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Leaving wheel bearings loose can damage the spindle. However, there is another concern that I feel should take precedent over a damaged spindle. The wheel could come completely off, taking the brake rotor with it, destroying everything that is in the way, meaning the brake caliper, caliper bracket, brake pads, etc.
I’m presuming that the vehicle in question is a 2WD pickup truck? Or an older RWD car (Mustang, Camaro, Crown Brick, 240SX, etc). If you’ve got a front wheel drive car that needs bearings, the wheel won’t fall completely off if the bearing lets go completely, but I have seen the bearings break in such a way that the brakes are badly damaged. Not trying to scare you, just giving you a heads up.
You say you’ve got roughly 4″ of play in the steering wheel, are you certain that all the slop is in the wheel bearings? You could have other suspension/steering related problems. Loose tie rods, loose ball joints, possibly a bad rag joint/u-joint in the steering shaft… There’s lots of things that can cause excess movement in the steering wheel.
i would say about 3 out of the 4″ of play is the bearings, i hit a curb and have not had the chance to inspect everything sence but the wheels are loose, and where loose before the insedent. i am trying to save a little money because i owe a shop for something i dont have knowledge of how to do so they ripped me off. yes it is a RWD truck. Erics video is a perfect match for my truck.
With 4″ of steering wheel play I would suspect worn steering components over just loose wheel bearings ( although I would address the wheel bearings as well ) I have seen wheel bearings bad enough to wreak the spindle and require a replacement of the knuckle/spindle assembly.
Even if they don’t come flying apart, if the bearings are dry, there will be alot of heat that will damage the spindle. You may even have some trouble getting them apart/off depending on how far overdue they are.
This video by Eric will give you a quick run down on how to inspect some suspension components –
http://www.youtube.com/user/EricTheCarG … cFbb43fwqk
You may have more ‘wrong’ than just the wheel bearing problems.
I would raise the vehicle up and start doing some solid visual inspections.
It would not hurt either to remove the front wheel and make sure the spindle nut has not backed off due to a broken or missing cotter pin.
thanks guys, the earliest i can get at it is tuesday. but i will not be able to fix anything for a while unfortunately.
I agree with the group on this one as it’s not likely that you have that much play from worn wheel bearings I would suspect that you may have worn suspension parts either in addition to or in place of the wheel bearing issue. Normally when wheel bearings have a problem they produce a lot of noise. Here is a video that I did on checking suspension parts that might help, first find out what parts are really loose and go from there. BTW 4″ of play is not good and should be addressed ASAP.
ok, there is no suspension problems, the tie rod ends are good, the steering rods are good. the only thing wrong is my aftermarket rims are not seated properly, and i still need to repack the bearings. but other than that, i should be good. however i do need to find something to take out stripped screws, the idler pulley is getting on my nerves.
I have seen what happens when someone lets a wheelbearing go,drive the vehicle until it stops going.I seen this with a 2000 Ford Explorer once,the driver claimed to not hearing a noise and cooked the axle too.Looked like it was a bad ball joint and was not.Took the wheel bearing out in two pieces and luckily saved the spindle
put a slit in the screw with a dremel and use a big flathead screwdriver to get it out if you vant do that there are drill out screw removers and some other kinds but ive never had any of those screw removers work for me
Quoted From outdoorsman310:
put a slit in the screw with a dremel and use a big flathead screwdriver to get it out if you vant do that there are drill out screw removers and some other kinds but ive never had any of those screw removers work for me
i tried this, but the screwdriver just slips out, i put my truck back together so i could still drive in the meantime. i really dont need a shop to charge me $400 just to have one pulley replaced.
This video shows how I deal with stripped screws, I don’t often use air tools but you can do the exact same thing with a hammer and punch.
Quoted From EricTheCarGuy:
This video shows how I deal with stripped screws, I don’t often use air tools but you can do the exact same thing with a hammer and punch.
that would work, if i had more than 3inches of room to work with, once it comes off, im not putting a screw on it, its got enough clearance that i can fit a bolt to it.
Quick question, everywhere i go, i get a different answer. i need to know which way the dumb thing unscrews(i have not put any pressure either way so the treads are not damaged). it’s the Idler puly screw, not the tensioner, not the tensioner pulley. the idler pulley.
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