Do you hear some noise that gets louder with the
increasing speed of your car? Check out the importance of wheel bearings here!!
-Brought to you by PartsAvatar car replacement parts Canada!
do you know that
our car’s wheel bearing also produce weird noise indicating that something is
wrong with it?
Have you been
avoiding car servicing schedules recently? This problem of wheel bearing noise
could be the output of your delay!! But how will you check where this wheel
bearing noise is coming from? Check out the symptoms and replace wheel bearings
timely.
Wheel bearing
No matter if you’re
headed down a bumpy country trail or up a twisted mountain road, your wheels
wouldn’t spin very well if they didn’t have high quality wheel bearings to
decrease friction.
A wheel bearing is
a set of steel balls held together by a metal ring called a race. They help
wheels spin fast with little friction as possible.
Wheel bearings are
a part of every type of vehicle be it a car, truck or a bicycle. On a car, a
wheel bearing rides on a metal axel shaft and fits tightly inside the hub and
this hub holds the lug bolts that you use to bolt the tire onto the wheel. The
wheel bearing is pressed into the hub from the back.
Poor installation,
damaged seal or an accident could damage the wheel bearing. Moreover it is
possible to replace the wheel bearing yourself if and only if you have the
right tool and time to perform the job.
How do wheel bearings work?
A bearing is a
machine component which performs the function of constraining the relative
motion between moving parts of the machine. The act of constraining the
relative motion is aimed at facilitating only a certain kind of motion. They
can permit different types of motion such as- linear, axial rotation, hinge and
spherical rotation.
Most wheel bearings
that are properly installed and cared for can last around 100000 miles. But it’s
wise to replace them if damage is suffered by them due to an accident or even a
broken seal can cause a lot of damage.
Why do wheel bearings make noise?
Diagnosing wheel
bearing noise is not that easy. It is often mistaken for the tire’s noise and
you might get confused in deciding which tire it is referring to!
Wheel bearings are
made of hardened steel. Heat and water are its worst enemies. Lack of
lubrication will result in heat that can destroy a wheel bearing. Water
penetrating on a sealed bearing also destroys it.
Most factory
manufactured wheel bearings come sealed. The seals on both front and rear
protect the bearings from outer elements like debris, water etc. Broken or
damaged seal results in malfunctioning wheel bearing and start making noise.
But noise can be of
different types. For instance, if you hear rhythmic, rotating noise that gets
louder with speed, it may be car tires that are primarily at fault. Check your
car’s wheels for patches if you do hear a rhythmic noise that increases in
volume the faster you go.
Does the noise
changes from louder to softer when the weight of your car shifts? You can test
this by gently swaying your car while driving slowly. If the noise persists but
lessens when you sway right, then the damaged bearing is likely on the left
wheel bearing.
If it lessens when
you sway left, a right wheel bearing is likely broken and needs replacement.
Another symptom can
be vibrating or wobbling wheel while driving. When wheel bearings start to wear
down they loosen inside the wheel, which can cause the looseness while driving.
Finding the origin
of noise? At first, the noise originating from wheels might sound like a
whistle. If ignored, the noise could grow louder.
You can use various
tricks to identify the noise. One of the first tricks can be checking the noise
at the time of acceleration and deceleration. One should drive the vehicle
along a circular path, both clockwise and anti clockwise, in order to find out
which of the wheels emit the sound caused by damaged wheel bearing.
The noise
originating from a wheel bearing doesn’t change with changing speed but it
might increase or decrease on turning. So, it can be concluded that the noise
heard at regular intervals, while driving at a steady speed, is a sign of
problem associated with bearings.
Sometimes, CV
joints and damaged wheel bearing noises can be similar. But both problems are
different, so better take a professional assistance.
You can check
damaged wheel bearing by using mechanic jacks for lifting a car. While spinning
the wheel with one hand, one should place the other hand on the strut assembly.
Noise can be heard if there is any issue with its functionality.
Front wheel bearing noise
The front wheel
should be checked for noise and lubrication. It is strictly advised to service
the front wheel every 30000 miles. At the time of driving, do not ignore any
sound coming from the front wheel of your car.
Noise originating
from floorboard indicates that the problem is not related to wheel bearing and
it could originate in any other vital auto part.
Rear wheel bearing noise
Noise produced by
the rear and front wheel bearings is almost the same. In such cases, diagnosing
the problem associated with bearing noise can be difficult.
In one of the
methods to diagnose such kind of noise, the vehicle is driven at constant speed
while making occasional slight changes in the speed.
It is important
that you vary the speed because there are certain cars that make noise only at
certain speeds. This way, you can detect and repair bad wheel bearing.
Check for cracks
while diagnosing wheel bearings. Even small cracks can cause big problems. To
detect minute cracks, checking should be done in bright light.
Cracked, pitted or
worn out bearings should be replaced. Hub bores and spindles shouldn’t be
ignored. If the bearing hub doesn’t fit properly, it calls for the replacement
of the drum or rotor.
Whatever your car's
model is, you must maintain its top performance and condition by using only
heavy-duty and reliable Car parts and accessories from one of the best
suppliers of Car parts- Parts Avatar Auto Parts Canada.
No comments:
Post a Comment