Wheel bearing how to check? How to check the serviceability of the wheel bearing?

The design of the car's suspension is a rather complex technical unit. Its components are constantly being improved, changing and improving. But the invariable element of the suspension of any car was and remains a stubborn bearing. How to check the element and what are the causes of its wear and tear? The answers to these and many other questions are in our today's article.

Appointment

What is this element for? A wheel bearing serves to ensure even rotation of the wheels of the car. Thus, this mechanism is the link between the axis of the car and the hub, to which a bolt-on disk with a tire. The part relates to rolling bearings. It consists of metal rings, between which the conical elements are pressed. The latter are separated from the body by a rubber insulator.

Resource

It should be noted that the resource for this element can be very different. But often the service life of the wheel bearing (how to test it, we will consider further) is about 150 thousand kilometers. The part without any problems nurses 5 and more years of operation.

What affects the resource?

The key factor affecting this parameter is lubrication. It is embedded inside the non-separable housing. The material is designed for the entire service life. Although on some domestic cars the element can be disassembled and serviced. Below we will highlight several factors, because of which the bearing of the hub goes out of order:

• Quality of roads. This is the main reason why this element fails. The fact is that the bearing has no damping parts in the structure and takes on itself all the impacts from the road irregularities. Accordingly, the higher the speed and the deeper the pit, the higher the risk of remaining without a bearing. Yes, the design has impact strength. But if it will last all the time, the element simply will not stand and crumble.
• Operating environment. Every winter, tons of reagents pour into the roads. As a result, salt begins to corrode not only the body, but also the details of the suspension. This also applies to the hub bearing. Also the element does not like the effects of water. This does not mean that the car can not often be washed or not to ride in the rain. It is enough to periodically check the tightness of the protective cap and the presence of lubricant under it. If the grease is washed and the lid rusted from the inside, this is a bad sign.
• Overheat. The element should not tolerate heavy loads. If the lubricant disappears (is washed out when depressurizing), then disastrous processes begin immediately. The bearing works "on dry". Heating increases tenfold. As a result - seizures on the cage and its further deformation. It will not be possible to restore the already damaged element.

How to check the serviceability of the wheel bearing? There are several ways to do this. We will tell you more about each of them.

Method number 1

This method involves checking the state of the element without dismantling it. Moreover, you do not need to stop at the lift or use specialized equipment. How to check the front wheel bearing? The essence of the method is very clear. It is necessary to accelerate the car to 70-80 kilometers per hour and switch to "neutral". Next, you need to carefully listen to the noise of the suspension. It is important to choose the most even section of the road so that the suspension travels are minimal. If you hear any hum, this indicates a bearing failure. Also note that this hum can at first be barely noticeable. But this suggests that the process of destroying the clip has already begun, and it is irreversible. Over time, the rumble will intensify. In the end, it will be compared with the noise of the operation of jet aircraft turbines. But to bring the element to such a state is extremely dangerous - the part can jam at any second.

Method No. 2

How to check the rear wheel bearing and the front? It is not necessary to search for an even polygon for this. You can drive the car to the lift. Next, hands should grasp the top and bottom of the tire and slightly shake it in a horizontal or vertical plane. Any backlash is excluded. If you saw that the wheel is staggering with a gap, it means that the stubborn bearing has become unusable. Note that a small backlash is allowed on the rear wheels. But its magnitude barely exceeds a hundredths of a degree. On the front axle, the play can not be tolerated at all. If there is no possibility to use the lift, it does not matter. Use the jack. But the disadvantage of this method is that you have to hang out all four wheels separately (because the bearing can buzz from different directions). It takes a little longer. But that's not all the methods of how to check the bearing of the hub. There is another proven way.

Method number 3

In this case, we will need to apply the skills of contra-driving. The plus of this method is that we do not need to search for a long section of the road and accelerate the car to high speeds. But the smoothness of the coating is also important. So, how to check the wheel bearing? We accelerate the car to 20-30 kilometers per hour and begin to sharply rotate the steering wheel to the right and left. So we will check how much the heeling of the car body. The drift should increase if the wheel bearing is defective. All this will be accompanied by a characteristic buzz. At the corners, it increases at times.

Also in this way we can determine on which side the element is faulty. When turning to the right, the load goes to the left bearing (as the body shifts in the opposite direction). But find out whether the rear is an element or anterior, you can only on the lift.

Helpful advice

When buying a new bearing, it is important to check the presence of grease in it. Often unscrupulous producers do not report it to the required level. As a result, the element is constantly subjected to loads and fails.

It is not uncommon for a piece to break down to 3000 km (especially on UAZs). The best option is to gut the entire available lubricant and apply a new one, purchased separately. Fortunately, now special lubricants are sold. They are resistant to elution and do not change properties at high temperatures.

Conclusion

So, we figured out how to check the wheel bearings for serviceability. Remember that with any problems, the integrity of its cage will be violated. Increases play, the car's handling is deteriorating. And, of course, all problems are accompanied by a characteristic buzz. It is important to notice it at an early stage. Ride with such a bearing and then extremely dangerous. Especially if it is an element of the front axle.