When I'm driving even a slow speeds, my tires are really loud. It almost sounds like I have a bald spot on my tire and when I go faster the noise gets faster... It so loud it sounds like a snow tire instead of all seasons.. I have the P6000's and I'm not too happy with them.. Concerned, I went to my tire shop and them rotate, balance and check for abnormal wear and they didn't find anything.. I do notice my car swerving to the right but I have yet to converm this, it may be the road. Also when I brake I hear some clicking noises, this may be unrelated. When I got the wheel balanced, it seemed to help but it came back.. Any feedback is welcom.


Modified by r4integra at 10:56 PM 8/15/2003

 

I had a bad wheel bearing that sounded like loud snow tires. When they align the car they might not notice a bad wheel bearing if they aren't looking for it. Same thing when balancing wheels...

Sometimes bad wheel bearings get loose so the wheel can rattle sideways. Other times it can just make more & more noise but not get loose. It becomes real obvious when you take the steering knuckle off.

 

Is the wheel bearing something I would have to replace or is it fixable? How much of a job do you think it will be money wise?

 

Can't fix the bearing, it has to be pressed out of the steering knuckle & a new one pressed in.

Your DIY capability?? I just had one done, here's what you can do yourself...
Take off the big axle nut like you're changing your axle. Then take off the brake caliper & tie it to the spring. Separate 3 balljoints - upper & lower controls arms & the tie rod. Remove the steering knuckle together with the hub. Now you can spin the hub & see if it's REALLY a bad bearing or maybe it's a bad CV joint...

Take the knuckle in & have the bearing replaced. Some parts places have a press & they'll do it but I couldn't find any bearings in stock. So I took it to a dealer & they put in a new bearing for a little more than $100 if I remember... That was for the bearing & labor for a '95 GS-R. If you just drive the car in of course the labor will be more expensive.

 

Okay after searching through some threads, I got a better idea of what to look for..
I jacked up the front end and the first thing I tried was push the dust shield away from the rotor... that did not solve the problem.
I tried grabbing the north and side and tried to move it, it did not.. hm.. maybe not wheel bearing.
The next thing I did was engage the hand brake, start the car, and put it in neutral. I hand turned the wheel and it turned with some resistance, but I did not hear any noise.
Next I got in the car, and put it in D... and I hear the griding noise!! This eliminates any tire wear issues... The sound is much more clearer and apparent since I am not driving and there is no road noise... VERY VERY LOUD grinding noise as if metal is dragging against the concrete, but not constant, but sounds gets faster and faster the more I accelerate. Before I thought it was just the left side but now it sounds like it's louder on the right side than the left. So I leave it in D and I get out and first thing I noticed was the left wheel slowly and and then suddenly stops spinning as if the brake waw suddenly engaged... the other right side is spinning freely....
So I think, hm.. maybe brake pad/cylinder problem?
Then I went underneath the car and looked at behind the wheel, look at the hub, and look at the cv-joint... Looks good...
Then I look right wheel.... At first I didn't notice but I see some grease on the cv-joint or axle, and dust and gunk build up on the grease... The accordion looking rubber cover was still in tact, but where the metal part starts, there is grease.. ONLY in that specific area... OH NO!! CV or axle problem??? Then I have my wife accelerate and I listened closely and its sounds like its coming from the passenger (right) side wheel well,, but I hear it from the center as well.. and once acceleration is over, the left wheel stops spinning... soooooooooooooooo.

My rookie opinion...
Left side- Wheel bearing problem?
Right side- CV-joint/ axle problem?
I noticed on the highway the handling gets rougher and louder on right hand turns.... But its not the usual cv-joing clicking noise...So is it both or neither??

If I took it to the dealer, how much would it cost for both jobs? I would do it my self but I am allittle time deprived because of work... Again, thanks for the help.


Modified by r4integra at 12:21 AM 8/16/2003

 

Oh and can a bad cv-joint/axle cause the left wheel from spinning?

 

I hope you had the car on some stands - not on a jack...

I guess I don't hear anything that really rules out a bad wheel bearing or a bad CV joint. Especially if the noise was out there in the knuckle. You may have to take the knuckle off in order to tell which.

Grease seeping out thru the end of the boot where the axle comes out? That's not too unusual, but check carefully for the boot cracking.

Brakes always drag just a tiny bit. Nothing really pushes the pads away from the disk except the disk itself. It's almost normal for it to do what you saw. In neutral (engine doesn't have to be running) spin that wheel. It shouldn't drag too much. Another thing to notice is whether that brake gets real hot.

 

if the car is mis-aligned it could cause cupping of the tires which in turn = noise.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by GimpyAccord &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">if the car is mis-aligned it could cause cupping of the tires which in turn = noise.</TD></TR></TABLE>But then it wouldn't make the noise when the front wheels are off the ground...

 

Dealer quoted me $430 for replacement of just one wheel bearing. $85 for the part, 3.5 hours of labor @ $95/hr, which included the diagnostic fee. They charge me even though I told them it was the wheel bearing. Kinda steep isn't it?? I have no choice I can't keep driving on it. They said it would be double of 430 if I were to replace both sides. GRRRR.

 

just buy the bearing from hondaautomotiveparts.com and get it done anywhere. Theres nothing special about getting this done at the dealer, except the price