Front Wheel Bearings Going?

[whattavue]

Lately I have been noticing a strange sound coming from the right front tire area. It is a constant noise as the tire is rotating.....I have no idea as to what a wheel bearing sounds like if it is shot...please help. Sound is kinda like a whirring....also noticing a sound when hitting bumps recently, would this be related?

[OhioVueBoy]

It will sound like a growling noise... not unlike that of a truck going down the highway with mud tires on it. Mine came on over a ~200 mile range when it decided to go out.
~D.J.~

[Mr Joe Handyman]

This is a seemingly common issue, mine went between 30 and 40K. and when one starts, the rest are soon to follow. they tried to tell me it was my tires the first time.

[rickpa75]

Mine went @ 30k....thankfully was covered under the 3/36. Apparantly, it's a common issue according to the dealer. Real PITA!!

-Rick:arr:

[bue05]

Ohiovueboy, or Rickpa75, Could you guys elaborate more on the noise of these things, will you hear this noise with windows up going down the road, or only when turning? What does it sound like. umm.. I am still trying to diagnose a sound that our vue makes its quite disturbing. I haven't had time to take it to dealer and ride with tech. Please let me give you a brief explanation. I think its engine/transmission noise.... We recently had a loaner 05 vue same exact vehicle as ours, 5,000 less miles on odometer. The engine/transmission etc. Was extremley quiet. Our vue when speeding up, slowing down, or going up or down a hill and changing gears/speed it growls and moans. It usually makes me mad so when I take off from a stop light up until it gets past like 50 or 55 mph i lay on it a bit so i don't have to hear it as much. Its like a big huge cat in heat meowing under the hood. I think its either the MAF sensor, Catalitic converter, muffler issue, I just don't know. Hell it could be these bearings your talking about??? not sure. sorry. to steal the thread. I am going to try and get an audio clip of my vues noise and put it on here for you all. Maybe you will be able to say i know what that is.. thanks in advance for your input. bue05p.s. My gut feeling is its the transmission, seems like yesterday its been jerking around a bit???

[GearGuy]

The wheel bearing noise is vehicle speed sensitive.
My front bearing failure was the noisiest around 45-50 mph.
When going faster, it would quiet down a bit.

It sounds like a knobby tire rolling down the road at a pretty good speed. Like a 4x4 with mud tires on it. The Duellers do make a bit of noise but the bearing is noticeably louder.

You will be able to hear the noise just the same speeding up or slowing down and it should be very repeatable.

Engine and most transmission noise will be tied with the engine rpms or the gear the tranny shifts into.

Check the "Similiar Threads" section at the bottom of the page for other posts or use the search feature.

I read about it before getting my Vue and when I noticed the noise, I knew right away what it was.

[ssicarman]

Front wheel bearings tend to change noise when they get steering movement. If you are driving down the road and you are getting the noise will the noise change or pretty much go away when the steering wheel is moved to change the direction of the car?

[spencerb]

The wheel bearing noise is vehicle speed sensitive.
My front bearing failure was the noisiest around 45-50 mph.
When going faster, it would quiet down a bit.That's exactly what I'm experiencing. It's noisiest at 45mph.

My VUE just turned 2, but with 49K I'm out of warranty.

I figured that if it is a bearing going out, I'd just let it run until it got too loud for me to stand. I wonder if a bad bearing could get hot enough to catch fire?

Assuming only one front bearing is bad, should both be changed, or just that one?

[GearGuy]

I have heard that you could drive on them for a while but I wouldn't let it go too long.
I'm sure our online techs could relate stories about excessively shot wheel bearings and the risk of running on them.

I would replace the failed one only unless you are planning a long trip and would feel more comfortable with a new assembly in place. They function independently of each other.

I have heard that there is confusion regarding which hub assembly is correct for each application. I looked up mine on the SaturnParts.net site and saw that the hub assembly with ABS sensor was less expensive than the hub assembly without the ABS sensor which didn't make much sense.

