Wheel bearing

Hi again,

Are you writ> Hello again,

What were the symptoms that meant a bearing had to be changed? What are the symptoms of "does not feel right" now?

Whatever, it can be another bearing or something else.

Sorry I can't comment.

They

I think you have a very unwell car. I would look for any significant dripping of oil, and it it is not there then the oil is getting burned (it shouldn't).

Probably just alternator brushes or the alternator itself.

I think you have got the wrong car. Keeping an old SAAB running and not DIYing it will be expensive! Too expensive!

Regards Charles

----- Original Message ----- From: "Charles C." Newsgroups: alt.autos.saab Sent: Sunday, November 05, 2006 11:22 PM Subject: Re: Wheel bearing

I contacted the group about 6 months ago, shortly after my husband left me and the kids. I had a car to get through it's mot and wasn't sure how much it should cost. They also helped me out after the garage worked on the brakes.....then I developed clutch problems . The garge was ready to charge me 600 quid for a new clutch the group suggested I get a friend to bleed the clutch system............they saved me £580. I kept my job (not very well paid but keeps a roof over our heads because I was able to keep the car on the road......and that is not an exaggeration!)

There was a a bit of 'movement' through the steering I could detect, it's difficult to describe, but its the same again.

There is no evidence of any oil loss either dripping or burning, and it hasn't used any oil since it was topped up by a freind of mine.

Any ideas on price?

Originally the Saab was my choice of car, now as I'm on my own it's hard to look after but I can't afford to part with. I really do have to keep her going at least for another 6 months if at all possible. Thanks for taking the time and trouble to reply. D

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No you are not writing a book :-(

Yeap, me and a couple of others I remembered the suggestion hence the point if you are writing a book.

I get a friend to bleed the

You might need said friend again. See below...

I am tempted to say it is not the bearing. Try the following ...

Find a nice road with (gentle) sweeping left and right curves. Get a nice steady speed and get used to the noise of the car. Watch if the noise coming from the wheels changes as you go through the curves. As you go through a left curve the right side of the car will be loaded more and vice-versa. If there is a faulty bearing you will get more noise when you load the side with the faulty bearing.

The change in sound can be (not as loud but ...) the same as when you move from a piece of smooth tarmac to tarmac that is a bit more rough.

Looking for simple faults (guessing)

• the garage did not replace the bearing and just tightened it more.

• the nut on the driveshaft that holds everything in place (under pressure) is loose (and thus the bearing may have been hurt, but simple re-tightening may fix the problem).

More likely though...

• a bad ball joint or

• a steering knuckle joint

... some issue with the mounting of the suspension strut (MacPherson strut)

Worse of all (depending on price) the play is actually in the steering rack.

OK. You are none the wiser now (neither am I).

Most of the faults I am listing above would show in a simple MOT test. I would go to a trustworthy MOT garage, and ask them to check the front suspension as if they were doing an MOT test. It should not cost you the full MOT cost. It might even be best if said friend (man I guess, as they are more likely to do you being a woman) can take the car for you and wait whilst they check it so he can see what is the problem.

What garage is this. Your local? Do you take the car for the MOT there. Does it come recommended? They seem to do a lot of work on your car, and they also wanted to do a clutch for £600.

Start again.

It run out of oil. Then your friend topped it up, and it has been OK since? Has it run for as long (mileage) as it did from the oil change till you found it empty?

The brushes are just small pieces of carbon like those here

Ask friend again?

If the battery light comes on you *must* fix the problem (It may be the alternator or a bad battery or ... you need a proper diagnosis). You will end up with a flat battery and immobile!!!

I understand.

Battery light first.

If you need a complete alternator (the ones I see on a couple of internet outlets are between £80-120 +VAT +PP) worth buying locally if you can ... then I would also try to get that half MOT test done. You need to know how serious (money and/or safety) the two problems you have are ... and how much they will cost in total.

See how far you get with this group. There are some knowledgeable people at uk.rec.cars.maintenance. They might be able to recommend an honest garage in your area.

Hope it helps a little. Regards Charles

If you need a complete alternator (the ones I see on a couple of internet outlets are between £80-120 +VAT +PP) worth buying locally if you can ... then I would also try to get that half MOT test done. You need to know how serious (money and/or safety) the two problems you have are ... and how much they will cost in total.

Thanks very much for your reply again. I've just been quoted £170 plus vat for the alternator and up to 2 hours labour plus vat............basically no change out of 250 D

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Same garage as before? If yes, time you try another one. I can't say if it is cheap or expensive I am afraid.

Charles

If bearings haven't been properly fitted they can go bad quicker than normal. This usually means they haven't been fitted dead straight with a press, or they have been beaten in and it has forced something into a shape it shouldn't be in.

Not always of course. But sometimes.

This does not apply to a 9000. The bearings seem to come fitted in a kind of mini hub (or that is what it looks like in the manual).

Charles

My car is feeling better! A nice garage in Plymouth sorted me out with a new alternator, fitted it, changed the fan belt, checked out the wheel bearings etc..............all for £105 inc VAT! ........and the problem I had that I thought was the wheel bearing.....seems to have magically cured itself after the mechanic put things back together! Thank you once again for taking the time and trouble to read through my post and to reply to it. This group is a real help. Regards and best wishes to all, Denise x

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Excellent news!

Magically, No :-)

Did they put air in the tyres? That would be free of charge ;-)

What I mean is, had you checked the tyre pressures when the car was not behaving correctly?

I hope you are not back with any problems :-)

Take care Charles

Now you have found a proper mechanic, who checks things before swapping=20 parts, then puts things back together properly , and doesn't charge the=20 earth for the service deserves your custom for services and any work=20 from now on.

There are still some good ones.

--=20 Carl Robson Audio stream: