Date: Thu, 30 Nov 2006 12:10:23 -0500
Reply-To: mordo <helmut.blong@GMAIL.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: mordo <helmut.blong@GMAIL.COM>
Subject: Fwd: wheel bearings
In-Reply-To: <5c80974c0611300807x7a51cd5fhb48f6161ab64ceb2@mail.gmail.com>
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My recent experience with a front wheel bearing on my 90 was that it was
making a lot noise but I could not induce any movement in the hub. This may
have been a result of the fac that I had the bearing repacked. In the course
of repacking it, perhaps its orientation to the race changed enough to cause
it to not run smoothly despite not being "bad".
Also perhaps the mechanic adjusted the bearing overly tight and thus
prevented me from inducing movement. After 350 miles of 60mph + speeds and
a lot of noise fromt he bearing, I could get the wheel and hub to wiggle at
all. The grease had overheated sufficiently to allow it to run out of the
hub and run in streaks on the wheel.
mordo
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Sudhir Desai <sudhir.desai@gmail.com>
Date: Nov 30, 2006 11:07 AM
Subject: Re: wheel bearings
To: vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com
I'm not sure how this would work on a heavier vehicle such as the van.
When I was at Skip Barber, we put our knee against the outer sidewall
of the tire, our hands against the inner sidewall and rocked back and
forth on our toes.
If the wheel bearing was good, there would be no abrupt movement, just
the normal flex of the tire sidewall.
Sudhir
On 11/30/06, John Graham <theklube@gmail.com> wrote:
> My experience with front wheel bearings is that if you jack up one side of
> the front end and then spin the tire, if your bearings are good, you'll
hear
> no sound other than the shhhhhh of the brake pads. If your wheel bearings
> are wearing, then you would hear a rumble noise that's caused by the fact
> that the bearings are worn and have some wiggle room as the attempt to
> smoothly rotate the tire about the axle shaft.
>
> It is possible to have just one side go bad, but generally if one side is
> wearing, the other isn't far behind. If you have to change them, do both
> sides.
>
> Don't know what your experience with spinning the front wheels is, but it
> would be normal (or at least not necessarily related to the wheel
bearings)
> if the drag on on the brake rotors was not the same all the way around.
>
> Good Luck
>
> John Graham
> 88 Westy Charlotte, NC
>
> On 11/30/06, Mark Brush <mbrush@gmail.com> wrote:
> >
> > Hi - Does anyone know of a good test to determine if a wheel bearing
needs
> > replacement? I hear the rumbling when I drive, but I'm not sure if it's
> > tranny noise, or wheel bearings. Also, what tool(s) do I need to do the
> > replacement myself?
> >
> > Thanks for you help as always!
> >
> > Mark B.
> > 1990 2.1 Westy
> >
>
>
>
> --
> This e-mail is a natural product made from recycled electrons. The slight
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>
--
mordo
1990 Carat
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