neutral while travelling at 50-60 mph. The noise remained. Also, the noise did not change with increase or decrease in RPM. It only changed with vehicle speed. To test for engine problems, I simply revved it up while in park. The noise wasn't there.

So at this point, I was sure it was either a wheel bearing or cv axle. A cv axle causing this type of constant groaning sound seemed very unlikely, but I wanted to be sure. I put the front end up on jack stands to check for play in both wheels. Wiggled at 6 & 12, wiggled at 3 & 9. No play in either wheel. Okay...so then I started the engine and put the trans in DRIVE. With the wheels spinning I couldn't hear much until I opened the throttle a bit. To be honest, it sounded like the noise was from the middle. That's all I could tell after listening on both sides and underneath. However, I did find that both cv axle shafts had slight wobble even with the wheels perfectly straight. While driving the car, it always sounded like the noise was from the driver's side or the middle.

After all that troubleshooting, I decided to replace BOTH the cv axles and the wheel bearings. I searched around quite a bit, but ended up getting Timken bearings and cir-clips, wheel hubs from 1AAuto (unknown brand, but good quality), and Cardone Select cv axles. Everything can be found at 1AAuto, but I bought the cv axles from RockAuto. I also had to buy some good snap ring pliers, a 32mm impact socket, a 3/4" drive breaker bar, and a 5 foot plumber's pipe.

Overall the job went well. It took me about 8.5 hours from start to finish (taking my time and with breaks). I ran into only minor issues: 1) I slightly mushroomed the castle nut for the ball joint when I used the ball joint separater, 2) I stripped out 2 of the 3 screws for the splash guard, and 3) I lost some of the grease from both the ball joint and tie rod end (not much). My method for R&R of the bearing and hub was to keep the knuckle attached to the strut and use the wheel hub/bearing installation kit. This was the 3rd time I used this kit, and I have to say if you do it right, it works great. The key is to use engine oil on the threads and the contact points. I removed the hub with a slide hammer kit. The kit is made in China and seems kind of cheap, but this is the third hub I've beat out and it hasn't let me down. It allows me to keep the knuckle on the car and not need an alignment when I'm all done.

The verdict? The groaning noise is gone! Woohoo!! The only noises I hear are the engine, trans, and slight road noise from the new tires. Nothing out of the ordinary. Also, I should note that the old bearing still spun without any rough spots. The inner race came out with the hub so I couldn't test that side by spinning it, but the inside of the race and the ***** looked pretty good. The old cv axle joints were a bit loose at the joints (much more than the new ones), but still seemed okay. So it just goes to show that even though it's not always obvious where the noise is coming from, if it sounds like a typical bearing noise it probably is.

As good practice I plan to replace the bearing and hub on the opposite side, but since I know the noise is gone and there's no safety concern I'll take my time in getting to it. Probably in the next couple months... This time I'll buy some new splash guard screws so I have them on hand in case the same thing happens

jmboyle

Hey thanks for this detailed post. I'm looking at replacing my left CV Axle and need some tips. I was considering Rock Auto's TrakMotive axle but I wondered about the quality. Did you use TrakMotive?
Also, can you tell me about the slide hammer you bought? like where you got it and part #? That sounds like a good idea.
Thanks in advance,
Mike

bachands

The slide hammer set I bought on Ebay a while back. I don't see any similar sets at Harbor Freight. See the link below for a set like the one I got:

https://www.zoro.com/otc-stinger-9-w...79/i/G3191959/

Just Google "slide hammer set" and you'll find a bunch of options. I learned of this method on a YouTube video:
I didn't freeze the hub or bearing like he did, but it's a good idea. The only thing I DON'T like about the way he used the bearing installation tool is that he used the wrong end of the large screw to drive the bearing. I always use the nut end because it's much longer and thicker making it less likely to shear off (there is a YouTube video of a guy using the wrong end and shearing the head of the screw right off....He says "What a piece of garbage from Harbor Freight!" But he just used the tool incorrectly).

jmboyle

Thanks! So what about the CV axle? What kind did you use?

bachands

Bad news...

