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What are the syptoms of rear wheel bearings going kaput?

 
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m78



Joined: 14 Nov 2001
Posts: 2807
Location: In the great midwest

PostPosted: Fri May 28, 2004 9:41 am    Post subject: What are the syptoms of rear wheel bearings going kaput? Reply with quote

Do they steadily start making louder grinding noise or does it usually happen all at once? Also, what's the test to see if they need replacing?
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Quincy56



Joined: 03 Jan 2002
Posts: 2634
Location: San Marcos, CA

PostPosted: Fri May 28, 2004 10:16 am    Post subject: What are the syptoms of rear wheel bearings going kaput? Reply with quote

My experince (not a BMW) with wheel bearings failing is they make noise that gets slowly louder and louder over time. They also have a habit of the noise changing as you turn the car to the right or the left depending on which side is bad.
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XR5Resurrection



Joined: 18 Mar 2004
Posts: 16
Location: Kapaun, Germany

PostPosted: Fri May 28, 2004 11:03 am    Post subject: What are the syptoms of rear wheel bearings going kaput? Reply with quote

A quick way to check is release parking brake and grab top of wheel, then push in and out hard and if you feel/hear any play, good chances the bearings are bad. To check further, take the wheel off, then take off drum or rotor and grab the bolt face (where drum or rotor is up against) and check for play there

I've heard CV axles make grinding noises when they go bad too, so I'd take a quick peek underneath to see if the boots are torn. I'd also grab the shaft and try to shake it up and down and look for loose play to the cv joint.

[ 05-28-2004: Message edited by: XR5 Resurrection ]

[ 05-28-2004: Message edited by: XR5 Resurrection ]
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MattB



Joined: 18 Mar 2004
Posts: 1633
Location: Lakeland, FL

PostPosted: Fri May 28, 2004 1:12 pm    Post subject: What are the syptoms of rear wheel bearings going kaput? Reply with quote

I've been told the "shaking the wheel" approach only shows movement when the bearing are at death's door and about to seize or break, i.e. the wheels fall off.
Just hearsay though.

As far as replacing once you're sure...
http://www.teamdfl.com/bmw/e30/rear_wheel_bearings/index.html

has good pics.
courtesy of Dale's links archive.
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Camina



Joined: 03 May 2004
Posts: 99
Location: Boston, MA

PostPosted: Wed Mar 11, 2009 7:24 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I have been getting a progressively louder cyclic clicking noise from my left rear wheel area. At first I thought it may have been something in my truck or my jack rattling. I guess that's the best way I can describe the sound.

I just had my struts and shock replaced with new mounts as well. The sound is definitely cyclic and even occurs when going real slow. Is this the rear wheel bearing ?

Is it dangerous driving with a bad bearing ? Should I replace both L & R ? I thought when I did the front one the mechanic said you can't really tell unless you take the wheel apart.
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85-325e



Joined: 30 Jun 2002
Posts: 4712
Location: Southampton, NY

PostPosted: Wed Mar 11, 2009 10:43 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I'd replace both cause if one's going, the other isn't far behind.

When you say cyclical... is it related to road speed or engine speed? In my case, I heard noise back there that turned out to be differential whine, and it was strickly speed related. But mine wasn't a clicking... it's was a noise that grew louder with road speed.

Are you sure it's just one side? It's sometimes hard to tell as you're on the driver's side, so that side's noises are pronounced, especially if you have the window open.

Jim Nau, Dale and a few others have done really good write-ups up here on changing the rear bearings. It's a pain but it's definitely doable.
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Camina



Joined: 03 May 2004
Posts: 99
Location: Boston, MA

PostPosted: Wed Mar 11, 2009 11:43 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

It is definitely related to road speed and it is more of a clicking sound. I assume when you say engine speed you mean the car being stationary and you are reving the engine ? If so, that's not the case.

Another way I can describe the sound is if you had something stuck in your tire like a rock or nail that made a noise (but louder) when you drove. You would only hear the sound everytime your wheel hit that same spot every 360 degrees.
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tncean



Joined: 26 Feb 2005
Posts: 1652
Location: Chattanooga, Tn.

PostPosted: Thu Mar 12, 2009 3:29 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Give those cv shafts/joints a look-see. Check that boots are intact.
You can partially raise one side with a jack, (to reduce load), then give the shaft a grip and check for slop or excessive play, in and out and side to side.
Then, raise the wheel on off the ground and check for wheel bearing play by grabbing tire at top and bottom and see if you get it to "wiggle".
On the cv's, you may get an increase in noise level especially when cornering, even at slower speeds. If so, I would address this promptly. If it breaks, you're stopped.
Most towns have a shop that specialize in cv rebuild. Check around in your area. Usually the grease in there dries and turns to a hard clay-like consistency.

tncean
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beemer driver



Joined: 09 Feb 2003
Posts: 675
Location: WA/portland

PostPosted: Thu Mar 12, 2009 9:35 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

i've replaced all of the wheel bearings in my car twice over the years so im pretty familiar with the noise they make when they're going bad. i agree about replacing both sides if one is on it's way out. a mechanic once told me though that you can still go a long way with the bearing going bad, that it's unlikely to fail suddenly. so i guess bear that in mind. Smile
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bimmerjo



Joined: 24 Jun 2006
Posts: 389
Location: Aurora, Mo

PostPosted: Thu Mar 12, 2009 11:09 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

beemer driver wrote:
a mechanic once told me though that you can still go a long way with the bearing going bad, that it's unlikely to fail suddenly. so i guess bear that in mind. Smile


Not what happened to my buddy's focus Sad two days prior we heard a faint grinding noise, then KA BOOM.... when we took the bearing out, there where NO rollers left.. It was complete powder.. Not sure what happened to make it fail like that. Because I do agree with the mechanic, you should be able to go a ways on a bad wheel bearing.
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1986 BMW 325ES - Black
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beemer driver



Joined: 09 Feb 2003
Posts: 675
Location: WA/portland

PostPosted: Thu Mar 12, 2009 11:43 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

yeah but in the case you're mentioning there were 2 huge problems - 1) it was a ford, and the other it was a focus. Smile
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bimmerjo



Joined: 24 Jun 2006
Posts: 389
Location: Aurora, Mo

PostPosted: Thu Mar 12, 2009 12:13 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

BAHAHA, I'm still giving him crap about driving it, because its just, that a Found On Road Dead Focus Smile
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1988 BMW 325iX - Grey - Soon will be black
1986 BMW 325ES - Black
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Camina



Joined: 03 May 2004
Posts: 99
Location: Boston, MA

PostPosted: Mon Mar 16, 2009 1:03 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I just found out from the dealer that my rotational noise in my left rear wheel is loose hardware on the shock mount. They recommended I bring the issue up to the place who put them in.

As I have said, I had my previous mechanic replace the shocks a couple of months ago. This was the same place who cut off my rear break lining sensor and harness because it was making noise and they didn't know how to replace it. What a piece of crap.
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