How To Test For Wheel Bearing Noise

[@erickc5185]

Thank you for the precise information!

[@GoTechTraining]

Woah, thank you so much Erick! Glad you found the vid useful! ~Mike

[@theprayingman]

I'm a professional automotive technician and entrepreneur. Removing the brake caliber and pads and then reinstalling the wheel helps to isolate just the wheel bearing for better accuracy for stationary testing

[@LOLONO666]

indeed

[@AyoHustla]

Question for you so I have all brand new tires install, balanced, and alignment but the car still shakes, vibrate and pulls at higher speed is that due to the wheel bearing

[@kc360awareness]

Had a hard to isolate bearing noise on a front wheel drive miniature-van once Found it helpful to loosen the axle nut a bit which changed the load on the bearing. A short test drive later and it was quite obvious that we had a bad bearing and exactly which one too! Thanks for posting solid no nonsense, well sort of this video had a little well timed nonsense. Thanks anyway.

[@Troy_Built]

I never thought of that. I'll have to give that a try. The one I have heard of he didn't mention was grabbing the coil spring to feel for vibration.

[@GoTechTraining]

Hey Kevin, interesting test! Thanks for sharing. Mike Becker, Senior Instructor

[@SmittySmithsonite]

I've got burned by enough wheel bearing jobs that I just sell them in pairs now. A bad one on the left will mask a just failing one on the right. One time I had a Toyota Highlander with 200k on it, and all 4 were bad! Sounded like the driveline was ready to come right out of the thing - you couldn't hear yourself think while driving it! 😂 Great stuff as usual, Mike - I like that tip for Ford hubs, firing the engine up to release the hub.👍

[@GoTechTraining]

Hey Smitty, thanks for watching bud! Yeh, I can see that as a good practice if the customer can afford it. Sometimes not hearing myself think while driving would be a welcomed relief hahahaha! Mike Becker, Senior Instructor

[@SmittySmithsonite]

@@GoTechTraining 🤣 I “hear” ya!

[@sambitar8448]

Your logic like always impressive. Thank you.

[@GoTechTraining]

Thank you very much Sam! Mike Becker, Senior Instructor

[@tashalousdadful]

Great video! I just had a mechanic replace a noisy rear wheel bearing in my Ford Focus. Is it unusual to still hear a slight howling noise right after it was installed? Do they sometimes need break in time? It sounds better but I'm still noticing some sound. Thanks for any info.

[@GoTechTraining]

Hey Robert, No, they do not need any break in time. The two things I would check is for unusual tire wear. Tires with uneven wear can mimic wheel bearing sounds. The other thing is, you may have another wheel bearing starting to fail. I hope this helps! ~Ryan

[@jeff13148]

Excellent video. I noticed when I turn the vehicle wheel to the left the noise goes away. Would that indicate the bad wheel bearing is on the right? I have a 1998 Chrysler Cirrus. Thank you for the video.

[@ablackformula]

You can also spin the wheel by hand and put your hand on the suspensions coil spring (if it has one) and you can feel some small vibrations on the wheel that's making noise. I've also taken the chassis ear system microphones, cut off the plugs and soldered on banana jacks. Put one microphone on each spindle/caliper bracket or wherever you can, and play with the scope! Now you have visual proof.

[@GoTechTraining]

Ahhhh yes, both great tests! The first requires a little bit of experienced feel. I have yet to play with vibration signals on the scope, but something I NEED to spend some time with. Thanks for watching! Mike Becker, Senior Instructor

[@bluegizmo1983]

Usually a bad wheel bearing will also cause the wheel/rim on that corner of the vehicle to get hot to the touch, or at least noticeably warmer than the other wheels, so that's the fastest first test to perform after a long-ish drive.

[@GoTechTraining]

Hey Daniel, thanks for watching! The only time that i've ever noticed heat caused by a bad bearing was on one that was SOOO far gone. Otherwise more than likely the heat of the brakes will mask any minor discrepancies in the bearing temps. ~Mike

[@mattimel2184]

I had the play left to right but then my buddy noticed the steering wheel moving. After one of us held the wheel there was no play at all. Could that still be tie rod issues or did the steering just not lock? Maybe also to note just one tire was off the ground.

[@johnnyblue4799]

I changed the brakes on all four wheels on my wife's 2009 1.4 Ford Fusion. The rear brakes are drum brakes and the new drums came with new bearings pressed in. Torqued to spec one has no play at all, but the other one has a slight looseness to it. Can't re-torque it either, because the nut is not reusable. I'm really not happy with the quality of the parts these days.

