Bearing Noise??

[Ranger482]

Hi all,

I have a weird noise in my front end of my 98 explorer. I can only hear it at speeds up to 30mph, and after that it is quiet. It sounds like a wheel bearing or something rubbing. I replaced the right front wheel bearing, but that didnt make much difference. Any ideas?

 

[IZwack]

Perhaps one of the brake pads is dragging?

You cant mistake a bad wheel bearing from anything else as it feels like you're going 30mph on a cobble-stone road.

 

[Ranger482]

that could be the problem, i noticed that after i repaced the hub assembly, when i step on the brake it pulls right real bad. What would cause this and how do i fix a brake that is hanging up?

 

[IZwack]

You'll have to remove the wheel and find out exactly. But since 2nd gens have a floating caliper design on the front, first thing to check are the guide pins/bolts that the hold the caliper on. Ensure that the caliper can slide back and forth on these guide pins/bolts. You should be able to move the caliper back and forth with only the force of your hands. Look at the wear on the rotor, this is sometimes a good indication of whats going on and which side the caliper is dragging to.

 

[explrths]

Sounds like the same problem i had. My slides were sticking bad. I had to take the caliper off, put it in a vise to pry out the sides. Got a rebuild kit for both sides, used lithuim grease, i think, and put it all back together. Wprks great now. I recommend doing this anyways, its good maintance.