Wheel Bearing??

[lankybob]

When I drive my car approaching 70mph there is an odd vibration/shake coming from one of the front wheels. I think it's the left but I am not too sure. At first I put it down to wheel balancing which was out due to a somewhat close encounter with a rock in a country lane. I had this fixed which cured the problem to a certain extent however it still shakes every so often at around 70-80mph.
What is also confusing me is that it seems to be oddly intermittent as in every other time I go on the motorway it happens.
Also rather recently there is a slight squeak coming from the front drivers side wheel which also tells me it is a wheel bearing.
Does anyone here know how to change one of these? I have been told it needs to be pressed in with a specialist piece of equipment. Also is there anything else that could be causing this?

Apologies for the beginner question, I don't have much experience with this stuff, but I am trying!

Cheers,

Bob

[rottie102]

A) Jack the car up
B) Spin the wheel by hand. If making any noise it's most likely the wheel bearing.
C) Take the wheel hub assembly to the nearest garage which has a press with your freshly bought new wheel bearing, bought from Euro Car Parts and £10 in cash
D) Have a chat with the guy while he's replacing the wheel bearing.
E) Go home and put it all back together.
F) Have a beer

[inman999]

Unlikely to be wheel bearing I would have thought. They tend to get noisy and whine rather than vibrate. the noise will get louder with road speed and tends to get worse relatively quickly after first hearing the noise. Sounds more like a wheel balance issue. Some old/cheap tyres are almost impossible to balance and some cars are particularly prone to vibration due to imbalance.

Wheel bearings can be very difficult to remove without a press. I either get a garage to press in/out the bearings or buy a complete hub from a scrapyard.

I'd double check wheel balance first though. The Hunter balance machines tend to be the best.

HTH

[GreigM]

try swapping the front wheels (if the tyres arent directional) - could you have buckled the wheel or damaged the tyre?

[lankybob]

Thanks for the suggestions, I will give these a go when I have some time with it.

GreigM said:

could you have buckled the wheel or damaged the tyre?

Quite possibly. I will take the wheel trims off and give them a good inspection.

[FamilyGuy]

As said above a wheel bearing tends to rumble. If it's that then you can usually hear it on the relevant side by driving around left and right bends throwing the weight of the car onto the side. If it is a wheel bearing then the squeak might be the disc rotating upwards and rubbing the pads.

[XG332]

They don't always have a sound. I had a wheel bearing go at 75mph on the m42 in lane 3 on Monday. No warning from noises. Very scary

[bazking69]

a) ignore well intented internet guesses and take it to a garage for a definitive opinion.

[FamilyGuy]

bazking69 said:

a) ignore well intented internet guesses and take it to a garage for a definitive opinion.

Profile says: Occupation - Motortrade

[davepoth]

Squeak from the wheel is (I think because I have the same thing) the bearing at the top of the McPherson Strut.