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Wheel & Tire Issues

earnbud

Well-Known Member
Joined
September 24, 2010
Messages
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City, State
New Port Richey, FL
Year, Model & Trim Level
96' Explorer 4X4
Hi all , ive had some small issues with my left front wheel but it seems as of late that its getting worse

Just to note i had my inner tie rod replaced on the left front wheel , the old one was getting very bad

Starting off when i first had the vehicle i would sometimes hear a lumping sound from the left front almost like there was a lump in the tire but i had to inspected and there was nothing wrong with the tire

Skip to a few months later and im still hearing the lumping sound and i notice if i lower the psi from 50 psi which is stated on the tire to 35 or 40 then i barley hear the sound , so im not sure what that is unless its not the tire

Also regarding the wheel other then replacing the inner tie rod the vehicle was fine but about a few weeks after i starting hearing the wheel alot louder like loud humming almost , well now skip a few months and into the present and now i believe my wheel bearing or something is bad , because now i hear a grinding type sound when i drive but i dont always hear it unless its just starting to get really bad , anyways when slowing down from going 40 to around 10 i hear the grinding sound and this is with the window open , and i notice when i turn in 1 direction i hear it but when i turn in another direction i dont hear it

IF someone can please help me i dont wanna have to worry about this problem for much longer and now its getting annoying with the loud sound
 



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First off, your tire pressure is way to high. You should be running 30 - 35 MAX. The numbers on the tires side wall are for it's maximum load capacity. With a grossly over inflated tire, I suspect abnormal tread wear, most likely down the center of the tire. That could cause excessive tread noise. Jack the wheel up and spin it by hand. Check for a bad wheel bearing or a brake issue.
 






I figured it was something like that or inside the tire , as far as the wheel so basically just by spinning it if i hear sounds like the grinding or close to it then it probably is a wheel bearing

Ive never had a problem with the brakes , i know i was reading i guess sometimes something inside could get loose and so it causes the grinding
 






If it is definitely the wheel bearing , how long could i go until fixing it if i just recently started hearing the sound , i dont have lots of money right now and autozone wants $108 for the part
 






You can find cheapies for under $50 online, good ones online run around $100. I think rockauto has them on sale pretty regularly.

How long can you drive on a bad one? Total gamble - might be an hour, might be a year BUT when it does let go if you are on the road you will crash and have significant front end damage. So, how much is your safety worth to you?
 






Do not repeat DO NOT buy the cheap $50 hubs online or off Ebay. You will be replacing it in a year. I know. Been there done that. By a Timken or BCA brand only.
 






I would look for: bad wheel bearing, foreign object caught between rotor and splash shield, loose inner fender panel rubbing when turning? If wheel bearing going bad, I wouldn't wait too long, like no more than 100 miles MAX if city driving. Remember, no wheel bearing, no front wheel.
 






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