The groaning/humming has returned. All was well until I took a 500-mile round trip up north. Most was freeway driving at 75 mph. It's really a bummer
However, since I only replaced the driver's side bearing there's a chance the noise is now coming from the other side. I doubt it though. It sure sounds like the noise is coming from the driver's side again. I'll go ahead and replace the passenger's side soon and see what happens, but if the noise is still there that's very disappointing. I paid extra money for the Timken bearings hoping they would get me to 200K miles (i'm currently around 120K). But geez...less than 2000 miles and the noise is back.

NDNV

Sometimes noises seem that seem to be originating from one area are actually reverberating from the opposite side.


"If bearing-related, the noise or vibration is present when driving in a straight line, but intensifies when turning the steering wheel slightly to the left or right. Typically, the side opposite the rumbling is the defective side."

bachands

Yeah, thanks for the reply. I've tried MANY times swerving while driving at speed. It's not obvious which side it is even then. But I hope you're right about how the sound reverberates to the other side...then I won't feel so bad. I just have to get in there this weekend and put the car up on jackstands to find out. I like the "spin the wheel and place your fingers on the coil" test. Hopefully that will confirm things for me.

bachands

Okay, so I finally got around to replacing the wheel bearing and cv axle on the passenger side. The job went well and below are my findings:

Before beginning the job I did the "spin the wheel and feel the coil" test and felt a bit more vibration on the passenger side. So I felt good moving forward on that side. Getting the cv axle out I was able to free spin the wheel hub and feel for any roughness. There was a bit of roughness if I rotated it all the way around or back and forth. I thought "that would be enough roughness to cause the noise at high speed'. Also, when I removed the cv axle I noticed a bit of play in the inner joint. So that may have had something to do with why I always thought the noise was coming from the center.

Driving the car yesterday after the job was finished I can say for sure that it is quieter. So it definitely made a difference. However, I still feel like I'm hearing a bit of light roaring on the driver's side still. So I'm still a bit concerned about the driver's side bearing. Did it really go bad in under 2K miles? I don't know yet. I'm taking another long trip up north this weekend, so I'll find out if the noise gets any worse or it's all just in my head

For the most part, the noises I was getting with the old bearings and axles are pretty much gone (or at least severely subsided). Now it's just a matter of finding out how long everything lasts. I paid the extra $$ for the quality stuff so I have high expectations.

bachands

So I took the trip up north recently...about 500 miles round trip. The bearing noises are gone. New bearings and cv axles are doing well. The concern I had was coming from vibration felt when I put my foot under the brake pedal. The vibration is felt both while the car is driving and when parked. That's how I know it's not bearing related. It seems to happen most prominently at 3000-3200 RPM. I think when the noise from the bad bearings was gone after replacing them, other less obvious noises became more noticeable. My guess would be that the top motor mount mount is slightly worn or torn so it's causing vibration inside the cabin.

The main point is that replacing the wheel bearings and axles got rid of the groaning/humming noises. And in my case, the passenger side bearing went bad within 2K miles of replacing the driver's side. So replacing bearings and axles in pairs is recommended based on my experience.

Once again, Timken bearings and snap rings, wheel hubs from 1AAuto (possibly Dorman), and Cardone Select cv axles. Based on my results, I would recommend these brands to anyone else replacing bearings and axles.

GolNat

iTrader: (7)

Thanks for reporting back and glad it all worked out. Sounds like a motor mount could be the cause of the new noise.

bachands

Going over this thread I started last year and thought I'd follow up for reference to any anyone interested.....

It's been about 10 months since I replaced the bearings and axles. I've probably put about 8000-10000 miles since then. Haven't heard any noises at all. No humming, clicking, etc. Wheels have been very quiet and smooth. So, the parts I listed in previous posts have been great so far.

I have oil leak problems and a timing belt tensioner that apparently has no tension......but that's another story

sdaidoji

iTrader: (1)

thanks for the feedback!

emich

bachands

Another update....

It's been over two years and about 30K miles since this repair. I haven't had any issues related to the front bearings, hubs, or axles. It's been pretty quiet in the front. Notably, the axle boots are still holding up well with no noticeable tears or holes. I've removed the front wheels several times to do other work and the studs on the hubs are doing fine. So....no complaints.

Rear bearing noises are now starting to poke their heads out. I'll probably look to replace those next spring and I'll most likely use Timken's again.