Bad Wheel Bearing symptoms?? And tranny swap question

[RichieRichJP]

I went to Firestone recently to get my free alignment done and they checked my car for free. They said that the drivers side wheel bearing has gone or is going bad. What things should I be looking out for?
I know certain bumps and speed bumps that I go over causes a clunk on the drivers side and I can feel the knock on the gas pedal. That was something I had about 2yrs back and it has come back.
To get into the apartment complex I am staying in, there's a nasty dip that I have to go over (at an angle) to get in and I get that clunk everytime. Here and there it sounds like it's on the passenger side.
Also at varying speeds, when I go through an S-Bend (not slow, but not too fast either), I can feel the front shift outward (with the weight shifting outward obviously) while going in and out of the turns, which really scares the piss out of me. I thought an axles was gonna come out!
I also get unnecessary bumping. I noticed that even on some newly paved roads, I seem to hit invisible bumps. It feels like a road with soft verges. The bumps aren't hard, but it feels more like a a slight wobble on the front (as if the wheel has play and at a positive and negative camber), or a lopsidedness.
I am getting all new tires soon, but I wanted to see if it's a VERY bad bearing that needs to be fixed now, or just bad tires that need balancing.
And finally for you e153 tranny swap people, does the wheel bearing need to be swapped in in the swap process?

Thanks

[Turboman412]

ummmmm ok first ur going to put the car up on a jack and try to move the wheel there should be no play up and down. also you can spin the wheel and put your hand on the spring. if the bearing is causing a grinding noise it will vibrate through the spring. and not to be rude but if ur unsure of swapping wheel bearing how are u going to pull a tranny and do a swap? no there all the same, the hubs could be diff. i know there are 2 diffrant types of axles for the 4cyl. so the doner car could be eather or.

good luck

[ghettosled]

when i had wheel bearings go bad, then make like a metal on metal rotating noise that is in rhythm to the wheel turning. the clunks you are talking about sound like either a lower ball joint (this would be my guess without checking in person) or it could be an upper strut mount, sway bar end link or a tie rod end (i doubt that though). jack the car up, grab a large pry bar or pipe and see is there is any play with any of these joints. there shouldnt be any.

[xtremeskier97]

Originally Posted by ghettosled

when i had wheel bearings go bad, then make like a metal on metal rotating noise that is in rhythm to the wheel turning. the clunks you are talking about sound like either a lower ball joint (this would be my guess without checking in person) or it could be an upper strut mount, sway bar end link or a tie rod end (i doubt that though). jack the car up, grab a large pry bar or pipe and see is there is any play with any of these joints. there shouldnt be any.

When you say metal on metal rotating noise in rhythm with the wheel turning, do you mean like a constant dragging sound whenever the car is in motion? Because I have that on my right front and I wasnt sure if it was the bearing or the pad dragging on the rotor.

[Eye8Pussies]

Originally Posted by ghettosled

when i had wheel bearings go bad, then make like a metal on metal rotating noise that is in rhythm to the wheel turning. the clunks you are talking about sound like either a lower ball joint (this would be my guess without checking in person) or it could be an upper strut mount, sway bar end link or a tie rod end (i doubt that though). jack the car up, grab a large pry bar or pipe and see is there is any play with any of these joints. there shouldnt be any.

I agree with this ghettosled on this one- it usually makes a metal on metal noise, as well as excessive play on the wheel/bearing itself.

BUT what you are describing sounds more like a suspension component that is loose...you can run on bad wheel bearings and it'll basically just make noise until it seizes or doesn't run on the bearings any more


as for changing the hubs for the e153 swap...you don't for the v6 for sure. and for the 4cyl, you *shouldn't* either since they both use 30mm axle sockets

[ghettosled]

Originally Posted by xtremeskier97

When you say metal on metal rotating noise in rhythm with the wheel turning, do you mean like a constant dragging sound whenever the car is in motion? Because I have that on my right front and I wasnt sure if it was the bearing or the pad dragging on the rotor.

the metal on metal sound of the bearing usually has a thump with the rotation of the wheel because the bearing surfaces start to get chewed up. the noise also normally gets louder the faster you go and sort of echoes through the chassis.

a brake pad dragging usually changes pitch when you start to apply the brake while the bearing noise tends not to change whether or not you apply the brakes. the sound of the pad is lighter and higher pitched (especially when the warning thingies start to touch the rotor).

[RichieRichJP]

Dammit, everything erased....
Ok in short. The only sounds I get from a normal drive is similar to an unbalanced tire, and a little shuttering. The others happen during other conditions (bumps, etc).
The sounds I get are low, a well inside the wheel well on both sides.
I remember that before I brought my car in the for the alignment, I did here similar noises in the back and it turned out to be a loose bolt and a suspension component. Oddly enough, they couldn't find it in the front.
I guess the best way is to get with my mechanic and drive it with him

Thanks for the help guys