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Wheel bearing?

Posted: Sun Nov 26, 2017 9:30 am
by jwangelin
Hi,
I could use a little help in diagnose of a front end issue. I am getting a humming sound from the front end of my vibe (‘06 2wd 247,935). I pretty sure it’s coming from the front pass side of the car. I rotated the tires and it still sounds the same and I’m sure I had the driver side wheel bearing replaced 2 years ago. The humming stops when I turn hard to the left and sounds a little louder when I turn right. I’ve spun all 4 tires and have not heard the standard grinding noise when the old style GM bolt on bearings go bad.

Also, is there an easy way to determine which inside tie rod is bad? There is a little movement and a small click when I tug at the 3 and 9 position. The outers don’t seem to move but it’s hard to see the inners. Am I better off disconnecting the outer tire rod ends and push pulling them?

Thanks in advance,
Jon

Re: Wheel bearing?

Posted: Sun Nov 26, 2017 11:04 am
by andrewclaus
If it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck...sounds like you need a new wheel bearing. Do you get any side-to-side play on the wheel?

There's no inner tie rod end. There's a threaded connection to the steering rack. You can test tie rod ends by squeezing axially with a pair of channelocks--there should be no play. Also check the control arm bushings, lower ball joint, and struts. And there should be no play in the steering wheel.

Re: Wheel bearing?

Posted: Thu Jul 12, 2018 12:58 pm
by msu90
So it looks like I'll have to have mine done...front passenger side. Anyone recommend a mechanic in Oakland County (Detroit)?

Re: Wheel bearing?

Posted: Thu Jul 12, 2018 3:29 pm
by SeattleJeremy
msu90 wrote:So it looks like I'll have to have mine done...front passenger side. Anyone recommend a mechanic in Oakland County (Detroit)?
Wheel bearings are really easy on these cars and any certified mechanic can do this. Shop around for mechanics in your area, maybe check Yelp, call them up, and ask for a quote.