Wheel Bearing Questions...

Mind reminding us what vehicle this is as I'm to tired to use telepathy at this moment...

Yeah, it's a 99 SL1 with about 113,000 miles...sorry

To be sure, this conclusion came how?

That helps. It would be easier if the hub/bearing was one unit but the bearing is pressed inside the steering knuckle making it part of the unit as well. This job takes more than hand tools unfortunately.

Yeah, just take the knuckle to Saturn. take your car back to Saturn for alignment. I had it all done for

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Thanks for all your help and willingness to do so...

A friend and I fixed the thing; quite a job. He's a mechanic, and had never seen a bearing like that.

I can go into detail if you'd like...it took a lot longer than we both expected.

To answer another question: How did I come to the conclusion it was a wheel bearing? Well, it was making a thumping noise for quite some time, around a year or so. Of course it got progressively worse, and I began to have premonissions that at some point, probably around 3 am, my tire would fall off and I would go crashing into the woods and become a missing person.

It was classic wheel bearing symptoms, a thump-thump-thump type of noise, which earlier in it's time would only do it if the weight would shift onto the tire around a corner, or not do it if it would shift onto the other wheel. And apparently I was the only one to see this as odd, as a number of local shops that I took it to said it was fine, even after I explained what it was doing. Probably wanted nothing to do with changing that bearing. I know the guy who helped me said he'd never do another one.

A year? Jesus. I can feel a slight misbalance in my tires and I usually freak out. I can also feel when my tires are low as to how they sound...

I'm a freak for sure :)

well, I noticed it, but what can you do? Fix it I suppose, but i guess that is how cars go...turn up the radio, and the problem momentarily disappears.

Google is your friend.