how do i tell..

[daniel-1986]

how do i tell which wheel bearing is on it way out. i know it should be simple but wen the gearbox bearing is also making a grinding noise (ive got a 5-speed waiting to be fitted wen i get time off work) its making it a bit more difficult

[Tristan 2.0 8v]

A good trick I find is to put your head near the windscreen and try to hear if the noise gets louder. If it does then it's at the front. If not it's the rear. Then corner hard, if it gets louder whilst turning left it's on the offside and visa-versa.

But the best way is to get the car in the air and freewheeling, then place your hands on the wheels at 12 and 6 oclock and check for movement (there should be none  )

[plastic man]

jack it up and spin the wheel if it doesn't spin freely is foobered

[dTEA]

or if you jack it up, chock the wheels and release the handbrake and it wobbles like mad...its also fooked...make sure its all stable and only slightly raised tho...easy to slip whilst jacked and no handbrake

[Ben Lessani]

Also something to bear in mind is when your offside wheel bearing is on its way out, when driving, it sounds like the nearside is, always sounds like the opposite side basically.

As above, your best bet is to jack the car and wiggle the wheel.

[jezza16v]

Depends what type of wheel bearing failure it is. If you've got a 'droning' noise that changes with speed , the most common fault is that water has got it and you get corrosion pitting on the bearing surfaces. This only makes a noise when there is load on the wheel so jacking up does not help as you will probably find no play in the bearing at all. You need a mate to sit in the car with you and move seats to listen which corner its coming from. The noise will probably get worse when turning left or right, the normal rule is that the side you put the load on which makes more noise has the problem.....but not always.... The bearings are double so it can depend on whether the inner or outer bearing has gone. The rust pitting normally happens where water sits in the bottom of the ballrace but in straight line driving the front bearings are loaded at the top and the rear ones at the bottom blah blah......... Oh god I'm getting old and boring....sorry..........

[Jay]

Like's been said jack it up properly, and do the 12-6 with your hands to check for play. Then take your drum down to the garage to get new bearings presssed in, and make sure you do before the bearing goes completely and you are driving around with a loose wheel and no bearings  Trust me that aint fun...

jezza, write up a Bearing FAQ and get it stickied.

[daniel-1986]

it might just be easier to to replace all of the bearings

[Jay]

it might just be easier to to replace all of the bearings

There's that too!  probably cost around £50 for a garage to sort that out with parts so not too bad. I think my rear nearside bearing is going, at about 70mph I hear a whirring and the engineer did say that it didn't feel right when I got him to press it in.

[golf mk2 tornado red]

rite jack up each corner and spin the wheel whilst putting your ear on the rear wing or front wing you will notice the diff in noise .thats you foobad bearing