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  #16  
Old 06-16-2017, 07:48 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Father Of Giants View Post
Bearings are TOAST. Massive lateral play (maybe other worn supension parts too), wheels don't move freely when spun, lots of resistance, also you can hear grinding when spun.

Now I honestly don't want to drive the car at all because how bad they are.
I agree, park it until you've got new bearings installed. If you decide to have a shop do the work, I think you can safely drive SLOWLY 15 miles or so to get the car to them, but it really would be better to have the car towed. Far less risk that way, and also less damage done to the hub and spindle.

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  #17  
Old 06-16-2017, 08:07 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Maxbumpo View Post
I agree, park it until you've got new bearings installed. If you decide to have a shop do the work, I think you can safely drive SLOWLY 15 miles or so to get the car to them, but it really would be better to have the car towed. Far less risk that way, and also less damage done to the hub and spindle.
So worst case scenario, hub and spindle are destroyed. Where can I buy a new one? I don't see any as far as i'm aware. Is there a parts # for it?
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  #18  
Old 06-16-2017, 09:07 AM
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Only on rare occasions will you have actual spindle or hub damage. This is one of those things of not considering it as a previous concern generally. Certainly it happens but also infrequently in general. Check the other side bearings for wear as well as you now know what to look for.

It is a personal thing for me and if I am not trying to rebuild the car basically. I will not change out the side that is still good. I will clean out and repack the bearing grease though. Plus examine the bearings.

Actually there was not really a change with time. It was always historically prudent to clean and repack front wheel bearings periodically for decades.

Perhaps greases just got better and the practice almost stopped. My gut feeling today is some of these cars might be on there original bearings still in decent shape 200-300 thousand miles later and never repacked. Hard to believe but still maybe possible. If so it speaks well of the original bearings quality. Perhaps the grease originally used too.

Changing wear items on general principal was an easier choice. Until the era of having to question the quality and durability of any sourced replacements arrived.

An ex employee of URO parts pretty well summed up things with todays aftermarket parts. Some are just built to sell with no quality intentions. Not all parts of course but you have to figure out what you are buying.

Last edited by barry12345; 06-16-2017 at 09:31 AM.
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  #19  
Old 06-16-2017, 09:29 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by barry12345 View Post
Only on rare occasions will you have actual spindel damage. Check the other side bearings for wear as well as you now know what to look for.

It is a personal thing for me and if I am not trying to rebuild the car basically. I will not change out the side that is still good. I will clean out and repack the bearing grease though. Plus examine the bearings.

Actually there was not really a change with time. It was always historically prudent to clean and repack front wheel bearings periodically for decades.

Perhaps greases just got better and the practice almost stopped. My gut feeling today is some of these cars might be on there original bearings still in decent shape 200-300 thousand miles later and never repacked. Hard to believe but still maybe possible. If so it speaks well of the original bearings quality. Perhaps the grease originally used too.

Changing wear items on general principal was an easier choice. Until the era of having to question the quality and durability of any sourced replacements arrived.

An ex employee of URO parts pretty well summed up things with todays aftermarket parts. Some just built to sell with no quality intentions. Not all parts of course but you have to figure out what you are buying.
Both sides are bad, I checked them last night.
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1998 Ford Escort ZX2 5 speed - 279,000 miles My Daily

1992 Mercedes 300D 2.5 202,000 - Pure junk
2000 Mercedes E320 Black - 136,000 miles - Needs repair

Don't forget to grease the screw and threads on the spring compressor.
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  #20  
Old 06-16-2017, 09:34 AM
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Your spindle I'm about 80% sure is fine. The hub is as well.. Wheels not spinning freely doesn't have anything to do with wheel bearings.. That's most likely a sticking caliper. Got groovy spots on your rotors? To check other suspension components have someone shake the wheel while you watch the tie rods and grab on stuff and feel if its loose. You'll feel ball joints because they'll clunk.

Don't keep driving it, you don't want your wheel to snap if they're that bad.
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  #21  
Old 06-16-2017, 09:54 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Father Of Giants View Post
Now I honestly don't want to drive the car at all because how bad they are.
Elvis Presley's first Cadillac caught fire and burned up because of bad wheel bearings.
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  #22  
Old 06-16-2017, 10:00 AM
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Remove the caliper, then remove the hub cap and the hub nut, slide off the rotor and look.

Odds are good the spindle is fine. Wipe it off and take a picture if you have doubts.

I cannot imagine $300 tools to change wheel bearings... enlighten me?
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  #23  
Old 06-16-2017, 10:14 AM
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The Brooks 10" brass punch I bought for the job was only $25 with free shipping on eBay and it was made in the USA. A genuine Mercedes dial indicator might run $100 on eBay or you can probably get a generic SAE one for $20. A magnetic dial indicator stand is only about $15. That's about all you need besides basic tools like a sledge hammer and wrenches.
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  #24  
Old 06-16-2017, 10:19 AM
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I am terrible at creating short posts. Way back in time when women drug me into caves. Perhaps that is just one reason that us really old guys remember the past.