Again, maybe a tech could provide the known correct Saturn hub assembly part numbers per vehicle application to avoid the confusion.

[Chazberry]

See if this link works . . .
http://www.rockauto.com/catalog/x,carcode,1419656,parttype,1636

[OhioVueBoy]

Mine seemed to be the loudest at about 35 MPH+. Mind you, I got rid of the Deulers, and my Michelins are significantly quieter, so ymmv.

Mine would quiet down if I turned right (unloading the bearing)... although my center carrier was still dying.

I made it to like 60K before they went. I hope to be out of the damn thing before it needs another.

~D.J.~

[GearGuy]

See if this link works . . .
http://www.rockauto.com/catalog/x,carcode,1419656,parttype,1636
Yep. That's more in line with what I expected.

I believe the confusion lies amongst the Saturn factory part numbers though...

I'd have to look up my repair receipt (back home) to get the number they used.

[spencerb]

While you guys try to figure out the correct part, I have another question:

How hard it is to change, and what is the procedure?

And am I reading it correctly that the assembly includes the ABS wheel speed sensor? I suspect one of mine is bad. Often the ABS will activate when I'm making a turn, particularly if there is a bump in the road. It happens even if I'm not applying the brakes.

How do you figure out which bearing is bad?

[rickpa75]

My right side bearing was bad and when I turned the Vue to the right, the sound almost went away...turning to the left made no difference. To be honest, I didn't even notice until my Father (who's a mechanic) was in for a ride....right away he knew what it was.

Dealer replaced mine, so I have no idea of how hard it was.

-Rick

[Chazberry]

Saturn Pt. No. for the Front Hub Ass'y w/ ABS for an '03 FWD V6 is SN10359823
When I called Saturn to get a price on the Rear Hub Ass'y, they wanted my VIN #.
I never did get a price from Saturn for any of these parts.

[montrealvue]

:x Mine goes in tomorrow for the dreading bearing noise. The sad part is its an '06 with only 15,000 km! If its a known issue why is it still showing up on second generation models!!! :x

[GearGuy]

Saturn Pt. No. for the Front Hub Ass'y w/ ABS for an '03 FWD V6 is SN10359823
When I called Saturn to get a price on the Rear Hub Ass'y, they wanted my VIN #.
I never did get a price from Saturn for any of these parts.
Checked my records.
Same part number as was installed in my '06 FWD V6 Vue which has ABS.
In to and out from the dealership in about 1 hour.

[Bigdaddy94sc2]

The 04-up all use the hub with the WSS, thus making them more abundant and cheaper. Only 02-03 use hubs without WSS, and only the ones without ABS, which are pretty rare as it is.

The hub assembly is really easy to replace. If up front, take the brakes off, pop axle through, 4 bolts holding hub on. In rear, take drum off, pop axle out (if equipped) and undo 4 bolts holding hub on.

As far as prices, I am not exactly sure on the price, but I know it is over $150 at our dealer..... not cheap.

[body-snatch-her]

Just a thought here guys, but maybe some of these wheel bearing failures might be related to lack of grease or water leaking into the bearings?

[Chazberry]

"...maybe some of these wheel bearing failures might be related to lack of grease or water leaking into the bearings?"

These hub assemblies use sealed (non-serviceable) ball bearings . The failures are related to some stupid engineering. Everybody knows these should have been "roller" and not "ball" bearings.

[spencerb]

Everybody knows these should have been "roller" and not "ball" bearings.Apparently not "everyone," or else they would have made them that way.

[Chazberry]

<Apparently not "everyone," or else they would have made them that way.>

There's also the possibility that "everyone" did know, but they decided it was more important to save a few $ on every vehicle, even though it would eventually cost the consumers hundreds, if not thousands of $ down the road. Sometimes you wonder just how much 'customer satisfaction' really matters.