VP loose/grinding noise from passenger side wheel area

[nathanhrv]

Hi guys was driving the vp around yesterday and all of a sudden i started hearing a grinding noise or like something was catching somewhere around the front passenger wheel area. It sounded loose at one stage but mostly like it was grabbing and grinding almost. I took the wheel off this morning and had a look and couldnt see any obvious abnormalities, but i noticed the brake disc moved forward and backward slightly if i shook it, not sure if thats normal i didnt have time to take off the other wheel and check.

Any ideas guys, it doesnt sound to healthy so i really dont wanna drive it until i know what it could be

Thanks a lot

Nath

[Krisp]

sounds like a wheel bearing, raise the car leave the wheel on and see if you can feel anything rough by spinning the wheel by hand or use a screw driver to your ear and plant it on the middle of the rim while you rotate

[nathanhrv]

ok thanks mate ill give it a try wen i get home from work, when the car is raised when i spin the wheel if theres noise coming from the bearing does that mean that is the problem? if so do i have to change it or tighten it?

thanks a lot mate

[nathanhrv]

also is it ok to drive on it for short distances in the meantime?

[Krisp]

when there is any feel from a bearing its either on its way out or already stuffed. a new bearing (doesnt matter if its sealed or a taper two piece bearing) should have a nice free wheeling movement. have you adjusted the bearings or played around with the disc? i found changing the bearings were pretty easy (considering thats included in my normal job description ) but someone without the proper tools might have problems. as you have to remove the knocked in bearing caps out of the rotor. if your discs arent the best it might be worth changing the rotors and getting a bearing kit then you can do it yourself.
As for dangerous? might be the wheel wont come off if it fully lets go, but can cause an accident as the sudden change might make you panic behind the wheel and hit sumthing you dont want to

[Munz]

I'd be doing it asap as you can melt the old bearing on the stub(maybe not the right word) - had this happen to me and had to pull the grinder out to bring it back to normal but this is not always the case it can stuff it for good

[nathanhrv]

thanks a lot for that mate ill get on it as soon as i can, take care mate

[hi_ryder]

I'd be doing it asap as you can melt the old bearing on the stub(maybe not the right word) - had this happen to me and had to pull the grinder out to bring it back to normal but this is not always the case it can stuff it for good

if you stuff it for good youll be changing the whole strut assembly, because the vn vp is one piece. which means dropping the ball joint too. better get it sorted before any friction damage....

[Jxw]

agree with above, sounds like a wheel bearing and no it's not safe to keep driving, if it's already grinding further driving can bugger the strut as the stub is part of it, the disc and if it's real bad may damage the caliper and knock the wheel alignment out so you could be up for a tyre aswell..... as a tide over if you can't afford the $25-40 each side for a new set of bearings the cheaper chinese ones are ok for a short while and i think last check were about $16 for one side but i personally don't like them as the quality isn't as good as skf and the bigger names, so a cheap repair could end up costing a couple of hundred if you keep driving without diagnosing it properly n fixing it.
If it is the bearing and your replacing it, it's an idea to do both sides as generally they'll be the same age and if ones gone the other 85% of the time isn't far behind it.

[Circlotron]

Might also be the brake pad has worn through to the metal.
Look for gouges on the brake disk.

[Jxw]

Might also be the brake pad has worn through to the metal.
Look for gouges on the brake disk.

from the description saying the rotor it moving about on the stub axle sounds more like a failed bearing

[VPRob]

Re Krisp's post above about using a screwdriver held against the hub centre to listen for noise. an alternative is to use a short length of garden hose as a stethoscope. By pointing one end at the suspect area with the other end held in the ear it works a treat for isolating and locating the source of a noise. It also avoids the difficulty of keeping one end of a screwdriver in contact with the centre of a rotating hub. I haven't used it to listen to a wheel bearing but it instantly found a noisy water pump. I reckon it's worth a go
cheers all

[Circlotron]

use a short length of garden hose as a stethoscope. By pointing one end at the suspect area with the other end held in the ear it works a treat for isolating and locating the source of a noise.

Very good for sussing out exhaust manifold gasket leaks.