I noticed a crunching sound from my rear wheel on the drivers side when I make a right turn, first thing on the morning. After the car is warm, there is no sound during a turn. I suspect it is the rear wheel bearing. I don't see any write ups for this in the How To section. Is it a big job to change one? The car has 137K on the clock.

 

I've heard that changing the wheel bearings is a lengthy process. You'd be better off getting a new hub with new wheel bearings already pressed inside. You can find some decently priced hubs at rockauto.com

 

How hard is the job? I am a do it yourselfer.

 

You can buy the rear hubs with the bearing already pressed in. Just FYI.

 

This video is for a 2004 Maxima. It is similar except for a few things.

And you can't find just OEM Bearings anymore. Only Hub Assemblies, so more expensive, yes. Easier, also yes! ($130 to $150 or so each)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UfN2aLirhhI

First, the bar in the way so you can't remove the bolt for the caliper bracket isn't going to be a problem.

Second, the Parking Brakes aren't the same Drum and Shoes type. The 4th Gen uses the same Rotor and Caliper, so when you put the Caliper in a safe place you'll have to unhook the Parking Brake cable (easy).

Third, You'll most likely need two M8 Bolts to push the rotor back off the hub. Beating it is senseless. Kinda like a dead horse. They are on glued good usually. I forget the thread count. It is the only way to get the rotors off without destroying them when they've been on a while.

Also, if the Brakes are worn, think about doing that as well as it is all apart already!! Napa sells Rotors of equal value to what was on the car new for about $30 each. Buy pads with the hardware and clips and buy the right kind of grease they use on the contact points that need to slide. If the pads don't have the Hardware and the original is not there or shot, Nissan has a kit. Shop around for the best price. Stupid money from a Dealer usually. I scored one for $16 shipped a few months ago.

I hope this helps!

Edit: I'm not sure if the ABS Sensor is part of the Hub Assembly so look into that and make sure they have one if they are incorporated and if so, be careful with the connectors. They are old too.

 

Before you go purchasing a hub and bearing, check the simp,e stuff.
Dust shield rubbing?
Brake pads worn down.,
Caliper pins binding?

 

Do explain how you think this definitely relates to a wheel bearing issue? What kind of noise are you hearing? Did you lift up the rear and spin the wheel to hear or feel for a bad wheel bearing? Or are you just taking the guess

 

I checked the brakes and dust shields. They look OK. The pads have more than half their life left. Nothing seems to be binding. When the pedal is pushed and the ebrake handle is pulled they are working. The wheel spins freely with no side to side play. The noise only happens with pressure from a right turn and it is in the rear. It is a crunching/popping sound. It stops when the car is driven straight. I suppose it might be a rear suspension issue? No squeal or howl when driving. Also, there is noise only when things are cold. Can you re pack the rear bearings with grease or is the hub sealed?

 

Usually, when wheel bearings are on their way out, they start with a progressively louder "Wurrrrrrrrrrrrr" sound. Not just crunching on turns.

The crunching and popping can be later in the equation after the loud Wurrrrr starts when they really start to break down.

No Wurrrr, I'd be checking the stability of the rear axle unit and all the bushings and links and also make sure nothing is torquing on the brakes with the stress of the turns.

So let someone else drive in a BIG deserted parking lot and get in the back seat and put only the rear window down near the noise. Stick your head out and listen closely and carefully as the car is turning. You might get some more clues.

You can also remove the top of the back seat and listen to what and where it's coming from in the trunk area. You might be able to hear the grinding coming from the different links and/or bushings that attach the components together and to the frame. This is only a guess on another possibility for what's causing this. It still might be the bearings after all.

http://www.nissanpartszone.com/Page_...eName=431_A001

If that's definitely not it, back to the wheel.

Good luck!

 

Thanks for the advice. I will sit in the back seat and listen for the noise against a wall for amplification.

 

If your rear dust shields have rusted through, water will destroy the bearings. You should be able to tell by pulling the wheel and caliper off, and listening closely as you spin the hub.