I got a new noise today. It's kind of a metallic hollow grinding, only coming when I moved, and not varying with speed. I thought it was the wheel rubbing the brake backing plate, but I raised the right front wheel and it sure sounds like it's coming from the area of the support bearing when I turn the wheel.

Is this a common failure item? Is there any way to lube it without replacing it?

And does anyone know what part it is? I thought it was the bearing assembly on this diagram http://www.courtesyparts.com/maxima-...1873_1874.html, but now I think that's the wheel bearing. The support bearing looks like it should be inboard, but I can't find it on the diagrams.

This happened within a few miles after I replaced the control arm on that side. I had to take the spindle off the axle to get the ball joint nut off, so the end of the axle was loose for a while (I held it up out of the way with a bungee cord). Is there a chance that caused it? I don't see how, since the bearing has a housing that's screwed on, but it sure seems coincidental...

Edit: Maybe the bearing comes as part of the axle? It looks like that in some of the pictures...

 

Mine did.

 

The bearing came on the 2 axles that I bought.

 

Did you re-torque the wheel bearing to 174-231 ft-lbs? A loose axle nut will kill a bearing in very short order.

No

 

I don't have a torque wrench that goes that high, but I cranked pretty hard on it with a breaker bar. And there was no sideways or up-and-down play in the wheel when I put it back on.

 

Have someone that weighs between 174 & 231 pounds stand on the breaker bar 12 inches from the socket center line. When the nut stops turning, it will be torqued to whatever the person weighed.

 

on.

 

Too much hassle. I'll just use my 208 foot breaker bar and hang a one pound weight on the end.

 

 

Closing the loop here. The noise faded pretty quickly, so I didn't bother with it for a while. When I got a chance to pull the wheel, I found a little piece of the backing plate at the bottom of the viewing port was bent in, and shiny. So evidently that was making the noise, where it was scraping the rotor. I must have hit it with something when I was replacing the control arm.