[@GoTechTraining]

Hey Johnny, ugh that's no good! Those old things ran rear brakes forever, Escapes too. Doing the job again due to bad parts is the worst man! Mike Becker, Senior Instructor

[@alvinjimenez728]

I have a 2018 Ford Raptor that has a noise from the rear left that sounds like the pad is rubbing on the caliper, took the tire off and I have clearance. I also have noticed an increasingly side to side rocking and humming noise. I can see it real well with a water bottle in the cup holder. (Ford Dealership blamed tires but I replaced tires with new tires and a separate time blamed the front ball joints which check out as good).

[@jneubauer76]

So if the vibration/noise goes away steering left and comes back steering right is it the left side?

[@777gearhead]

For the real hard to find bearin noises, a chassis ear is a life saver

[@GoTechTraining]

For sure they can be! Mike Becker, Senior Instructor

[@FaithisKey792]

Bryan should not be playing those games under the vehicle, I’ve seen those jack stand fail in the past. I actually have 4 of those brand new, I also have2 blue ones rated at 6000 pounds. Much beefier than what you have in this video, be careful brother. Thank you for sharing. Have a blessed day.

[@GoTechTraining]

Hey Luis, we appreciate the concern! Thanks for watching! ~Mike

[@frankmontez6853]

Is it usual to have to replace both sides at same time ?

[@GoTechTraining]

Hi Frank, Not super common for both bearings to fail at the same time. But I have seen it happen before. ~Ryan Wilsing

[@mick5740]

Great video with important info !

[@bryanb6150]

So i have a vibration in the cab at 70-80. f150 2009 4x4(I have then most vibration coming down from 80 to 70 @73mph). I also have a deep humming sound at these speeds. could this be the axel or wheel bearing?

[@GoTechTraining]

Hey Bryan, a lot of times when you have a vibration that can be driven though, gets worse, then at higher speed it gets better, it's usually tire/wheel balance. While it could be bearing issue, I suggest inspecting your tires as well. Mike Becker, Senior Instructor

[@bryanb6150]

@@GoTechTraining Thank you, I found that the upper control arm ball joints are bad. no sound from suspension over bumps but will replace those.

[@bryanb6150]

@@GoTechTraining you were right i had a bent rim causing that vibration

[@juergenscholl2843]

Thank you Michael. Here comes a really best ever tip: With the wheel in the air spin it over and put your hand onto the spring. You will sense ANY vibration caused by a faulty bearing. Easiest on coil springs but works on torsion bars as well. The spring just works as a big amplifier/antenna.

[@GoTechTraining]

Hey Juergen, thanks for watching! Mike Becker, Senior Instructor

[@abbasniksadat1781]

​@GoTechTraining I tried all three methods and can't pin point if it's really bad bearing although it sounds the left one. Shaking and spin test reveals nothing putting hands on coil spring, no vibration but the noise is there when driving at speeds higher than 25mph. With the truck on jack and wheels in the air the bearing doesn't make noise. I gave order two wheel bearings but don't want to replace if that is not the problem.

[@jemcnair76]

@@abbasniksadat1781 I know this post is 4 months old, but another thing to try is to press the wheel inward whilst turning it. I have a 2009 Honda CRV that was making noise on the left rear, and with both rears off the ground I could not hear any problems. There was no play anywhere, either. Then I pressed the wheel inward as hard as I could and spun it as fast as I could. That did the trick. I could easily detect a low rumble. I know it doesn't make sense, but it's the truth.

[@drjrjules1]

Man the stethoscope test saved me here. I had no play in the hub but was getting an annoying hum and vibration at highway speeds. When listening through the stethoscope, there was no noise from the still-good bearing, and the bad one sounded gritty, like it had sand in it.. anyway problem solved!!! Thanks!!

[@777gearhead]

Very informative

[@GoTechTraining]

Thanks bud! Mike Becker, Senior Instructor

[@777gearhead]

@GoTech sure thing, Mike. I always like the content you put out.

[@xerxes456]

I had an Opel Astra with no noise or play when the wheel of the ground and no play in the wheel, but when driving there was noise. The bearing feels smooth when disassembled from the car. The noise was from the wheel bearing changing it, and no sound was the first time for me I guess you needed the wight from the car to get the noise

[@GoTechTraining]

Hey U JOhan, thanks for watching! Interesting, so the weight of the vehicle loaded the bearing and made it make noise. It makes sense. Was it a really bad noise or maybe was the problem just starting? Mike Becker, Senior Instructor

[@xerxes456]

@@GoTechTraining You could not miss the noise, but it was not like a growling noise but more like a brake noise; maybe I was not really sure it would fix the problem, but it did: When spinning the hub when it was of the car once I could feel like a scare in the bearing but could not recreate it. Thanks for your great videos through all the years helps a lot

[@islandtime1402]

Rather than starting the vehicle, why not just use a hand vacuum pimp on the IWE port on the hub? It's far quieter so you can hear the bearing and you don't have a risk of accidently running over your helper (Brian) if the vehicle is accidently knocked out of park.

