Re: Front wheel bearings or Bad Disc Rotor

Brakes Dust opined in news: snipped-for-privacy@comcast.com:

The car is 1997 Taurus with a DOHC 24V V6 Duratec engine, with 108,000+ > miles. I have heard a grinding noise from what I believe is the right > front wheel. The noise is more pronounced on right turns, but goes away > completely on left turns and straight ahead. I believe it to be the > wheel bearings. Took it to a shop for evaluation prior to having work > done, only to have them call to say the problem is a disc rotor that has > been damaged by pads left on too long, the bearings are fine and that a > new set of disc rotors will fix the problem. A second shop said the > problem is caused by a bad front wheel bearing. The sound is almost gone > as speed reaches 60+ mph, there is no vibration, and the car does not > wonder while driving or during breaking. There is no play in the hub.The > difference between the first and second shop estimate is $470.00 > My question is, does a bad front wheel bearings sounds the same, better, > or worse as speed increases, (I thought the sound got worse as speed > increased.) What are the general symptoms when the front wheel bearings > has started to go bad. > > >

Brake rotor problems as you describe are USUALLY immediately evident on inspection. Bearing problems are tougher to prove.

ONE of those two shops is lying.... unless they say the bearings are bad in addition to the rotor.

Try a third.. it's hard to discern from what you can tell us.

Reply to
Backyard Mechanic
Loading thread data ...

My car is a 1998 Taurus SE, also with DOHC 24V V6 Duratec engine, with

87,000+ miles.I too have a noise from what I believe is the right front wheel / tire area. The noise is more pronounced on right turns and straight ahead, but goes away completely on left turns . I think it might be the wheel bearings also but cannot find any play in the wheels and the car handles fine. I replaced the disc pads - the rotor seems fine and I get very little pulsing during breaking. I am mystified.

When I find out what is causing the noise - I'll post it here. Could you do the same?

Reply to
Jim McCartan

Check the Shims on the pads. Bent, warped, or bad shims could be acting like leaf springs, causing the problem. With just enough spring pressure, the shims could be pressing the pads against the rotors.

Reply to
S.E.W

Good work! I will not use the shims after having seen several occasions where the shims were dislocated. I saw an Acura a few years back that the shims had actually cut the rotor from the hub leaving the vehicle with no front brakes after only 600 miles after pad installation. Admittedly, some of the problem may have been in workmanship at the tire store but, it put me on notice that the reduced noise provided by the shims is not worth the risk. I use good quality pads with only the "glue" on the back of the outboard pad. I make sure it cures for 15-30 minutes before the pads are installed to make sure the bonding film is good.. The only problems I have ever had this way is with cheap lifetime warranted pads from Autozone, Pep Boys, etc.

Reply to
lugnut

MotorsForum website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.