Say a guy made a dollar an hour. If you wanted a front wheel bearing changed out it might cost you three dollars labor. The ratio of earnings to buying services was actually much saner. If you engage a garage today that charges 100 per hour honestly. Your equivalent earnings should be well over 33 dollars an hour. If you lack or even if you do have specific knowledge and the garage is operated unethically. They tend to also give your wallet a real additional ride as well.

If a person is unwilling or unable to do there own labor for all kinds of sensible reasons today. Forget the garages and start asking around for a employee mechanic that does after hours work at home.

Plus has a good reputation both for competence and reasonable charges. It is a pretty safe bet that there are usually some in most areas. It works for both sides if you find the right guy. You pay with cash of course as other than taking a cash advance on your credit card to pay it is the only method of payment.

Generally that guy will have no overhead and will not be dealing with any tax or business costs. He is just augmenting his normal income. If you can develop a decent working relationship with him it can last for decades. Everyone has to make a living. It is up to the individual on how they dispose of it.

Son in law has a few months old loaded Honda civic with the newer turbo charged 1.5 liter engine. Several codes have popped up in the last few weeks. No financial issues as the car is under warranty. Yet hard to say how this car will be after the warranty period. He was able to pull a description of the codes up without a reader or they automatically appeared on the center screen. I had heard the quality of the more recent Japanese cars was falling off. Maybe it is true.

Although it is not starting out too well. For years the son in law has had a relationship with a Honda dealer mechanic. That also does work at home. So if the car proves in the long haul to be problematic after warranty he can still afford to keep it.

Last edited by barry12345; 06-16-2017 at 10:30 AM.
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  #25  
Old 06-16-2017, 11:10 AM
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There are video tutorials on almost all aspects of car repair out there today. One side of you car has problems obviously from your description.

Because you are new at car repair I should have mentioned to force the brake pads back off the rotor before manually attempting to check the bearings. The amount of brake drag present is also an acquired judgement issue. The amount of force required to back the pads away yet another.

A bad front wheel bearing in general does not offer resistance to turning the wheel by hand. As mentioned by another poster. . Also lateral play if present is restricted by the brake to some degree dependant on reasonably free caliper pistons. When you work on older cars it is quite typical to run into compound issues.

Perhaps that is why dealing with most issues on really old cars is better done by owners.

No site member knew how to do these things before the first time they did so. You learn in the process how to control the price of parts and what and what not is important. The difference today is you can get help all along the way. You do not have to figure out everything yourself.

Last edited by barry12345; 06-16-2017 at 11:26 AM.
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  #26  
Old 06-16-2017, 08:46 PM
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After reading and re reading every singe post, it might not be bad wheel bearings.

When the wheel is moved laterally, the tie rods and other bits move too, when the wheel is moved vertically, well it doesn't budge, no movement.

When braking, it feels odd and scalloped, I can't put it into words but you can feel pitting.
Also being that the front right wheel is VERY hard to move, rotors might be the case.
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1998 Ford Escort ZX2 5 speed - 279,000 miles My Daily

1992 Mercedes 300D 2.5 202,000 - Pure junk
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Don't forget to grease the screw and threads on the spring compressor.
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  #27  
Old 06-16-2017, 09:24 PM
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The difficult to move bit sounds like you have a seized caliper on the brakes. If you let it go long enough, you may have cooked wheel bearings in that particular wheel as well from the heat generated from constant friction. Get the brake unstuck, then spin the wheel and see how it is.

The shaking is caused by warping or deformation of the brake rotors. If you have a seized caliper, you know the source of the problem there.

To check your steering components, watch the entire mechanism. If EVERYTHING moves together for both sides, you probably have some wear in the steering box. If just certain components move, you probably have a worn center link and tie rod ends.
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  #28  
Old 06-16-2017, 09:25 PM
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You may have a stuck caliper. Also a bad tie rod end.
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  #29  
Old 06-16-2017, 11:50 PM
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The more you dig into it, I don't think its a wheel bearing either. Wheel bearings get noisy at 20 and over and get quiet under 20. Not the other way around.

Shake the wheel side to side and watch and feel the tie rod end. You'll see if its bad or not. Up and down "clicking" is a ball joint. If your rotors have grooves, it's a sticking caliper. You can feel if its a wheel bearing if the whole hub moves around. You'll need a helper. I'm sure your bearing is fine. New calipers are cheap enough.
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  #30  
Old 06-17-2017, 12:18 AM
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Thanks guys, will update once tools arrive.

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1998 Ford Escort ZX2 5 speed - 279,000 miles My Daily

1992 Mercedes 300D 2.5 202,000 - Pure junk
2000 Mercedes E320 Black - 136,000 miles - Needs repair

Don't forget to grease the screw and threads on the spring compressor.
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