I have been told my wheel bearing needs replacing, the trouble is at the moment I cant afford to get it done, and i need to travel 12 hours north (highway driving most of the way) would it be safe to drive the car with a faulty wheel bearing i have a five year old and im scared that the wheel will fall off or something horrible will happen
2006-09-26 12:04:39 · 25 answers · asked by Anonymous in Cars & Transportation ➔ Maintenance & Repairs
Take it easy, you should be alright.
2006-09-26 12:07:22 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 3⤋
Unfortunately, you cannot tell just from the sound how bad the bearing is.
If the bearing fails, the wheel can fall off and it can happen very quickly - like seconds.
I have had bearings make noise for a month or more and when replaced the old part appeared to still be quite safe. On the other hand, I had one car that did not make any noise until I was less than a mile from the garage (he told me previously that the bearing was bad) and it failed catastrophically requiring that I be towed about 4000 feet! (Almost made it). If I had been going 75 instead of 15 I would have a whole new set of worries right now.
NO WAY should you go anywhere in this thing until the bearing is replaced. Don't go to store, don't go to church, don't go to work and stay off the interstate!
Borrow a car, rent a car, take the bus (man, 12 hours is a grind to drive - especially with a five year old). Do not put yourself at risk and especially do not put your child at risk.
Incidently, don' t be surprised if the other bearing (wheel on other side of the car) fails soon also. After all, they were probably installed at the same time and traveled the same roads.
To protect bearings, have them repacked (regreased)every so often (100k miles is probably OK) if they can be. Some cannot be repacked. And drive around the rough stuff like potholes, speed bumps and, of course, curbs.
Hopefully this has been helpful.
2006-09-26 13:36:57 · answer #2 · answered by Gilley 2 · 4⤊ 0⤋
Car Wheel Bearing
2016-10-04 08:28:16 · answer #3 · answered by ? 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
1
2016-05-10 00:25:23 · answer #4 · answered by ? 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Car Bearing
2016-12-17 07:44:06 · answer #5 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
it all depends on how bad the wheel bearing is, the wheel will not fall off because of a wheel bearing it may get a bit of a wobble and a bit hot if the bearing is really worn but if it has only started to make a slight noise you should be right just dont try and break the land speed record with your 5 year old in the car. you should have it fixed as soon as you can,it is easy to change them so if you have a freind that knows cars ask him or her to help and if you do it your self the bearing is only about $20 to $50 to buy.
2006-09-26 12:26:59 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 2⤋
Yes the Wheel can Fall off with this Problem, if it's bad enough. It would be a bad thing to keep driving without fixing it. Call around and see if a garage will work out a payment plan with you so you can get it fixed. Do not drive this car twelve Hours, it will only get worse, and then cost a lot more to fix. Sorry for the bad news, Good Luck!
2006-09-26 17:03:56 · answer #7 · answered by tm 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Here is an IMPORTANT TIP about front wheel bearings that is overlooked and really good to know and could save you a lot of needless constant bearing repairs... Fact is, if your Engines ground cable is NOT attached or has a bad connection, the engine has to find other places to ground out, frying front wheel bearings can be the result. So if your car goes through front wheel bearings on a yearly basis that could be your problem.
2014-01-28 02:04:09 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
depends on how bad it is. either way it is not worth chancing. i have seen wheel bearings make noise forever and still be tight. but i have also been able to grab someones wheel and wiggle it back and forth a few inches which is a major safety problem. worse case you could loose the wheel which would result in an accident. remember, it may not be you or you child that gets worse but someone else on the road. best thing to do for peace of mind is to get it fixed before your trip. once it gets bad it gets bad. that is what credit cards are for!!!!!!!!!!
2006-09-26 13:04:55 · answer #9 · answered by Todd V 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Relax..... buy some wheel bearing grease and pack the bearing and it will be fine. All bearing should be checked and packed. If you went through high water sand or mud anything that can get through the grease cap will dry out the bearing. If it is making noise your okay. Place the car on level ground, jack the car up and remove the tire.(choke wheels if you can.) take a small screwdriver and hammer and work it around the cap.Easy does it. The cap is dead center of any wheel. Once the cap is off take a handful of grease and pack it in. fill the cap to. Replace and reverse the procedure and your will be okay. When you get back get it fixed. Simple huh?!
2006-09-26 12:13:07 · answer #10 · answered by ebay junkie 2 · 0⤊ 3⤋
use a pair of channel locks.....pull the round cap in the middle take out the cotter pin and remove the nut....jacked up of course give the wheel a tap out comes the outer wheel bearing take rotor off use a long drift and punch our rear wheel bearong and seal.....get new seal and bearings pack with wheel bearing grease ...there are two races the bearing rides on...it's simpl;e to remove but ask where you buy the bearings as they are a set....pu it all back together opposite correct torque on th nut ...away you go......easy and no press required
2016-03-17 03:18:08 · answer #11 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