CV Joint vs. Wheel Bearing – maybe both?

[Tyler]

Hi there,

I have a 2014 Chevy Volt with 80 000 kms on it. I have been noticing what I thought was a wheel bearing starting to go on it. I’ve had to replace them before on previous vehicles and the sounds is fairly distinct and predictable when you make the sweeping turns to load and unload the bearing. This is what it sounds like to me and it’s coming from the drivers side front wheel. Simple right? Well yesterday I swapped my all seasons to winters and noticed a fair amount of grease on the inside of the rim of that front left wheel. Guess what is causing that yet? CV boot has a tear in it and is flinging grease everywhere…and it’s been for at least 6 months since it wasn’t doing that when I put the all seasons on this past spring. So now I’m trying to decide if I should replace just the boot on the outer shaft or replace the whole assembly? Has anyone ever heard of a CV joint making a sound like a wheel bearing going bad? I’m thinking I might have a CV joint AND a wheel bearing gone on that side…what might cause that to occur? Any feedback is appreciated.

Topic

[Nick Bruns]

A bad wheel bearing makes a distinctive sound that changes with speed. Of the wheel bearings I’ve experienced gone bad, it’s more of a roaring or grinding noise as around 30 mph and up. It c.an get louder a high speeds, or might even get a little quieter. A CV joint that’s gone bad will make noise when turning…clunk, clunk, clunk, you might feel it through the steering wheel if it gets bad. When you get that clunk, replace the whole axle. The CV joint is trashed as soon as the grease is gone. To diagnose the wheel bearing, get the suspect wheel off the ground, keep the tire on, car in neutral, and spin the wheel. It should be more or less quiet. If it makes a grinding noise or whooshing noise, then it’s the bearing. Get a new wheel bearing from the auto parts store or Amazon. Pull the steering knuckle and hub assembly off and take it to the machine shop to have the old bearing pressed out and the new one pressed in. Put it back together and enjoy a quiet ride. Your car might be different, but that’s the general procedure. Hope it helps.

[Author]

Replies