Wheel bearing gone bad? Anything else while at it? - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

Holson Adi · #1 05-22-2003, 10:41 PM

It seems that my right (passenger side) front wheel bearing(s) is/are starting to make noise.

I was going downhill on a rough road and suddenly I heard this squeaking noise, kinda like a really bad violinist and the amplitude goes up and down,up and down, continuously at slow speeds and it's definitely associated to the wheel/tire movement.

As the speed goes up the noise goes away.

Question is..

I need a new control arm but I think I'm gonna hold that off until I really need it. Should I do this while doing the wheel bearings?
I also need front shocks...and maybe front brake pads.

Should I do these things while at the bearings?

sigh... this car.. just today I was thinking about how trouble free it has been..

leathermang · #2 05-22-2003, 10:59 PM

" Should' is a value judgment.... only you can make that... but if you mean " does it make sense to do that at the same time because I will save repeating labor" then I think the answer on the brake pads is yes... and they are famously easy to change out... if you do not have damage to the rotor....
This " they are starting to make noise" STOP driving the car and check on them.... this is a safety concern... not just an annoying noise.... don't put this off if there is any chance the noise is coming from a dry wheel bearing... this is potentially LIFE OR DEATH situation.... for you and some innocent other person.....
Be sure to read the instructions before taking them apart... you may need to get something from the dealer before you can put them back together... which means getting it from the dealer before the weekend....
My wagon had ' crush ' deals... and required a NEW one each time you took the thing apart... and you needed a dial indicator to tighten it... to crush it a certain amount... if you went further you were supposed to take it all apart and start over with a NEW one....so read up first on your car's directions for what you want to do to it.. some of these items are strange on these MB's..

rwthomas1 · #3 05-22-2003, 11:37 PM

Holson,
I just had my whole frontend apart to do lower balljoints. Do you need an upper or lower control arm? Uppers are easy. So is wheel bearings, brake pads and shocks. If you are interested I work cheap, bring the parts&supplies and a case of Bass Ale down to RI and I'll help you install all of it. The only snag you can run into is if the calipers are frozen/sticky and need to be replaced. Rotors are likely okay. My 84 front wheel bearings didn't have any "crush" thingies. Just tighten 'em up and go. Run your finger over the inner and outer surfaces and if it is reasonably smooth you're good to go. Have two-car garage, jacks, jackstands, torque wrench, etc. RT

Holson Adi · #4 05-22-2003, 11:46 PM

I need the lower control arms. I particularly need the passenger side arm. However it's been quiet for a while now.

I hope the noise wasn't a frozen/sticky caliper. That would suck..$$$$$

If that is the case I would most probably do what I have been thinking of doing for a while.

Two 560SEL front brakes (vented and bigger), brake pads, and calipers....

My rotors are new though.. hmmm

I just jacked the offending corner of the car and spun the wheel&tire. I couldn't replicate the noise. It made some noise when I spun it but more like normal (axle spinning on bearings) noise. It wasn't completely silent though.

I wanted to take the wheel off but I've had enough today..

Thanks for the offer to help! However I'm aware of the risk of driving with bad bearings...

Maybe I'll come down later on in summer if I need a pair of hands to fix my sunroof or something.

edge · #5 05-23-2003, 12:24 AM

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I also have my '84 300D running in tip-top condition, smooth, fast and trouble free...knock on wood. It's a far cry from when I first bought it 2 years ago when it was a pig and couldn't get up hills. My wife has been suggesting I sell it now that we have the '85 300SD that you saw at the GTG. My response was unequivocally, "no!" now that it's running so well. Holson, you car is a pretty peach. Once you fix this problem, you'll love it again. Hang in there.

Holson Adi · #6 05-23-2003, 09:49 AM

thanks edge,

The weather sucks.. however, I took it out to bring it to my mechanic's attention.

Just as I expected.....!!!@~@#!
The noise didn't come back even after I drove everywhere driving into little potholes or just on bad roads (easy to find in Boston).

In a week or so (when I have alternative transportation), I'll probably have the offending lower control arm replaced along w/ the bearings if necessary.

Then... on my own... toss those stupid KYB shock absorbers.

P.E.Haiges · #7 05-23-2003, 10:15 AM

Holson,

Here's the PEH theory of car repair. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

If you were not going to repair anything else if the wheel bearings weren't bad, replacing the wheek bearings is not an excuse to fix anything else except possibly the brake rotors. But since that is such a low labor job in addition to replacing the bearings, I recommend you replace only the bearings.

The only labor I can see you will be saving is removing the caliper, spindle nut and outside bearings if you don't replace brakes now.

P E H

edge · #8 05-23-2003, 10:20 AM

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Holson, the PO of my 85 300SD installed KYB shocks 30K miles ago. What a POS they are! Annoying not smooth ride. I can't wait to dump them when I can spring for the $370 Bilsteins. When I do highway driving, I prefer to use my 84 300D which had new Bilsteins installed 20K miles ago. Expensive but the only way to go, car rides like new.

#9 05-23-2003, 11:06 AM

Holson,

Nice ride back to beantown.......

Quite an accident at the mass pike 128 interchange...........SMUSHED FLAT as a pancake!

The wheelbearings will make more of a RUMBLING noise than a HIGH PITCHED SQUEEL..............more than likely, you have a SLIGHTLY sticking brake PAD. If the caliper is sticking, you will notice the extreme brake dust on the wheel..Did you replace the pads along with the ROTORS?

When installing the pads, you need to ensure that they SLIDE FREELY along the chanels for them...this can be acomplished with a VERY SMALL amount of HIGH TEMP grease at the slide points.

Good luck.

Also, it IS GOOD PRACTICE to regrease the front bearings at each replacement of the pads.

Keep those diesels humming

!

Spo out.

Holson Adi · #10 05-23-2003, 11:14 AM

Thanks PEH, I agree with you. I probably wouldn't touch anything else. Right now the wheel bearings and the RF wheel are really quiet....

Maybe Russell's right... I might have a sticking pad/caliper

. I do have quite a bit more brake dust on the front wheels than I do the rears. However, I always thought they were normal on MB's.

I replaced the rotors last time... and being a very cheap college student (my car was meant to be a beater when I bought it). I bought the ATE rotors for $20 /pair and didn't bother w/ putting in new pads...

I also repacked the wheel bearings (w/ help of a mechanic friend)

I'll put the car up later or tomorrow and check the pads.

BTW,

edge, I installed rear Bilsteins already. So now only the fronts need to be thrown away. After I installed the rear Bilsteins I noticed the biggest difference in the way the back of the car handled over rough surfaces (when taking a corner). Before it would almost step out now it's just very stable.

the ride back to Boston was great

except for that accident!! it was worse than the one I saw on I-95 in NY.

rwthomas1 · #11 05-23-2003, 01:49 PM

Holson,
Sunroof!! Arrg! Better bring TWO cases of Bass.... RT

P.E.Haiges · #12 05-23-2003, 11:33 PM

Holson,

Best way to check for dragging brake is to check the temperature of the rotor.

Drive car for a few miles and stop not using brakes I.E. shift down and coast to a stop. Feel around rotors to see if you can find one that is warmer than the others.

I don't agree that a wheel bearing won't squeal. I was in CA and heard a squaling noise coming from rear. It went away so I ignored it. Got to TEX and bearing was so bad and I had to replace the bearing carrier et al.

P E H