Wheel bearings/problems

Red2valve · Jun 7, 2020

Hey guys I have a 2002 mustang gt. When I jacked it up recently I found that when I tried to spin the front wheels with my hands, they would not spin very easily and made a kind of rubbing sound. Some friends tell me its my wheel bearings that are gone bad. Could it also be my brakes rubbing? It is not that hard to spin the wheels but they don’t carry momentum when you try. How should I go about this? Thanks!!

stormsedge · Jun 7, 2020

First, were there issues with your car before jacking it up to check things out? Brake noise, bearing noise, etc? If not, remember that vehicle brakes always have a bit of drag on them, so one will not be able to spin a wheel on a car like a bicycle wheel (for instance). If you feel there may be something wrong, get the car up on jackstands and remove the wheels one at a time inspecting the rotors for uneven wear, metal to metal wear, grooving, etc...remove the calipers and inspect the brakes pads to ensure they have better than minimum thickness (you'll have to look the spec up) and are not grooved or down to the metal backing plate. While the calipers are off the front rotors, you can check the wheel bearings for excessive play/slack, grease leakage, and any roughness. If everything above seems good...put it back together and drive it.

On the rears, you can do basically the same thing. Happy hunting.

Red2valve · Jun 7, 2020

stormsedge said:
First, were there issues with your car before jacking it up to check things out? Brake noise, bearing noise, etc? If not, remember that vehicle brakes always have a bit of drag on them, so one will not be able to spin a wheel on a car like a bicycle wheel (for instance). If you feel there may be something wrong, get the car up on jackstands and remove the wheels one at a time inspecting the rotors for uneven wear, metal to metal wear, grooving, etc...remove the calipers and inspect the brakes pads to ensure they have better than minimum thickness (you'll have to look the spec up) and are not grooved or down to the metal backing plate. While the calipers are off the front rotors, you can check the wheel bearings for excessive play/slack, grease leakage, and any roughness. If everything above seems good...put it back together and drive it.

On the rears, you can do basically the same thing. Happy hunting.

I was jacking up the car to change oil. But just spun the wheel for no reason and discovered what I mentioned previously. I wish there were a way to send a video because i have a vid of it. But thank you, I will follow that advice!

stormsedge · Jun 7, 2020

Red2valve said:
I was jacking up the car to change oil. But just spun the wheel for no reason and discovered what I mentioned previously. I wish there were a way to send a video because i have a vid of it. But thank you, I will follow that advice!

Ok, and just to be clear, it is not unusual to hear a bit of brake pad drag when you spin the wheels. As long as all the visuals check out, you are probably good. If you go to the extent of pulling the calipers for a look, make sure they are sliding correctly, no pins sticking, etc.

Red2valve · Jun 7, 2020

stormsedge said:
Ok, and just to be clear, it is not unusual to hear a bit of brake pad drag when you spin the wheels. As long as all the visuals check out, you are probably good. If you go to the extent of pulling the calipers for a look, make sure they are sliding correctly, no pins sticking, etc.

Red2valve · Jun 7, 2020

stormsedge said:
Ok, and just to be clear, it is not unusual to hear a bit of brake pad drag when you spin the wheels. As long as all the visuals check out, you are probably good. If you go to the extent of pulling the calipers for a look, make sure they are sliding correctly, no pins sticking, etc.

I just tried to upload a video, if you could see that, its exactly how it is in the video.

stormsedge · Jun 7, 2020

Red2valve said:
I just tried to upload a video, if you could see that, its exactly how it is in the video.

Yes...my iPad won't open it.

OneSick99GT · Jun 8, 2020

That is perfectly normal. That's super quiet. A bad wheel bearing will make noise when braking, pull to one side, or start screeching. If you have none of those issues then your fine. But it looks and sounds good to me. No worries bud!

Red2valve · Jun 8, 2020

stormsedge said:
Yes...my iPad won't open it.

Sorry for the late response, no worries though. I appreciate all of your help!!

Red2valve · Jun 8, 2020

Onesick99GT said:
That is perfectly normal. That's super quiet. A bad wheel bearing will make noise when braking, pull to one side, or start screeching. If you have none of those issues then your fine. But it looks and sounds good to me. No worries bud!

I appreciate the help! Thanks!

Wheel bearings/problems

Red2valve

Member

stormsedge

Red2valve

Member

stormsedge

Red2valve

Member

Attachments

Red2valve

Member

stormsedge

OneSick99GT

Active Member

Red2valve

Member

Red2valve

Member

Similar threads

Wheel bearings/problems

Member

Member

Member

Attachments

Member

Active Member

Member

Member

Similar threads

Privacy & Transparency

Privacy & Transparency