bearings show no wear? nothing was wrong?

bp944 · 09-05-2012, 09:12 PM

So I have a misterious problem of a wheel wobble. I'm half way through changing the wheel bearings and none of the wheel bearings seem to be scared or broken. Should I start thinking about other things that could have caused the wobble? It will be another few days until I can finish the bearings but any thoughts?

Jrboulder · 09-05-2012, 09:15 PM

How was the adjustment?

bennkishh · bennkishh's Garage

How are your tires holding up?

Techno Duck · Techno Duck's Garage

What do the bearing races look like? Also how was the initial adjustment of the locking collar before you took it apart?

Check condition of the ball joints while you have everything apart.

mytrplseven · mytrplseven's Garage

If your tires are over 5 years old, most manufacturers recommend replacment, regardless of tread ware. I can attest to that because I had a big wobble that felt like I had thrown the weights on the left front. The tire shop put it on a spinner and it looked more like a potato than a tire. The inner core was separating. I'd take it to your local tire store (I used Firestone) and have them inspect them for roundness and core separation.

bp944 · 06:11 PM

The wobble seemed to be coming from the front passengers side. I was told at a shop that I should change the wheel bearings (I was going for an alignment). I have actually replaced all the wheels with a new set. The tires were a different set. The wobble still came from that front passenger side. The guys at the shop said the struts, steering rod, etc were all fine. I think the drivers side rear wheel hub appeared to be a bit loose but all the bearings seemed to be just fine. i've already posted about this and don't want to frustrate people by repeating myself. My main question is whether the bearings could have been the issue without having any noticeable faults.

968 GUY · 968 GUY's Garage

So you had a wobble with the previous set of tires and wheels and ... with the next set of tires and wheels?

bp944 · 09-07-2012, 09:56 PM

yes.

djnolan · djnolan's Garage

Start out with tire balance since it is the easiest and cheapest. Tires need re-balanced every 5-10k. Also if you have a vibration one trick is to over inflate the tires to 45lb or so to see if it stops. If so it is a tire problem most certainly.

Also on a car with 100k or more miles there is bound to be some free play in the wheel bearings. I am not sure what the safe limit is or if it even is noticeable vibration. The shop said it would be a good idea to replace them if there was noticeable play.

There was a post the other day on how to diagnose front end looseness, #12...

clunking noise when i turn wheel and hit bumps

968rz · 968rz's Garage

Check your control arm bushings on the front and the caster blocks on the back side for cracks and being spongy (PS fluid leaks can soften them).

bp944 · 04:51 PM

I cannot seem to get the front passenger (wobble side) grease cap back on the hub. Could something be out of true? I stuck it in the freezer overnight and used a 3lb hammer and it will not go back in. It just doesn't seem to fit right.

I should also mention that the wheels are 17" boxster wheels. I've only heard of issues with the 16in wheels with the dust shield. The 17's should clear it just fine.