Thread: Car Problems.

There's nothing finer in life then car problems...everyone should experience it at some point in there lives.

I have a roar in the back, i think it's a wheel bearing, it's continually getting louder. Does a bad bearing pose a safety risk if unchecked for a while? Don't have the time to fix it until a week or more from now...

Does the noise vary with the speed of the vehicle or with the speed of the engine? It could be the differential as well. If it varies with the speed of the vehicle, it's probably a wheel bearing going out. If it's loud, whatever the cause, you may have some time but not much.

Not really any saftey issue,the axel cannot fall off if the bearing fails,but if the bearing fails it will take out the axel, than the housing race,than the rear diff needs to be replaced, if the race gets really toasted. just becomes a matter of spend a little now, or alot later.
if the noise goes away on decelleration, than the rack and pinion gears may be toast.

You have not shared what the vehicle is. The advice given without specific details on the year make and model of the vehicle are shots on the dark.

Bad tire wear (cupping) can cause the same sort of noise. If you can swerve and the pitch changes it points to a bearing and not tires.

On a rear wheel drive a bad bearing can trickle into several other more expensive problems.

On a front wheel drive a bad rear bearings can erode quickly into serious safety issues in short order on some models...and sometimes they will howl for months without issues.

The safest course of action is to not drive it without solid advice from a qualified technician.

I could tell you all sorts of stories about bearings (good and bad).

I hope this helps, if you want to pm me with specifics, I'd be happy to try and help, but it's hard to be certain without inspecting it myself.

Originally Posted by unit

You have not shared what the vehicle is. The advice given without specific details on the year make and model of the vehicle are shots on the dark.

Bad tire wear (cupping) can cause the same sort of noise. If you can swerve and the pitch changes it points to a bearing and not tires.

On a rear wheel drive a bad bearing can trickle into several other more expensive problems.

On a front wheel drive a bad rear bearings can erode quickly into serious safety issues in short order on some models...and sometimes they will howl for months without issues.

The safest course of action is to not drive it without solid advice from a qualified technician.

I could tell you all sorts of stories about bearings (good and bad).

I hope this helps, if you want to pm me with specifics, I'd be happy to try and help, but it's hard to be certain without inspecting it myself.

Exactly what he said. I would get it checked immediately can turn very serious or dangerous in very short order.

Ok is it odd when the car if jacked up to feel or hear no problems? Maybe just a little quite rubbing sound.

Originally Posted by 111Nathaniel

Ok is it odd when the car if jacked up to feel or hear no problems? Maybe just a little quite rubbing sound.

Not odd,you have no load on what ever is malfunctioning= no noise.

Well, because personal liability I do not like advice but my two cents:

1. Wheel bearing can heat up to point that will start destroying other metal parts off the car (wheel bearing has one of the hardest metals) and wheel can fell off axle.
2. Fix is ASAP as you might end up with costly wheel hub replacement if you wait to long.

Br

With so many responses, one might think this was a Mazda forum!

I didn't see anyone mention jacking up that corner and physically moving the wheel with your hands. Have you done that? Being an FF (you don't have the AWD do you?), you should have no issue rotating the rear wheel and trying to jiggle it in directions. Also, if your not sure about the corner, jack up the others and check them as well.

My initial thought was e-brake disfunction in the drum. I thought these cars had disc rear with drum ebrake? With the car up, rotating the wheel and feeling the dull pressure in your hands might help diagnose that. Also, with the car down, try going in reverse a bit and using only the ebrake to slow to a stop. Likewise, reverse a bit and use regular brakes to stop. Hell, go forward and try stopping with only the ebrake. Feel anything weird with that, then maybe brakes. Reverse and ebrake is a good diagnoses of brake issues I feel.

To answer the actual question - I would still drive to work and back, but not much more. Be safe and provide a cushion for the traffic around you. Avoid freeway speeds if possible. Save some money so you can afford the repair. Some mechanics will drive your car for free and others will put it on the lift for free. Find those guys. =)

The worst thing is if the bearing seizes; it will weld itself to the axel shaft, trust me from experience the only thing you can do if that happens is cut it out w/ a torch, or replace the entire axel assembly, which you might as well trade the car if it's more than 5 years old. Get them replaced as soon as possible. Then you need to check and repack grease in them about every 6-8,000 miles. Get the bearings checked, and have the differential fluid level checked as well. The roaring will get louder w/ time, and if it sounds like a scraping sound then there is metal to metal contact and you need to park the car asap.