Wheel hub replacement

[NMBurb02]

I just brought home my new (to me) 2006 Pontiac Grand Prix GT and discovered a defect I was previously unaware of because I did not get it up to highway speed during my test drive (yeah, my bad): when driving on the freeway at 55 mph or above, I can hear a whining sound up front and the steering wheel begins vibrating. AZ's troubleshooting guide says that it is a worn, dry or damaged rear wheel bearing. A mechanic replaced the front passenger-side wheel bearing/hub assembly yesterday in order to fix an ABS/TC issue and he let me feel the worn hub assembly he removed, which I could feel "grind" as I turned it in my hands. Should I assume the driver side hub assembly is bad as well and go ahead and replace it myself?

Each Duralast hub is $90 (1 year warranty), I can go with US-made Timkens for $145 each (3 year warranty), or Precision (3 year warranty; unknown country of origin, but made in ISO9001 or higher certified factories) for $143. The mechanic used a Duralast, but I'm sure he was just going with the cheapest option.

 

[stephen9666]

Steering wheel vibrating at highway speeds is most often a bad wheel balance.

If you're curious about the other bearings, jack up the car and spin them by hand.

I also probably wouldn't put much faith in the Autozone diagnostic checklist.

 

[AdRock]

I would agree with the above. If it's vibrating on the highway it's probably just a balance problem. spend a couple buck and have the wheels balance, then go from there.

 

[mechanicx]

I wouldn't be so sure it is the wheel bearing. Sometimes a tire or wheel problem can have those symptoms. Maybe rotate the tires and see if the problem changes.

If you decide to get a a new hub, you could get better prices than those online such as rockauto.com- probably about $90 for Timken. I would recommend SKF or ACDelco. ACDelco being the most expensive but around $150 online.

 

[NMBurb02]

Originally Posted By: stephen9666
I also probably wouldn't put much faith in the Autozone diagnostic checklist.

That is exactly why I asked here.

Thanks for the advice. I'll have the wheels balanced and rotated, and will then go from there.

 

[Texan4Life]

If you do need a bearing. take the timken part number and plug it into amazon. it will be alot cheaper than AZ and probably have free shipping.

also check rockauto.

I have had mixed results with the AZ cheapo bearings. I have switched to Timken's and haven't had to re-replace one yet.

 

[NMBurb02]

I just re-read the vehicle's Carfax report and found "Wheel bearing(s)/hub(s) replaced" on 12/16/2008 at 69,123 miles, so four years/62,000 miles ago. Are these cars hard on wheel hubs? Does this change anyone's recommendations regarding replacement? Is there any way I can determine which one(s) was/were replaced?

The wheels are probably due for balancing and rotation anyway, so I will stick with that as my first step.

 

[Jman26063]

Just an FYI Timken is no longer Made in the USA

 

[big_guy]

I have 2 Timkens for my Dodge Ram Made in Korea.

 

[Zaedock]

Originally Posted By: Jman26063
Just an FYI Timken is no longer Made in the USA


According the the website, they have 62 plants worldwide, of which, 42 are in the USA.

 

[Bigpetee]

Originally Posted By: Jman26063
Just an FYI Timken is no longer Made in the USA

I ordered a Timken SP500300 hub/bearing assembly for my Tahoe two weeks ago ($111 shipped from Rockauto) and it was stamped "Made in USA".

 

[Jman26063]

I will gladly stand corrected if im wrong im wrong but I remember reading somewhere here that they closed there ohio plant and now outsource with "the same quality control" and the Timken I just bought in Dec was sure enough in an orange and black Timken box made in Korea

 

[brelandt]

OK....last week I saw a 2003 Cavalier with 97K with both front hubs gone. A Grand Prix with 150K both hubs gone and a 2003 Impala with 70K both front hubs gone. These where the only 3 GM cars for the week.
Tends to be a high wear item on these cars. However, we only receive a few GM cars at all since no one around here buys them so I do not know for sure. But, in the past I have seen lots of GM bearing hubs with play even with low miles. Also they tend to wear the outer tie rods fast on some models as well.

 

[Kestas]

Are you sure these vehicles aren't flood cars? When a vehicle experiences a flood, it isn't unusual for multiple bearings to go out in short order... sometimes all four.

 

[Grebbler]

Yes GM's hard on hubs. Just a design 'feature' because we hardly ever had issues with the old style. A play check by jacking up wheel and yanking at 9 and 3 o'clock won't always find a bad hub.

If you replace them use Timkin's. S&K or dealer next choices. NO store brands.

A warped brake rotor can also cause wheel vibration but should also be felt in the brake pedal.

Of course out of round, knotted or unbalanced wheels and tires need to be addressed.

A broken shock or strut causes wheel oscillation so check those, too.

 

[NMBurb02]

Turns out I need new tires! There's plenty of tread left, but when I took it in for balancing and rotating, I was informed they are cracked (I didn't notice before but did once he pointed it out) and are the wrong speed rating (T instead of H or V). Of course, they had some tires they could sell me, but I will start a new thread in the wheel and tire forum to make sure replacing them should be a priority and to help with tire selection.

 

[stephen9666]

Hmmmm....not so fast on "needing" new tires.

How badly are they cracked? Did they refuse to balance them? What's the production date code?

There are epic threads on the whole speed rating debate. I would not personally replace a set of perfectly good tires because they were the "wrong" speed rating. Of course, I'm assuming these tires are still serviceable.

 

[Merkava_4]

When my front hub went out, it was the one on the driver's side and it sounded like a large knobby Jeep tire going down the road - very noticeable. I replaced both front hubs with Timken units from RockAuto.

The rear hubs are original and doing just fine.

2000 Buick LeSabre.

 

[NMBurb02]

Originally Posted By: stephen9666
Hmmmm....not so fast on "needing" new tires.

How badly are they cracked? Did they refuse to balance them? What's the production date code?

There are epic threads on the whole speed rating debate. I would not personally replace a set of perfectly good tires because they were the "wrong" speed rating. Of course, I'm assuming these tires are still serviceable.

My thoughts exactly. I will take photos tomorrow in the light of day and will post them in the tire forum.

Not too concerned about the speed rating.