ok so when I am driving and if I move my steering wheel slightly to the right I hear what sounds like a rubbing noise from the right side. I have been told by some buddies that it is probably a wheel bearing. I checked movement of the passengers side wheel when I put it on the lift and I didn't feel a whole lot of play. The noise is annoying me like hell and I want to take care of it but I need to know if I can just replace the bearing itself which is like 15 bucks or do I have to replace the hub assembly? Please give me your insight into this issue...it's drivin me nuts!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Fronts are hub assemblies, rears are press-fit.

 

He's correct. Here's a couple of pics of what they look like

Front wheel bearing assembly


Rear view of assembly

 

do I need to replace both hubs or just one? what is the average price for these? I think they are like a 100 bucks for one do you know where to find them cheaper?

 

If you aren't sure its the hub, pick one up off here and swap it out. See if you still have your noise.

 

bump...not to jack the thread but i got a similar problem. on an 02 z28 it sounds like metal on metal from the front right but its not constant. its more of a pulsing sound. it happends to me everytime the car is in motion. the folowing lights come on: ABS, BRAKE and TCS OFF, every so often. is this the wheel bearings?

is this your problem?

 

When I bought them they were $137ea check Autozone(online)

Jack up the front end and spin the wheels and listen.........

 

That sounds like it could be the TCS servo (between the battery and right fender), a throttle cable sticking, or maybe a bad/dirty Throttle Position Sensor.

Sometimes semi-metallic brake pads will make some noise when you are not braking, but that shouldn't turn any lights on.

Badly worn bearing hubs will cause brake pad "knock back". After you go through some mild turns, the first time you use the brakes the pedal will go way down before there's any pressure. After one pump, they'll be fine. This is because the loose hub allows the wheel and brake rotor to move around, but the brake pad bracket does not move, so the pads "knock back" the pistons into the brake caliper.

They can also cause some noise from the brake pads when you aren't braking.

To check the hubs for play, you need to pull the wheel in and out at the top and bottom (not the sides due to confusion from brakes and tie rods).

Per the GM spec, you position a dial indicator horizontally, making contact with the wheel just above and as close as possible to the upper lug nut (about 3" from center), support the lower control arm, and push and pull on the top of the wheel. The maximum allowed play is 0.005". However, that method will be affected by worn balljoints.

My variation for measuring hubs on the car is to use a magnetic dial indicator base on the steering knuckle. I remove the wheel, bolt the brake rotor down solid with 5 regular M12x1.5 hex nuts and washers from the hardware store (don't try to use the taper-seat lug nuts). Then I position the dial indicator hoizontally so it is touching the outer face of the brake rotor near the edge (6" from center) at the top (be sure to provide at least 0.015~0.030 of preload on the indicator. Then place your hands at the top and bottom edges of the rotor (don't touch the faces) and pull, in and out while watching the indicator. Divide the total range of travel you observe by 2 (because of measuring at double the radius compared to GM's spec. I've found this to be at least as accurate as GM's method, and definitely easier.

You can get the dial indicator and base for around $30~$35 total at Harbor Freight. It takes a little experimenting to get the base and it's various arms all solid and positioned to get the indicator in the right place, but it can be done It's easy once you get the hang of it.

Do not try to mount the magnetic base on the rotor and position the dial indicator against the knuckle. This is very tempting because it's easy to set up, but every time you breathe, blink, or think stray thoughts, the measurement will change.

 

BTW, some brake pads have a metal strip that touches the brake rotor to make noise when the pads need to be replaced.

 

Easy test to see if you have a bad wheel bearing. Use your jack and lift the wheel off the ground and then grab the whell with one hand at 12oclock and one at 6oclock and see if you can wiggle the wheel from top to bottom, if you can and there is play then you need a new bearing/hub assembly.

 

doesn't always work.

At the past gathering my right front wheel-bearing went bad. When we jacked up the car, there was no play in wheel and it only made the rubbing noise (actually sounded like a bunch of rubber-bands) when the car was on the ground and moving. And whenever I'd reverse and turn at the same time, it would make a single popping noise. So yea, that doesn't always work. And check Pep Boys if you have one in your town. They were about $20-$30 cheaper than everyone else. I paid $108 for mine.

 

this is what my front driver is doing atm

 

Whoa... hold your horses! The most likely cause of this noise is your front brake pads. The wear indicator tabs will make a squealing noise when you turn. The front wheel bearings are sealed and unlikely to go bad. I know because I bought new ones and found out that it was just the brakes. So I have spare wheel bearings now.

Pull the wheels and look at the pads.