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Bad Wheel Bearing Symptoms
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An average car has about 30,000 parts, and the wheel bearings are just one of many that help the vehicle drive smoothly.
Keep reading as we examine wheel bearings in greater detail, explaining what they are and what bad wheel bearing symptoms to look out for.
What is a Wheel Bearing?
For the not-so-technologically-minded, any bearing found in a vehicle reduces friction between rotating parts.
The wheel bearings in your Mazda are of the most commonly used tapered roller type. They consist of small, tapered metal cylinder rollers between two metal shells called the inner and outer races, plus what is called a cage to keep the rollers evenly spaced in the bearing as it does its job.
How Do Wheel Bearings Work?
Any vehicle, whether it's a truck or a small city runaround, travels forward or backward on its wheels. This rolling motion, regardless of direction, is made possible by the rotation of the vehicle's wheels on their axles.
This rotation, however, needs to happen with reduced friction. Without some form of friction reduction between the wheel and the axle as it rotates, a massive heat buildup will quickly occur, leading to the axle seizing or binding up with catastrophic mechanical failure.
Enter the wheel bearing, which allows the wheel and its mounting hub to rotate without excessive friction and heat buildup.
Bad Wheel Bearing Symptoms
Here's an interesting bit of information. When traveling at 50 mph, your Mazda's wheel bearings turn approximately 1,000 revolutions per minute.
A typical 30-minute commute to work means that your wheel bearings have just spun around approximately 30,000 times. Do this day in and day out for a few years, and you can see how hard your wheel bearings have to work when dealing with both the radial and axial loads placed on your car's wheels.
Thankfully, there are some telltale bad wheel bearing symptoms for owners to look out for before a complete mechanical failure occurs.
Grinding, Humming, or Whining Noises
Wheel bearings, when reaching the end of their best working life, will start emitting strange grinding, humming, or whining noises.
Uneven Tire Wear
Badly worn wheel bearings can quickly lead to vibrations, sometimes imperceptible, that cause uneven tire wear and eventually lead to the need for premature tire replacement.
Steering Wheel Vibrations
Worn wheel bearings will result in vibrations that can be felt through a vehicle's steering wheel.
As the roller bearings wear down from constant friction, they start to move around more than is permitted within the bearing cage, resulting in unwanted vibrations.
Excessive Wheel Play
Wheel bearings support and distribute both the weight of a vehicle and the forces acting on the wheel. Over time, the bearings will wear and no longer support the wheel and vehicle weight as before, causing the vehicle's wheels to wobble.
Vehicle Pulling to One Side
A bad or worn-out wheel bearing will result in that bearing being unable to provide sufficient friction reduction, which can cause the vehicle to pull to one side.
Wobbling or Loose Feeling in Wheels
Similar to excessive wheel play, a bad wheel bearing will cause your Mazda's wheels to wobble or feel loose. Your car's steering response and handling will be compromised as the wheels can no longer track correctly due to the wobbling and loose feeling of the wheel bearings.
How Long Do Wheel Bearings Last?
The wheel bearings on a vehicle will typically last anywhere between 75,000 miles and 150,000 miles, depending on many factors such as wheel bearing quality, driving conditions, driving style, road conditions, cargo loading, and the number of passengers typically in the vehicle.
How to Inspect Your Wheel Bearings
Often, it's not necessary to get under your vehicle to check for bad wheel bearing symptoms. Grasping each wheel in turn at the top and bottom and attempting to rock it should reveal if there's a problem.
Wheel bearings that are still in their best working condition will allow only minimal movement. Any excessive play when performing this check may indicate a bad wheel bearing.
Another relatively easy way to check is to safely jack your car up and spin the wheels. Any bad bearing will make rumbling noises, indicating it's time to replace it.
What Causes Wheel Bearing Damage?
With all the forces that your vehicle's wheel bearings are subjected to and having to cope with various road conditions, there are many causes of wheel bearing damage.
Regular Wear and Tear
Unfortunately, regular wear and tear of mechanical components in any car is a reality. Over its lifetime, a wheel bearing has rotated an incalculable number of times, and even the tiniest bit of unavoidable friction will, over time, cause wear and tear.
Poor Installation
Sometimes, purchasing a used vehicle comes with risks, such as the previous owner tackling maintenance themselves or cutting costs by using a mechanic who is not suitably qualified.
A wheel bearing may have been incorrectly torqued, leading to increased friction or poor lubrication.
Lack of Lubrication
A lack of lubrication is a surefire way to destroy a wheel bearing. The friction within the bearing needs to be reduced with the correct amount of lubrication in the form of specialized bearing grease, including the correct specifications for this lubricant.
Simply put, a lack of lubrication-whether due to poor servicing or the degradation of the grease from heat and friction over time-will cause the wheel bearing to go bad.
Impact Damage
Hitting potholes or curbs accidentally or knocking into rocks and ditches while off-roading puts extra strain on wheel bearings, leading to premature damage.
Wheel Misalignment
Wheel alignment, if not performed regularly, will cause unnecessary drag on your Mazda's wheels, which, in turn, places additional unwanted forces on the wheel bearings.
Why Choose Professional Service?
As with all vehicle repairs, it's best to use professional service providers who are suitably qualified to provide the services needed. Certified technicians, such as Mazda's technicians, have the skills to perform the repairs correctly using the right tools and parts.
Get Wheel Bearing Replacement in Plainfield, CT, at Central Mazda
Experiencing bad wheel bearing symptoms? Get your wheel bearing replacement done at Central Mazda in Plainfield, CT.
Central Mazda offers a Genuine Mazda Service Center with trained Mazda technicians who are the professionals you want for your Mazda when it comes to service and repairs.
