Subscribe Feed (RSS)Spinning Around: Signs of Impending Wheel Bearing Replacement
Wheel bearings are the miracle that allows automobile wheels to spin around, thanks to the rollers they carry that in turn spin around inside of a cage. In order to handle all those lateral forces that wheels are exposed to, wheel bearings are tapered against coned races, permitting them to spin to keep pressure from said forces to render the wheels askew. Because they have such an important job, wheel bearings need all the care and attention you can give in order to assure their functionality and longevity.
Of course, it is inevitable that wheel bearings encounter problems. The usual wear and tear will do this, and your concern when this happens is to see whether you need to buy a completely new set or just a wheel bearing replacement. Generally speaking, replacing old wheel bearings with new ones is more cost-effective as opposed to buying new pipes and jets. To help you save money – as well as time and effort, it’s best to check out the known signs of dysfunction in wheel bearings. Basically, when wheel bearings are crunchy, broken, or simply worn out, wheel bearing replacement needs to be done right away.
Sometimes, however, wheel bearings just need some good old greasing. Just as tires need air to work, wheel bearings need grease to function. A great time to inspect as well as grease up your wheel bearings is when you’re wrestling with the brake pads or removing the brake caliper. Some wheel bearings are easy to inspect, but there are those that are pressed hard onto axles. Worse, you can find some wheel bearings to be captured, making it impossible to free them without the use of special tools and the service of professionals. But unless they are damaged, captured wheel bearings need not be replaced; simple fixing will do the trick.
On the other hand, wheel bearings that make too much noise may be another story. When wheel bearings become defective, the noise usually goes bad, a far cry from the clicks, groans, and grumbles that normally come out according to the speed the spinning wheel is going. A quick and easy way to check the wheel bearings without disassembling the parts is simply to jack the wheel which you suspect is making the loud, awful noise. If there is little or no movement at all, that wheel bearing is fine; otherwise, it needs to be replaced as soon as possible.
Ignorance and neglect are the two primary suspects in the complete deterioration of wheel bearings, as well as of other bicycle or auto parts. Now that you know what to watch out for, you can avoid wheel bearing replacement or perform it at once when the need arises. This will help you save money from further damage and stay away from accidents on the road.
