Do you own a vehicle? Without any doubt, you would know that wheel bearings live a tough life. Most of the weight of your vehicle is on the wheel bearings at the four-sided corner of the vehicle.
When bearings begin to wear out, humming and rumbling noises are heard. Though, it is more noticeable when you turn the wheel from side to side at high speed. Usually, when the rear wheel bearing deteriorates, the grinding or humming noise is constant.
In past days, wheel bearings were composed of two cone bearings on each side. This old-fashioned bearing system could be serviced by putting grease in the bearings when removing the brake rotors (or drums). However, still, some vehicles keep this style of bearing.
Nowadays, other than rear-wheel drive trucks with solid axles (like tractor trailers), most vehicles use hub bearings. These are typically mounted directly to the rear transaxle or steering knuckle and consist of a bearing and flange surface. Also, the bearing has a hub face that contains the wheel studs and tire-mounting surfaces.
Additionally, axles usually have a splined surface, which passes through this bearing and is secured at this bearing by a large hub nut also known as a spindle nut. In today’s vehicles, most bearings are designed like this. It is still possible to find some vehicles with pressed-in hub bearings that re-use the original wheel hub, but these are becoming increasingly rare.
How Much Wheel Bearing Replacement Cost?
One of the components of the modern motor vehicle that has been undermaintained is ‘wheel bearings. This component is located behind the road wheels, which help them spin freely.
In the past, it is used to be necessary to change the grease and replace the seals on the wheel bearings to perform at their best, but most modern cars feature maintenance-free bearings. Whenever an issue pops up, the bearings need to be replaced to keep the wheels running smoothly.
Each wheel attached to a car has four-wheel bearings, one for each type of wheel. They can be pressed into the hub or bolted into place. The cost of replacing a wheel bearing can vary from $150 to $600+, depending on where it is located and whether it is necessary to remove it and press it in.
What Is Wheel Bearing?
Typically, a wheel bearing is composed of a series of balls or rollers attached to a bearing cage. Those wheels are lubricated by a special wheel bearing grease which also acts as a cooling agent to prevent the bearings from overheating.
Generally, these components are placed in the hub behind the braking components, and the wheel is then secured to the hub assembly as a whole.
As the drive from the transmission or differential is transferred to the road wheels, the driveshaft passes through the hub in the middle of the wheel bearing.
Why Is a Functioning Wheel Bearing So Important?
When one of the wheel bearings malfunctions, the wheel is subject to more friction. Thus, the wheel starts wobbling, causing it to become more and more difficult to control. Because of this issue, bad wheel bearing means that there is a high chance of car accidents when the vehicle is out of control on the road, which would end up in some serious problems.
For example, a car accident means high repair and replacement costs. Although these costs might seem high to some, they pale in comparison to the injuries that car occupants may sustain from an accident. These injuries can have lasting effects that can last for years.
Moreover, compared to the bad wheel bearing, a missing bearing is the worst scenario. It is because a wheel bearing has a vital role to play in keeping the wheel attached to the car. This means that when the wheel bearing is missing, the wheel can come off when the car is in motion.
There is no question that this can be extremely unpleasant for the car, the people inside, and everyone else in the vicinity. Therefore, when people have a missing wheel bearing, they should not use their vehicle but instead contact a mechanic right away.
There is generally no difficulty in noticing when a wheel bearing is starting to sustain too much damage to remain functional. One of the common signs of wheel bearing deterioration is the noise coming from the wheel while in use.
Most people mistake this noise with either an engine problem or something else besides. But, if you closely pay attention to the noises then you would hear grating and grinding noise rather than anything else.
Also, besides this sign, there are other warning signs as well. For instance, a loose steering wheel is one example, and for another example, you might have the feeling that the wheel is pulling to one side due to a loss of control. Additionally, bad wheel bearings tend to cause an increase in tire wear and tear, though this might not be noticed right away.
