[joeclarke]

Have a zx5 with over 200,000 miles been best car except a year ago my first right front wheel bearing was making hum/roar so I replaced entire spindle with one from junkyard. Sound went away, but has now returned, so I got another boneyard spindle and replaced front right again but noise does not go away.

Both times noise disappears when turning right, but exists when going straight or left.

Is it possible that problem is intermediate shaft bearing going bad? Or another bad right front bearing? Would intermediate shaft or even cv joints stop roaring when turning right?

 

[Notorious0ne]

I know with my rear wheel bearings we were putting the cheaper ones in due to money issues and they kept breaking. Over and over again. so we brought it back to the dealer and they said we are done putting the cheaper ones in and put OEM in and not a problem since. So it could very well be a wheel bearing.

 

[whynotthinkwhynot]

Moved to Ford Focus Technical Chat. This is the place to discuss repairs.

You might want to jack up the front end and rotate the wheels to double check that it is the bearing you're hearing. Inner CV axles can make sounds that seem like bad bearings. When rotating the wheels off the ground you'll hear a roar/grumbling from bearings, but if it's the inner CV you'll hear a sound like someone running a card through the spokes of a bicycle wheel. You'll be able to easily identify if the noise comes from the inner axle or the bearing with the wheels off the ground.

Ask us for advice before changing CV axles yourself. It is not as easy as you might be used to from other vehicles.

 

[nobody]

i had a 97 vw that would eat up a new wheel bearing and/or a hub within a month on just the drivers side. went through about 7 of them before i found the problem. there was a hole larger than my fist in the strut tower that had been rotting away for quite a while.

 

[sailor]

Jack up & check is good advice, though with one just STARTING to go you may not hear/feel it unless driving...

They can be a BEAR to "guess" which side is the issue from how it sounds inside the car, fools experienced mechanics all the time.

On another note, I had a tire that sounded EXACTLY like a bad bearing, kept jacking & checking for weeks without seeing any bearing issues, then the noise disappeared when I rotated tires - problem identified!

Junkyard prob. isn't the way to get bearings, as they are prob. worn out already...

 

[deadend9009]

Chances are you replaced the bearing on the wrong side. If you can remove the knuckle, you can get a NEW bearing/hub for about 40$. Give that to your local shop and 20$ should have you a new bearing pressed in. Thats what I did...

Remember to torque the front axles to 237ft/lb or else it will break again soon.