How to Detect Bearing Failure?

It is an extremely sensitive machine element that provides rolling friction instead of sliding friction, reduces energy loss and provides the closest to perfect bearing. Bearing is an extremely sensitive machine element that provides rolling friction instead of sliding friction, reduces energy loss and provides the closest to perfect bearing.

What is The Reason For Bearing Vibration:

While 60% of your car’s shaking problems while driving are caused by the rim and tire imbalance, the remaining 40% may be caused by many parts in the undercarriage being damaged. When your vehicle vibrates, the first thing to check is whether there is a defect in the tire structure. If the tire base is defective or has excessive wear and tear, that tire should be replaced as it will not keep the balance. There may be enough curvature in the rim that prevents it from maintaining balance. When these are corrected, your tremor problems will largely disappear.

How to Detect Bearing Failure:

1- When the wheel bearing, or hub ball, fails, the first symptom is given by the faint humming sounds heard in the cabin while driving the vehicle. Humming sounds are felt more clearly when driving on a road without traffic noise. While driving at low speed, check whether the sounds increase when you move the steering wheel slightly left and right, around 50,60 km. Generally, the sound increases with small steering movements. Sound may disappear at some speeds or appear only at certain speeds. It may get worse or disappear for a moment while the wheel is turning. Therefore, it is necessary to check other details, as making a diagnosis based solely on noise requires advanced expertise.

2- Check the temperature in the hub of each wheel after 30 minutes of driving. As the ball heats up due to excessive friction in the defective wheel ball, the heat passes to the rim via the hub and heats the wheel hub. The hub temperature of the defective wheel ball is higher than the temperature of the other wheels. The temperature of the front rims is higher than the rear, this is normal, but the situation can be understood more clearly by looking at the difference between the right and left rims.

3- You can listen to the sounds by lifting the vehicle on the jack and turning the wheel quickly by hand. The faulty bearing wheel turns more difficult. The solid one rotates more easily. Of course, in this test, the pads must not apply pressure to the disc. Otherwise the test will be misleading. Let’s say, if you are not sure whether the sound you hear as a result of the test is caused by a defective bearing, you can make the detection easier by turning the other wheel in the same way and listening to the difference between the sounds. Additionally, let me give you a tip. If you feel vibration in the spring by holding the coil spring with one hand while turning the wheel with your other hand, the hub ball is most likely defective.

4- You can shift to 4th gear and listen to the sound of the wheel turning faster with the power of the engine. If you hear a sound similar to this, it means the wheel bearing is faulty. Since the wheel will rotate faster, if the bearing is faulty, it will be more clearly evident as the hum it produces will increase. While the wheel is turning, do not put your hand inside the fender or anywhere else. If you hear a sound similar to this sound, it means the wheel bearing is faulty.

5- You can go to a company that does wheel balancing and have it checked.

6- It is done by the balancing machine by increasing the wheel to a higher speed. Sounds can be heard more clearly when the vehicle is not running. With the balancing machine, the wheel can be accelerated up to 150,180 km. If the balancing machine is stopped immediately afterwards, it will be easier to detect the sound. At this speed, the bearing noise is heard while the wheel rotates freely.

What Sound Will it Make if The Hub Ball is Broken?

A bearing that has just started making noise will only cause very subtle vibrations since it does not show the symptoms of malfunction that I have explained in other articles. In fact, the sound of bearing failure is often confused with the sounds made by other parts. To understand, he checks whether there is vibration in the carrier by holding the axle carrier with his hand while the vehicle’s wheel is rotating, or if the vehicle has a stethoscope, it can instantly diagnose the faulty bearing by listening to the axle.