Took the van out for a spin into town and it's making a grinding noise at the front. What do ya reckon? Can a wheel bearing go whilst just sitting on the driveway not moving for a few weeks? I've bought a grease gun to make sure the front beam is fully loaded, but other than that... Any ideas? I'm not capable of changing wheel bearings myself, if that's what it is, so I would have to take it to the local garage. What should I be looking for? Thanks
Rusted front discs perhaps? to eliminate the wheel bearings, jack each front wheel up and give them a spin. That may point to the noisy area. Maybe video it too and post up.
The bearings are not very hard to do just be careful not to to wack your thumb cos it flipping hurts ask me how I know, jack up the front and spin the wheels to make sure you haven't picked anything up, hold the top of the wheel and the bottom then see if there's any play, check that the brakes are ok and check that the caliper hasn't lost a bolt, check that the backing plate isn't rubbing, it could be the brake pads where it's been standing
You shouldn't be going out for a spin unless its an essential journey. The grinding noise could be a sticking brake caliper or rust between the brake pads and disc. Rusty discs after standing for a while.
Thanks for that, but I do know the guidelines!! I actually used it to go and pay my parents newspaper bill and pick up their pills from the chemist, as they are both on the guarded list due to health reasons and being in their 80s. I also combined it with doing their shopping. And my own as I was out so that I didn’t make any unnecessary other journeys. Oh and I went to the post office too.
I agree, most likely rusty disks and/or stuck pads. Jack him up, spin wheels by hand, see what you find, you'll hear better without the engine running and road noise. Isn't going into town for shopping ok?
How bad is the noise? Bearings don't suddenly pack up, especially if it hasn't been used. It's more likely a build up of rust on the brake disc, or possibly the handbrake dragging on a rusty drum if it was left with the handbrake on. If your looking for something to do, Jack up each corner and spin the wheel to see if you can narrow it down.
It’s not pulling to one side or the other, either when driving or when braking, so I’d ruled out brakes, but I’ll have a look I’ll get the jack out and spin the wheels.... I think passenger side from the sound of it, but I’ll do both. Thanks!
Just to add, wheel bearings going bad tend to sound like a deep humming noise. They can go on and on humming for ages, tho' not necessarily a good idea to leave them.
Yeh, I always think of wheel bearing sound- did you ever put a lolly stick in your bike spokes? That sound when you were going fast on the bike. A quieter version of this in a vehicle.
I've yet to work out how going for a spin, on your own, without visiting anyone or anything can be an issue ... its rules like this that make the less law abiding ( although it's not actually a law ) do " naughty " things ......just off for a road test so I can check gearbox oil and make sure I can still steer after having steering box off !
Like the others have said, I’d go for rust buildup on the disks. All will be revealed when you jack the front up. If it is the bearings, they really are not that difficult to do yourself.
Can't upload a video, and to be frank the videos I took were pants anyway! There's a small jangling noise when I spin the passenger wheel, but no major grating noise. There is play in the wheel when i wobble it top and bottom (the wheel nuts are done up nice and tight)
Do I need to take the wheel off for any of this? If so can anyone tell me what to torque them back up to, to save me digging out a book. Ta.
As @CollyP says could be a stone. Whip that wheel off and have a look at the brake behind. Top and bottom wiggle could be bearing, or it might be the ball joints. 130Nm according to someone else on here
