Hello, I have a 97 Honda Civic LX 4dr 1.6L with 130,000 miles.
The other day while driving I heard a noise that sounded like metal was rubbing against metal, kind of sounding like a brake was grabbing. When I reached my destination, I felt each of the hub caps to see if it was possibly a wheel bearing going out. The RF hub cap was warm near the middle of it which leads me to believe I might have wheel bearing going out. It was hard to pinpoint the exact location of the heat through the plastic due to not being able to take off the hubcaps w/o taking off the lugs. Is this a good indication of the wheel bearing, or could it be something else like the breaks somehow dragging? I jacked the RF corner up and tried to move the wheel up/down and left/right and did not feel very much play that seemed "wrong" to me. Is there a better way to determine what's wrong? I have not driven the car since. Does anyone know how long it is safe to drive a car w/ a possible wheel bearing going out? Also, does anyone know how I can figure out if my car has abs or not? Thanks for any help!

 

its sounds like a wheel bearing. and for the abs i dont think lx civic comes with abs i could be wrongthough. to check if you do there should be a box like 6x6x4 (not exact measurements) should be metal silever solor with brake likes going into it and then out of it. and alot of wireing and plugs on it

 

Is it more of a rumbling noise? does it change sound at different speeds?

Rocking the tires checks for play, but not necessarily worn bearings. Have you tried rotating the tires by hand?

 

bump I'm curious as well, since I think my LF wheel bearing is going too.

 

Replace your brake pads and see if the noise goes away.

 

Thanks for the replies guys. It was not as much of a rumbling noise, it sounded more like scrapping metal, but I did not drive it much after I heard it so I didn't have much time to listen to it. I did not rotate the tires by hand, I might have time this weekend to try that. I will keep you guys updated on what we find out whenever we get the car back home and are able to mess with it(I'm at college). We are probably going to trailer it home since it is a 2 hour drive for me. Thanks again for the help!

 

i have the same problem, my mechanic told me that if you put the car up and spin the wheel while it is in the air, if you hear a grinding/metal on metal sound then you need a new bearing. As for how long you have, my understanding is you can drive on them without any problems. i drove to Tennessee form Chicago on a bad bearing and had no problems it jus got a little louder.

 

Yeah, it is like a bad/torn CV...you can drive on it even if it's bad, but it just might be a little annoying. GL!

 

Does it just meteal to metal grind when you turn or all the time?

 

to see if it has abs look at the axles right near the hub. there is a ring around the axles with slots in the ring. called the abs ring. it looks kinda like a gear with spur cuts in it. i dont know if this will help but its the best way i could describe it for ya

 

I know the car has ABS has the preesure modulator under the hood! Many parts stores are listing diff. hub and bearing for a ABS car??