wheel bearing or axle

[joeb]

last month or so i got a scrunch sound from front only while turning left. sound went away this week. push down on left frt corner and i get a nice squeak. left front wheel bearing is very slightly loose. than today i drive 30 miles and a slight vibration started and than it got bad. thought i had a flat tire. they were all good. at slow speeds i get a clunk/clunk sound. seems to vary if i turn left or right. almost sounds like a thrown rod but motor purrs at idle. so, what is it? a bad cv joint in axle? a bearing would not make a clunk/clunk sound as you slowly accelerate, would it? broken spring? car seems to sit level. i tugged hard on frt left wheel. no play or funny sounds.

[joeb]

at 50+mph, the car really shakes. had to take side streets home 30 miles to keep it under 40. sound will vary with speed. a sweeping left or right turn will affect sound. it goes away sometimes but always comes back. as i come to a stop, i can hear a grind sound like a brake pad which could be down to metal? sort of a dragging, grinding sound. maybe its brakes? its not constant though. been told a bad wheel bearing makes a steady sound, not intermittent.

[BodybyFisher]

This sounds like a bad CV joint,

A hub bearing as it goes created a moaning noise at highway speeds, that varies as you turn left or right,

I would not continue to drive the car if the vibration is bad, you do not want to damage anything within the tranny, seals, bearings, etc

[joeb]

well, lugnuts on left front tire were all loose. last night at restaurant, i tried to get lug wrench from spare tire well. i had no tools. i could not loosen the wingnut that held jack handle. hard to borrow a pliers from strangers. friend said check lugnuts during dinner. now, as to why i have a intermittent grinding sound as i come to a stop? maybe take off wheel and check for any places rim may have rubbed on something?

[BodybyFisher]

If the wheel is loose, it will allow the rotor to float, that is your grinding most probably. Torque the lug nuts to 100 ft lbs. Be sure that the looseness did not enlarge the wheel lands/holes and the nuts are not tightening up or bottoming out and tightening the wheel/rotor, leaving it loose

It is important to torque the lug nuts for proper brake function

[Cadillac Jim]

If the lug nuts aren't tightened in sequence (star pattern) and torqued properly, your rotors will wobble slightly and your pedal will pulsate.

[joeb]

i got rid of summer tires and had my a/s michelins mounted last month. have never had lugnuts loosen before. car seems to ride very nice lately. going from clear roads to sidestreets with 4" of snow/ice is annoying. car handles well though.

[Cadillac Jim]

It's not uncommon for a wheel to not be centered when they are put on, resulting in the lug nuts not being tight even though the torque is 95 or 100 pound-feet. After riding around a bit it shows. The should should be happy to re-torque your wheel, no problem.

This is the first time I heard of a Pilot Sport A/S being used as a winter tire. I like it.

[joeb]

err, i meant to say a/s or All season tires. you know, not good summer or good winter but average performance in all conditions.

[Cadillac Jim]

I ran Michelin Pilot Sport A/S tires all year round and they performed really well in the winter. Except on sheet ice, they do as well as most winter tires. Feel and handling is excellent, year-round. I went to Bridgestone Potenza Pole Positions because the Michelin Pilots were hard as a rock and the pavement is so-so around here. I'll look at them again when the Bridgestones wear out.

[stsbank]

i know this may seem like an odd question. What would happen if there is one tire smaller than the other 3? rear passanger. i have it as a spare. only drove it a few miles but the car jumps an awful lot. is this considered normal?

[Cadillac Jim]

If the car jumps then the spare is out-of-round or very much out-of-balance. Since those mini-spares aren't supposed to be driven faster than a fairly slow speed, most of them aren't balanced, but I suspect that the wheel is bent.

You shouldn't drive with it on the front any longer than you absolutely have to do so. The difference in rolling diameter is hard on the differential, which is in the transmission in a FWD car. Also, the stability control and other stuff uses wheel speed sensors and ride height sensors and you may get lots of warning lights and messages. No matter what wheel a mini-spare is on, you will suffer decreased braking, handling, and stability.

[BodybyFisher]

i know this may seem like an odd question. What would happen if there is one tire smaller than the other 3? rear passanger. i have it as a spare. only drove it a few miles but the car jumps an awful lot. is this considered normal?

Sometimes the steel belts are damaged and the tire has a bulge, check the roundness of the tire with your hand, if you are seeing jumping it could have a bulge that will be noticable