Wheel bearings going bad at 67K?

[bac151]

I just bought a used 2010 with high mileage (67k) and i noticed a whub whub whub at speeds over 30mph coming from front with no vibrations or steering movements. I thought it was an out of balance tire or maybe uneven wear on tires. The car needed new tires so i had some new balanced set put on and still have the sound. I jacked the car up to see if there is play in the wheels or weird sounds when spinning with hands and all seems normal on both sides. All the videos that i have seen of bad bearings show the wheel have some play from bad bearings but mine doesnt move. Is it possible that the bearings are going bad but dont have any play yet? Deciding whether to spend the money to just go ahead and replace both bearings.

[seilerts]

If the wheels feel tight, and turn soundlessly when jacked up, it is probably not a bearing.

Take a close look at the plastic underside engine covers, particularly around the "oil change door" and see if anything is loose and might be flapping at speed.

[kbeck]

Originally Posted by bac151

I just bought a used 2010 with high mileage (67k) and i noticed a whub whub whub at speeds over 30mph coming from front with no vibrations or steering movements. I thought it was an out of balance tire or maybe uneven wear on tires. The car needed new tires so i had some new balanced set put on and still have the sound. I jacked the car up to see if there is play in the wheels or weird sounds when spinning with hands and all seems normal on both sides. All the videos that i have seen of bad bearings show the wheel have some play from bad bearings but mine doesnt move. Is it possible that the bearings are going bad but dont have any play yet? Deciding whether to spend the money to just go ahead and replace both bearings.

Not so fast on those wheel bearings. That noise sounds definitely like a CV joint problem. There are four of these things, typically, on a front wheel drive car: Two attached to the stub axles leaving the transmission and two close to the wheels. They have rubber boots around them, clamped shut on the axles. The joints themselves are big honking pieces of metal with a few large ball bearings inside. The bearings kind of roll back and forth inside large tracks inside the hunks of metal as the axles turn, the idea being that the rotation speed of the three axles (stub from the transmission, short shaft between the two CVs on a side, and the final axle into the wheel) all turn at the same rate, no matter what the wheel deflection.

Typical failure mode is for the boot to get torn, in which case grease leaks out and grit in, eventually causing failure. The one that got me back in 1977 was a side impact on the wheel. You get that thup-thup-thup noise that goes with car speed (not engine); and, if one of the darn things break, the car stops moving. Forever. Or until the joint's replaced. Medium expensive since the wheel(s) have to be more or less dismounted from the frame; at least one doesn't usually have to take the engine out or anything. You'll need a front end alignment when it's all done, raising the cost.

I forget what the test for the CV joint looks like, but if you rotate a wheel and there's a lot of slop between the wheel turning and the shaft into the transmission turning, then I'd call it bad news. Check for torn rubber boots - if you got one, then there's your problem.

KBeck

[bac151]

I checked both wheels for debis but i dont think its the u joints. There are no sounds when slow but after 30mph it sounds like and out of round tire but with no shaking or vibrations. Going to try rotating tires eve tho they are new.

[shaneb]

Hi i have replaced front wheel bearings on 2010 prius. There was no movement / play in the bearings but the whub whub noise that you describe. The noise was fixed after bearing replacement. I repair a fleet of taxis here in Cairns Australia and have carried out this repair many times.

[LTZR1]

Originally Posted by bac151

I just bought a used 2010 with high mileage (67k) and i noticed a whub whub whub at speeds over 30mph coming from front with no vibrations or steering movements. I thought it was an out of balance tire or maybe uneven wear on tires. The car needed new tires so i had some new balanced set put on and still have the sound. I jacked the car up to see if there is play in the wheels or weird sounds when spinning with hands and all seems normal on both sides. All the videos that i have seen of bad bearings show the wheel have some play from bad bearings but mine doesnt move. Is it possible that the bearings are going bad but dont have any play yet? Deciding whether to spend the money to just go ahead and replace both bearings.

A "clicking" sound, especially wheb you turn usually indicates a worn or damaged CV joint. The sound you indicate is more likely a worn
bearing and the sound will get progressively louder as the bearing gets worse. A trip to the dealer or a trusted knowledgeable and good mechanic is suggested.

[qbee42]

CV or U joint problems can usually be diagnosed by driving slowly in tight circles in a parking lot. You will usually hear a clicking or groaning sound that is louder when driving in a tight circle. At slow speed, drive straight, circle one way, then circle the other. Compare the sounds.

Bearings, on the other hand, are easier to diagnose when traveling down the road. Bearing noise will increase when you side load the bad bearing. Get up to the speed where you can hear the noise, then make a fairly sharp turn - fast enough to feel the sideways pull. With bad bearings the sound will increase turning one direction and decrease or go away in the other.

Tom

[kornkob]

Originally Posted by qbee42

With bad bearings the sound will increase turning one direction and decrease or go away in the other.

Or be fairly consistent at the boundaries if both are going at the same time (a less common case)

[bac151]

Just to be sure i had the tire shop re-balance and rotate the tires and i still get the same noise on driver side front. I'm going to change out that bearing and i'll post the results.

[qbee42]

Originally Posted by bac151

Just to be sure i had the tire shop re-balance and rotate the tires and i still get the same noise on driver side front. I'm going to change out that bearing and i'll post the results.

I just replaced the driver's side front on my 2006 at around 80,000.

Tom