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Oddity. Center Bearing Bust. Possible?
94 SL320
Short form question: Can dropping a car from a stand onto the floor with the tire removed damage the center bearing? (Not the wheel bearing.) At first I thought no. Then I talked to a Ford guy and we could imagine the drop flexing the drive shaft in an odd way that could have damaged the center bearing. Why I think it cant: The rear differential would absorb most if not all impact from dropping the car. Dropping from a short distance is equal, at least as far as the rear differential and drive train are concerned, is equal to a hitting a pot hole. Why it might: If the differential itself hit the ground it might cause an abnormal flex in the drive shaft. Long form: Wheel lug would not come off. Shop heated and torched the wheel. Finally it came off. The wheel was utterly destroyed. Put the spare on and new tire. The next day after getting the car back it seemed to be driving fine. At about 60 mph I started hearing the noise you hear when a playing card is in bicycle spokes. There had been zero noise of this sort at all previous to this day. I pulled over and pulled off the back wheels. Nothing apparent from the top. It only makes the noise when rolling and braking has no effect on it and you can feel the vibration when you put your hand on the gear shift. Took it back to shop and guy says its the center bearing. Put it on lift and ran the car. Could hear what appeared to be something hitting the heat shield right where the center bearing is. At home I climbed under I saw that the shield of the brake housing was dented on the bottom. A spot which can not be dented with the wheel on. I was getting ready to take it in for the $800 center bearing replacement. Assume it was dropped. Could that have taken out the center bearing? Discussion posted on car talk: Frozen lug to busted bearing?? Is it possible? Or just lucky? - Car Talk |
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