[@josephremache3721]

Love ur videos!

[@GoTechTraining]

Hey Joseph, thanks a ton for watchin'! Mike Becker, Senior Instructor

[@peteisi113]

So what was the diagnosis?

[@mikechiodetti4482]

I've seen the low speed ABS application with a light brake application. The bearing was REAL bad!

[@GoTechTraining]

Hey Mike, GM"s were the worst for this, right? For them the hub would rust and jack the sensor away from the tone ring. Mike Becker, Senior Instructor

[@cliffordgaylor4752]

Thats ok for front wheel bearing but what about rear wheel bearings? All the videos seem to be about front wheel bearings which are easier to diagose as they are affected by steering changes.

[@allaboutgreens7164]

What if your draft shaft been taking off to all wheel drive and you have bearing replaced... my truck can't even hear my radio

[@haywardsautomotive6156]

Great video Mike and also outside wheel turns faster so if noise increases turning right it's usually left wheel bearing and vice versa turning left...NOTE I said usually 🤣😂🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣😄😄😄

[@GoTechTraining]

Hey Bob, thanks for watching! hahaha yeh, usually is the key word for sure! Mike Becker, Senior Instructor

[@terryharvey4811]

Steered left, noise got louder, both fronts had NO play, Kia FWD . LUCKY I RAISED IT RAN A.T. IN LOW , NOISE WAS ON LEFT, . Backward to the usual loaded side getting louder. Go figure ??? If Ryan needs a day off, I could fill in for him by laying under the car. I have experience from laying under that Kia.. Or does that over qualify me ???

[@GoTechTraining]

Hahaha Terry, thanks for watching! Mike Becker, Senior Instructor

[@odanne29]

So no loosenes at all it can be wheel bearing anyway?

[@GoTechTraining]

Yes, that's correct. A wheel bearing can make noise due to failed internal bearings or have ABS wheel speed faults and not show physical play. ~Mike

[@odanne29]

@@GoTechTraining Ok thanks man, good video.. i have an Audi Q7.

[@GoTechTraining]

Good luck with the repair! ~Mike

[@jeremyanthony9300]

Wow Mike. You're working outside? No shop or studio? Where are you doing that job?

[@GoTechTraining]

Hey Jeremy, it was a beautiful day outside and it was a good demonstration to show that just about anyone with a jack could do the job. Mike Becker, Senior Instructor

[@thagedorn]

add gear oil through the abs sensor hole if you want bearings to last. not grease, 140 gear oil.

[@Boricua4life]

Just replaced 4 tires, they were Good Year wrangler. Purchased 4 Dextero tires and nothing changed. I thought it was the tires but not I feel it’s the hub bearing

[@GoTechTraining]

Sorry to hear that! Hopefully the old Goodyears were worn out! ~Mike

[@nickayivor8432]

👍👍 PRODIGY Go Tech Mike Becker and Ryan Wilsing Happy Wrenching Thank you👍👍 Take care and have a great day From Nick Ayivor from London England UK 🇬🇧

[@GoTechTraining]

Hey Nick, thanks man! Have a good one! Mike Becker, Senior Instructor

[@garygarafano8341]

Ryan needs more coffee! LOL

[@GoTechTraining]

Hey Gary, thanks for watching! Yeh he does. Although maybe he would have been fidgety under there with too much caffeine! Mike Becker, Senior Instructor

[@thagedorn]

my left front oem bearing was toast at 40k

[@georgebell3964]

👍

[@GoTechTraining]

Hey George, thanks for watching! Mike Becker, Senior Instructor

[@AG-sd9ik]

I got the err err err err err noise 😅

[@hishighnessab5540]

Could only hear you yapping all the time... the noise was never properly highlighted

[@rayman1738]

It would be good if you actually stopped talking and let us hear what the nouse sounds like

[@Serids-z1c]

STOP TALKING AND SHOW THE NOISE

[@777gearhead]

First

[@GoTechTraining]

Nailed it!!!! Mike Becker, Senior Instructor

[@shaneoneill502]

Or use a laser thermal temperature gun after driving, that bad bearing gets pretty hot.😊