how do you know if the hub is bad?

how can you tell if the hub is bad?
i'm trying to figure out what is causing my car to drive so bad.

any other suggestions on what i could check would be appreciated!

Thanks:banghead:

First of all what year is the car and how many miles? What are the symptoms that you are experienceing? If the hub is bad you will usually hear a noise from the bearing when you are moving. If you turn the steering wheel one way or the other the noise usually goes away. A lot of times the ABS light will come on indicating a bad abs sensor which was damaged when the wheel bearing went out. If there is a wobbling or if it feels like loose it could be a ball joint, tie rod end or a control arm bushing. You need to check them all and on both sides. Good Luck!!

Mine had an extremely loud roar kinda like mudgrip tires on pavement but louder. The noise subsided when I turned hard either direction. I couldn't tell that the handling was off but it did seem to drive better when I put new bearings on both sides.

Thank you, would any of these things make my trac light come on?
what about a bare metal grinding sound or more like random vibration that I can feel in my foot pedals?
It's also been making that tire rubbing sound and it's getting louder, feels like it wobbles and also feels like a back tire flat on the highway.

98 gt with 138k miles.


If you turn the steering wheel one way or the other the noise usually goes away.
it doesn't do that at all so i can eliminate that one. it did have an axle seal? leaking a little bit a while back but nothing was ever done to it.

Yes this will make the trac light come on. If the noise is getting that bad you need to get this changed asap or it is going to leave you sitting along the road.

I agree with GTP Dad (Lynn), you have classic bad hub symptoms. Teh ABS wheel speed sensor is part of the hub, that's what triggered the trac off light to come on. The change in noise as you turn is another indicator of a bad hub. The sound the bad bearing makes will change as the load is increased/decreased while turning.

The change in noise as you turn is another indicator of a bad hub. The sound the bad bearing makes will change as the load is increased/decreased while turning.
I think he said he does not have this indication. But still sounds like a bearing.

I think he said he does not have this indication. But still sounds like a bearing.


Just FYI:

I believe BCampbell is a she. She's had problems going back several months on her 1998 Grand Prix. A lot of the problems sound the same to me. I recall she was informed in the past to have her hub/bearings checked out and/or replaced. She's had braking issues, suspension (upper strut mounts/bushings), front end, trac, something about loose subframes bolts and who knows what else.

One such post goes back to 8/2005 entitled Front End/Trac.

Just FYI:

I believe BCampbell is a she. She's had problems going back several months on her 1998 Grand Prix. A lot of the problems sound the same to me. I recall she was informed in the past to have her hub/bearings checked out and/or replaced. She's had braking issues, suspension (upper strut mounts/bushings), front end, trac, something about loose subframes bolts and who knows what else.

One such post goes back to 8/2005 entitled Front End/Trac.

Thanks Bob, and my apologies to BCampbell for my error.

Bob,

A while back I came here and with the symptoms I was having, was told that I had a bad hub,

but after reading this, I'm not sure

going straight, there is no sound(s)

When I make a right turn, there is a hissing/rubbing sound (definitely not the tire however) coming from the driverside front wheel.

Offhand i dont remember if it does it when I make lefts as well, but definitely right turns

There is no, Traction light, or ABS light on, the car rides fine, and there is no other problem

Any ideas gentlemen and ladies?

Bob,

A while back I came here and with the symptoms I was having, was told that I had a bad hub,

but after reading this, I'm not sure

going straight, there is no sound(s)

When I make a right turn, there is a hissing/rubbing sound (definitely not the tire however) coming from the driverside front wheel.

Offhand i dont remember if it does it when I make lefts as well, but definitely right turns

There is no, Traction light, or ABS light on, the car rides fine, and there is no other problem

Any ideas gentlemen and ladies?

Hard to say but it could still be a hub/bearing most likely on the driver's side. They don't necessarily give off noise like grinding, roaring, etc. or a trac or abs light.

You could run some tests which will require jacking the car up, removing the wheel and the disc brake caliper. Hub wear tolerances are pretty tight. After removal of the caliper you lock down the disc rotor by securing with the lug nuts. Then grab rotor at various positions such as 12/6 o'clock and 9/3 o'clock and pull out. Another suggestion is to check the preload on the axle nut. If you still have the GM OEM hubs the torque value is 151 ft-lbs.

If the hub has any slop or wear the noise you are hearing could be the rotor against the pads when there is a high "G" situation such as turning. The rotor is attached to the hub and secured with the wheel and lug nuts. Torque value 100 ft-lbs.

It is worth looking into and won't cost that much versus buying a hub and finding out it didn't fix the problem. Good luck!

JstCloseUrEyes, a bad hub will not always trip a Trac-off/ABS light. Since the wheel speed sensor is contained in the hub, it very often does, but not always. The symptoms you describe points to the hub as the culprit, as hub bearing will get noisier when unloaded. Since the noise comes from the left side while turning right, that would finger the left front hub as the guilty party.