How to tell if your wheel bearing is going out

[Cgeigert]

I think I need a new wheel bearing. Only sound I have is a click click at low speed braking and it's not the brakes. How do you diagnose this and is it easy to swap them in?

[IanS]

How do you know its not the brakes?

A failing wheel bearing, will either become loose, make a growling or rumbling sound, or sometimes make like a metallic squeak. But the metallic squeak has in my experience, always been accompanied by looseness.

[Cgeigert]

Well, technically I can't say 100% it's not the brakes but I've checked over everything and it's all tight, and I don't feel anything in the pedal. It's only on front right and it's definitely a click click sound I only hear when braking at low speed.

[kouki munster]

Have you had the rotors resurfaced recently?

[S14toRPS13]

Jack the suspect wheel or wheels up and shake your wheel for any wheel play. Check your tires to see if there are any uneven wear on them. Warped rotors will give a vibration feeling when you brake and the vibration will get worse as your rotors becomes more warped. I'd lean towards it being your front ball joints more than your wheel bearings though. I'm not 100% sure, but that'd be my guess. Check the ball joint the same way you would with the wheel bearings except have someone look at your ball joints for any movement.

[kouki munster]

True, but rotors with a spiral pattern from being resurfaced will cause a click because it will cause it will make the pads jump and make a clicking sound.

[IanS]

True, but rotors with a spiral pattern from being resurfaced will cause a click because it will cause it will make the pads jump and make a clicking sound.

[h2v7]

i have a squeek sound coming from my rear passenger. when im going slow and breaking.

i replaced calipers pads and rotors

is it my wheel bearing

[IBCoupe]

If it's a squeak, it's probably not your wheel bearing. They've always sounded like a baseball card in a bicycle spoke to me.

[IBCoupe]

As for the OP, might be your tire, if it's not the joint or your brake.

[Cgeigert]

I have done everything, and I mean everything on the suspension and the only thing untouched is wheel bearing. Replaced ball joints, bushings, rebuilt rack, hard tie rods and kazama ends, nismo brace, new brembo rotors and pads about a year ago, cusco coils and tension rods. Still have stock calipers but like I said I don't think it's calipers. Doesn't make noise when wheel is in air.

[IanS]

How loud is this clicking? My S14 clicked any time is was moving. Could only hear it with window down while driving near a wall.

[Cgeigert]

It's not very loud, I mainly hear it because I'm tuned in to it, otherwise it wouldn't be too noticeable.

[IBCoupe]

Have you tried rotating your tires? Might be as simple as a pebble, or as serious as tread starting to come loose. If you rotate and the sound disappears or moves, that's an easy indicator.

[h2v7]

If it's a squeak, it's probably not your wheel bearing. They've always sounded like a baseball card in a bicycle spoke to me.

thanks any idea what my noise might be then?

[IBCoupe]

I'd look to your brakes.

[Cgeigert]

I've had two different wheel sets on it, currently has brand new Hankook. I guess I will start with the brakes, they are recently new but you never know. I should just swap on the z32 brakes as planned and see if that does it but I wouldn't want to double up on the labor, I hate doing that.

[89CoupeVG35]

I am having that same problem. I haven't had a chance to look at it yet. I will tomorrow morning.

The noise isn't that annoying but noticeable and only above 10mph. Brand new brakes, rotors, axles. I will have to look at the ball joints and everything else.

Does anyone know if it makes a difference when I make a turn? When I do there is no noise. On my Maxima it turned out to be the rotor shield toward the back rubbing against the rotor. But not this time.

I will update you tomorrow.

[Cgeigert]

Well, I guess there's nothing else to be said about my issue until I check some more stuff out so I'll hand it over to the thread jackers now.

[IBCoupe]

If it's a wheel bearing, the noise will change when you turn. If it's starting at about 10MPH and you can hear a grinding noise from in the car, take it to the shop TOMORROW.

If it's a scraping noise and it disappears when you turn, you probably have a bent dust shield. If it's a grinding noise and it disappears when you turn (usually only when you turn in one direction, though), it's a wheel bearing, and your car could decide to start doing donuts without warning.

[Cgeigert]

It's not the dust shields and it's not grinding. It's more of a click click and it's kind of cyclical with the rotation but not totally.

[89CoupeVG35]

I check mine out today. It look like something grinded the top rear of by rotor. I am going to resuface the rotor and see what happens tomorrow.

A clicking noise is odd. A noise like that would come from steering when you turn if something was wrong.

Thoroughly check everything. Or just change your axles and the hub. Maybe it is time for new ones anyway.