97 Grand Prix - Wheel Bearing Testing - Any tips or how to test properly?

[mainecrab]

Hello,

I have a 97 Grand Prix which I just changed and repaired a lot of suspension parts on it so far. I had done the inner and outer tie rod on the passenger side as well as the struts all around. New brake pads and rotors on the front and a wheel bearing on the passenger side. A cheaper Amazon part.

Now I hear a thumping or helicopter like sound and I believe it is the driver side bearing but it doesn't make any noise that I can hear like a howling or growling besides the thumping helicopter noise that goes with the tire speed.

I had initially had issues with a tire that was bad after the suspension issues and it made a similar noise but I replaced that and until now all had been quiet on the road.

I tested first by doing a tire rotation of the front tires to the back and back tires to the front. That did not change the sound. I then over the last weekend took off one tire and put on the spare and drove and when two didnt change it I gave up on that.

I put up the passenger wheel and in neutral spun it with no noise that I could tell. I was checking the replaced bearing since it was a cheaper one.

I have not done the same on the drive but looking to find what to actually look for. When the passenger side failed it didn't make any real discernible noise either just the ABS sensor was showing which led me to the wheel bearing.

So it looks like it is not the wheels. Almost most of the other suspension has been changed and since it goes with speed guessing it cannot be anything else since say a axle issue would only do that when the car was being moved. I put it in neutral on the freeway to work and it still made the noise.

Thanks for any tips guys!

I did read if car doesn't have limited slip can raise one wheel and run it in gear to hear for sounds.

[FordMan77]

I had my drivers side bearing make a noise similar to this. Thought it was the axle and as I popped the axle nut loose I noticed that the bearing was coming with it, in 2 pieces lol... It separated and left part of it in the knuckle which I had to hammer out. Also had no ABS light on.

Just because it's in neutral on the highway doesn't mean that the axle isn't spinning. After all, it is locked into the bearing with splines and a rather large nut at the end. The trans. just disengages the gears, but not the axle so it could be a bad axle as well. If you need to replace it I'd go with a Napa axle or OEM Delco one as most others seem to die rather quickly.

[jimh0911]

i too have the thumping helicopter noise coming from my front passenger section. from the comments above it might be the wheel bearing ?

[mainecrab]

Thanks for the update FordMan77. If anyone has any other suggestions in regards to testing the axle and or bearing please let me know. Looks like I am going to have to do some further investigation this weekend since I cannot tell where up front it exactly is. Gonna check on how I can see if the axle is the issue

[mainecrab]

At work before getting home I had thought maybe I didn't torque the axle nut to the right tightness and that may be the issue when I replaced the wheel bearing.

Well I checked last night after jacking up the passenger side where I had installed the new wheel bearing and before taking off the wheel decided to grasp from the top and bottom and see if there was any play or movement. There was some play so when I took off the wheel decided to go ahead and tighten the nut and see if that helped.

I seem to find about 150ft Lbs being about the correct tightness even though some say 118. Well I went ahead and tightened it to 150 and tested it today going to work.

Results are the issue is resolved, no more noise and no more thumping feeling when driving. I figured that would do it after there was no play after tightening it.

I am not sure if the new bearing came with a new nut or not so may end up going by the dealer later and getting a new nut for it since they are supposedly one use only or get some blue loctite.

[Russosaur]

118ft/lbs is the correct torque for the axle nut. Although I just zipped mine on with an impact. I reused my axle nut when I did my bearing and it was fine. Be warned you might be replacing that bearing again withen 10k miles or less, cheap bearings are usually a hit or miss if they last or not.

Sent from the Milky Way

[mainecrab]

Yeah only time will tell if it last or not. I did the same I just use the electric impact when I put it on but it must of come loose since I heard nothing like a wheel bearing failure sound only the moving of the wheel on the hub. I will get the Timken one next time to reduce any chance of it having issues.

[jimh0911]

Hay, what brand of wheel hub bearing did you use for this current repair? Aside from the Timken brand you mention, and suggestions what other brands are reliable or at least somewhat trustworthy? Amazon has AC Delco, but another brand called Detroit Axle comes up also and are much less expensive(the detroit axle product has 7 good reviews, not many i know). Thanks

[Russosaur]

Timkin, Moog, SKF are good brands.

Detroit Axle bearings are still the garbage china bearings with a DA name.

Sent from the Milky Way

[jimh0911]

ah, ok great thanks!

[Turbocharged400sbc]

Timken is china unless you get new old stock.
Skf is my new favorite though they also have a cheapo line....

by the way the axle nut torque is around 120 foot pounds for a used bearing or an axle replacement.... when installing a new hub bearing if I recall the torque spec is closer to 150
much like the head bolts...the spec changes over the years but those are the general values I use.

[kstover2014]

Usually a bad bearing makes more of a whining noise that lowers in pitch as you slow down I've never heard of it making a thumping noise that sounds like the wheel or tire

[jimh0911]

hmm, so any thoughts on what might be the cause of the thumping im hearing?

[Turbocharged400sbc]

the thumping is usually when its bad enough the cage broke and you have balls ridding each other with gaps or a few fall out....

the wheel should be pretty loose if the thumping is the bearing

[mainecrab]

It still made noise so I installed a new Timken from Rock Auto. Went to test and locked my keys in the car, since was working on a broken window regulator. But sure it works better than the cheaper bearing it replaced. Did get a new axle nut from the GM Dealership