I've got an intermittent metal on metal noise coming from the front left of the car. Have taken the wheel off, calipers off, rotor off and can't find anything rubbing.

Can get it to occur if you give the steering wheel a sharp turn to the right. If you slow down to under 20 Kph it stops and doesn't start again.

Sound like a wheel bearing to you guys?

Brent.

 

How are your CV joints doing?

 

Haven't heard them clicking in tight circles or anything. Had the boots replaced a couple of months back. Could be a problem, have to recheck this weekend.


Brent.

 

mine is the same (situation). lift your car with the rim on. push the wheel around .any movement then it probably the bearing.

 

Thanks. Will try that. Should there be no movement or minimal movement?

 

the front left tire moved like u didn't tighten the lug nuts all the way where my front right tire didn't move at all

 

sounds like a wheel bearing to me..

wheel bearings are ~$35 each from courtesy, dust seals are about $10- you need 2, and new hubs are about $75 each.
When I changed my wheel bearing, it had been bad for so long that the hub was ruined also. I highly recommend buying a new hub just in case (along with the bearing and new dust seals)
before tearing the car apart... Then when they have it apart check the old hub. if it's in good shape, then use the old hub again and return the new one.

Also be sure you get the correct hub for your car. VE and VG hubs are different (don't ask how I found out!)

As for the labor involved, you can pull the spindle in your driveway in about 20-30 minutes, then take it to a wheel shop and have them press out the old bearing for you. It'll cost you about
$20-30 in labor to do it that way..

Take the spindle and all the new parts (bearing, hub, and seals) to the shop with you. you can remove the hub from the spindle yourself, but it must be pressed back in when you get the new
bearing pressed in.

all you need to do to get the spindle off is to remove the lower strut bolts, caliper, axle, tie rod end, and ball joint... tools you'll need are 17 and 19mm wrenches/sockets. You'll also need a
big (29mm I think) socket for the axle nut. you can rent that from a local parts store if you don't have one...

But if you just pull the spindle yourself, you can easily save over $100 in labor.. then just get the new bearing pressed in and put it all back together.

Once it's done, check the alignment and get the car re-aligned if necessary (probably will be). So there's another $30.

total cost should be around $100-120 for the whole thing if you remove the spindle yourself. Expect to spend $200 + if you send it to a shop.

 

Thanks for the post Matt. Looks like I've got a busy weekend

Brent.