Front wheel bearing questions....?

Question

I drove {my 2003 4WD Ranger} 200 miles on a trip, arrived home, and the next day, my front wheel bearing started making a TERRIBLE racket, and had to be replaced. There was no sign of any problem on my trip. Isn't there usually more warning that a wheel bearing is starting to go? Is there any reason why one would go out at 89,000 miles? What about the other bearings....are they likely to go out soon, too? Is there anything else to look out for?

Answer 1

usually a bearing makes a humming noise before it goes out.........by the time you get to that mileage your front brakes probably have been replaced and the auto tech should have cleaned, inspected and then packed them........it should have been found then...........you get what you pay for so find out what you are paying for............i wouldn't worry about the others................you are due for a front end alignment though and ford 4 bi's are notorious for wearing out front end parts......

Answer 2

When was the last time you had them serviced? Wheel bearings should be inspected and repacked every couple of years. This requires replacing the grease seals also. Usually a wheel bearing gives very little warning, as what happens is it runs out of grease or gets contaminated with dirt from a seal failure. When that happens, self destruction is fairly rapid. I've seen some go and do so much damage the bearing had to be cut off or removed with a torch. Sometimes the spindle can be damaged as well.

Answer 3

An easy way to tell if wheel bearings are going bad.
Just raise the vehicle and grab the top and bottom of the tire and check for any play. (push on top and pull on bottom vice versa) If there is any play then your wheel bearings need to be replaced. Axle seals of the rearend can go out to. This is easy to check for just take the drum off look around the axle for any signs of a leak, (wetness) as long as your wheel cylinders aren't leaking it'll be very easy to tell. Hope this helps!

Answer 4

a wheel bearing usually will start to growl before it goes really bad it can feel like a rumbling that increases with speed most of the time it will change(get louder or quieter or go away altogether) while turning and changing lanes. there is not much to check on these you can check them for end play by jacking and gripping the top and bottom of tire and shaking, however a loose wheel bearing is not always a noisy bearing and vice versa. periodically driving with no radio and listening closely to the vehicle with focus on whats normal sounds and whats not is the best way to know of upcoming problems in my experience.

Answer 5

Typically a bearing will start to make noise. I do believe that your bearings are seal units and not able to be taken out and greased. Anymore it seems like the hub units just don't last long anymore. If you had a problem with one bearing the other one probably isn't much further behind.

Answer 6

usually they'll start making a roaring sound before they get too bad
you can hear the noise more when driving next to a curb or under a bridge because the sound bounces back
but 90k miles isn't a bad life for a wheel bearing though

Answer 7

I've seen them make roaring noise but for some reason in my car they just squealed (80,000mi)

Answer 8

sometimes you never hear them just need to maintain grease em and you won't have any problems an ounce of prevention

Answer 9

sure they sometime make a sound but then not always caught.... and yes you should go ahead and change the other side too