2023 Author: Charles Youmans | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-05-20 18:41
Wheel bearing wear is a common problem faced by both heavily used car owners and those who recently bought a new car at a car dealership. And the reason for this is bad roads, which lead to rapid wear of this element, too fast and careless driving and, of course, the owner's inattentive attitude to his "iron horse". That said, not everyone knows that wheel bearing failures can lead to more serious and costly problems if not addressed in time.
But in fact, many troubles can be easily avoided by carefully driving your car and avoiding frequent hits in holes at high speed. And in most cases, the characteristic hum that appears when driving allows you to identify a wheel bearing malfunction. Initially, it may be relatively quiet and barely noticeable, but over time this sound will surely increase. If such a hum appears, you should immediately diagnose the wheel bearing. To do this, you can contact a car service, but it is quite possible to diagnose this element yourself.
There are two ways to diagnose a wheel bearing yourself. For the first of them, you will need to accelerate the car to about 30 km / h and start turning the steering wheel, now to the right, then to the left. In this case, during a turn to one side, a recognizable hum may appear. This means that it is this bearing that is worn out. In rare cases, both wheel bearings may be defective.
In addition, you can raise the car with a jack and turn the right and left wheels with your hands. This may also generate a hum. But with this method of checking, the sound known to everyone may not occur, since the load on this element will be much less than during movement. Therefore, for the most accurate diagnosis, it is desirable to use both methods.
If a wheel bearing is found to be defective, it should be replaced as soon as possible. After all, this breakdown is not only unpleasant with its sharp hum while driving, but can also lead to a traffic accident. It is worth noting that this part can be replaced independently, following the instructions for a specific brand and model of car. In many cases, the wheel bearing changes with the hub.