Frightening Front End Problem, Help Please

[mikeh5116]

Hey guys. I was driving a 250 mile trip today, and when I came to a stop, my front end grinded and hesitated when I accelerated again. It returned to normal at about 20mph. 5 miles later, the grind returned at a steady speed of 55mph. Right then, the grind got really loud and the vehicle haulted to a stop. I was able to pull it off to a parking lot. It sounded like it came from the left side, but I can't be sure. Could it be a wheel bearing or some brake issue? It was wild. Any insight would be great.

Thanks,
Mike

 

[AlexSport'00]

Definitely check your wheel bearings. Probably have them replaced, or replace them yourself. They can lock up like that sometimes if they go bad.

 

[mikeh5116]

You think they could go out like that without giving me more than a tiny hint?

 

[koda2000]

You think they could go out like that without giving me more than a tiny hint?

you don't say if your truck is 2wd or 4wd. if you plan on fixing the problem yourself, the first thing you'll need to do is determine what's actually wrong. if you think it's coming from the left front, start there. jack the tire off the ground and spin and wiggle the wheel to see if you feel or hear a problem. it could very well be a wheel bearing, but you won't know for sure until you investigate. i experienced something similar once and it turned out to be a defective brake pad. and keep in mind that if you find a problem on one side, the part(s) on the other side may also be near the end of their service life.

as far as getting some advance notice of a pending problem, i find with preventive maintenance, being familiar with your vehicle and not ignoring when sometime sounds/feels/smells different leads to far fewer surprises, but sometimes stuff just happens.

 

[RadioDoc]

Check the disk pads first..... easy visual inspection with the tire removed.

 

[Turdle]

Sounds like the brake caliper bracket came off --