Wheel Bearings - Honda and Toyota

mbalbritton

mbalbritton

#@$%!
Joined
Mar 22, 2005
Location
Orlando, FL
Wife has a '99 Toyota Solara and I have an '08 Accord. Both have developed what I'm almost certain is a Wheel Bearing groan. It only coincides with wheel speed, not RPMs.

I checked all 8 wheels the same way I've always checked Jeeps. Get the wheel off the ground, grab the wheel top and bottom and feel for any play by shaking top/bottom. I found no play what so ever. Maybe this isn't a definitive inspection process? Or maybe it's not the wheel bearings? Sure as hell sounds like it to me. Any ideas on a better way to determent if it is, and which one(s) are going south?
 
mbalbritton said:
Wife has a '99 Toyota Solara and I have an '08 Accord. Both have developed what I'm almost certain is a Wheel Bearing groan. It only coincides with wheel speed, not RPMs.

I checked all 8 wheels the same way I've always checked Jeeps. Get the wheel off the ground, grab the wheel top and bottom and feel for any play by shaking top/bottom. I found no play what so ever. Maybe this isn't a definitive inspection process? Or maybe it's not the wheel bearings? Sure as hell sounds like it to me. Any ideas on a better way to determent if it is, and which one(s) are going south?
Click to expand...
With coil springs grab the coil and spin the wheel. The spring tends to amplify the vibration allowing you to find it. Another common issue would be tire "chopping" that leads to a sounds that very similar to wheel bearing failure. Common causes would be a weak strut/shock or alignment issues. Pretty obvious how to check for said issue, hand over the tread of the tire to check for uneven wear - especially in the outer tread blocks.
 
mbalbritton said:
that'll take care of listening to the fronts. not sure I can get enough velocity spinning the rears by hand.
Click to expand...
If the coil spring trick won't work then you can listen with a screwdriver or stethoscope on the knuckle and your ear while spinning. 90% of the time I find bad bearings by holding the coil spring and spinning the wheel.
 
Also wheel bearings will usually get quieter or louder if you swerve like a NASCAR driver warming up the tires before a restart, LOL
 
I just had the same issue on my 2005 Cavalier after hitting a pothole. It immediately developed a consistent whine any time I was turning or merging left at speed. A slow drive around the parking lot turning revealed nothing (checking CV axle joints) and rotating tires changed nothing. Changed out the entire hub/bearing and the noise is gone. Pretty much any whine at speed coming from one wheel is most likely the bearing, especially if it gets worse with turning. At least from what I've seen. The tire shake can diagnose if there is a lot of slop but mine was tight as well when I tried that. After removing I could feel some drag on the original bearing when compared to the new one.
 
Usually but not 100% with sealed bearings like your cars when the weight comes off it gets louder. Old school bearings like a Dana 60 or the front of an older 2wd truck will be opposite where the get quiet with the weight off. Try the coil test on the left side. Also it may help if you pull the axle and brakes and free spin the bearing by hand
 
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