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Wheel Bearing & Regular Maintenance

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Old 12-17-2005, 09:52 AM
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Default Wheel Bearing & Regular Maintenance

2000 Bonneville SSEi

I'm looking for help to diagnose a problem. I think my problem is the front driver side wheel bearing. This started sometime in early summer. I heard it and took it in to 2 different shops and both heard nothing and said its fine. But when the wheel bearing goes it a some-timey thing, you know? Sympton: I hear a loud hum from the front end when driving straight on a road - if I turn the wheel slightly to the right the hum goes away. To me it'* like taking pressure off the left wheel. It'* been like that now for 6 months with no error messages (I just BLAST the radio to make it go away) but not all the time. Recently the CHECK STABILITY SYSTEM light went on twice and I seem to get the low traction light coming on more than usual. [By the way - I already replaced the passenger side wheel hub. At that time; the traction control eventually would not come on at all.]

I have to this point been taking it to the dealer, but I'm now temporarily working for a small car repair shop and have asked him to fix it. He said he'* not sure it the hub assembly and doesn't want to just replace it. My question to you all is - do you agree with my diagnosis? and if we put it on the computer testing thingie (I'm a girl - can you tell?) how do we know what to look for? and which computer to test?

Second question. I have 80K miles on my beauty now. Dealer says nothing has to be done till 100K, but since I'm in a shop now, I want to do those things. I'm thinking plugs, wires, tranny flush, cooling system flush. What else? Should I replace belts?
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Old 12-17-2005, 10:07 AM
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Default Re: Wheel Bearing & Regular Maintenance

Originally Posted by Bonnie
2000 Bonneville SSEi

I'm looking for help to diagnose a problem. I think my problem is the front driver side wheel bearing. This started sometime in early summer. I heard it and took it in to 2 different shops and both heard nothing and said its fine. But when the wheel bearing goes it a some-timey thing, you know? Sympton: I hear a loud hum from the front end when driving straight on a road - if I turn the wheel slightly to the right the hum goes away. To me it'* like taking pressure off the left wheel. It'* been like that now for 6 months with no error messages (I just BLAST the radio to make it go away) but not all the time. Recently the CHECK STABILITY SYSTEM light went on twice and I seem to get the low traction light coming on more than usual. [By the way - I already replaced the passenger side wheel hub. At that time; the traction control eventually would not come on at all.
i would say that a wheel hub failure is most likely the cause of your noise and also could be causing your stability/track/abs lights to be on. Most of us here have had some sort of wheel hub issue

Originally Posted by Bonnie
2000 Bonneville SSEi

Second question. I have 80K miles on my beauty now. Dealer says nothing has to be done till 100K, but since I'm in a shop now, I want to do those things. I'm thinking plugs, wires, tranny flush, cooling system flush. What else? Should I replace belts?
the dealer says these things are not needed til 100k miles, however, if you read your manual that is under PERFECT driving conditions, that NEVER happens to ANYONE. I have never seen a set of plugs and wires last the full 100k.
I would recomend doing all the maintenence that you listed above
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Old 12-17-2005, 11:03 AM
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Agree with the Toasty guy.
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Old 12-17-2005, 11:07 AM
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Default bearing

I easily fixed my bearing hum.
First you mark the top of it before removing, then you take it off clean it, then press grease into the race where it turns.
Then re-install the bearing reversed with the top side now in the bottom position.
They hum when the upper race gets rough from all the pot hole and abuse the wheel see'*.
By putting this section to the bottom your car is riding on a like new part of the race that has seen no pressure.
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Old 12-17-2005, 02:44 PM
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Default Re: bearing

Originally Posted by SSEBONNE4EVA
I easily fixed my bearing hum.
First you mark the top of it before removing, then you take it off clean it, then press grease into the race where it turns.
Then re-install the bearing reversed with the top side now in the bottom position.
They hum when the upper race gets rough from all the pot hole and abuse the wheel see'*.
By putting this section to the bottom your car is riding on a like new part of the race that has seen no pressure.
assuming there is scoring or wear on one secton of the bearing, this would indicate that there would be some play in the hub assembly, which would in many states fail safety inspection. I do not recomend doing this unless you are sure that there is no play in the hub assembly
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Old 12-17-2005, 07:03 PM
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Agree with the Toasty & Boosty. I would recommend new hub assembly with out a doubt.
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Old 12-17-2005, 08:24 PM
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how many miles do you have on it? I replaced passanger at 55k and Driver at 65k, both badly needed at the time...
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Old 12-17-2005, 08:30 PM
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We've seen hub failures as low as 30k on the 2k Bonnevilles. Much of that has to do with the conditions (road harshness) and driving style (you know what I mean) of the owner.
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Old 12-17-2005, 09:35 PM
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I agree with toasty. Replace them. I just replaced one of them, and it has helped a little bit, now I'm saving up to do the other three. There are many 2k'* that have had wheel bearing problems, so I'm just gonna do them all. It'* not that hard to do.
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Old 12-17-2005, 10:02 PM
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i doubt there has been many probs with the rear wheels... you may want to spend on other things!
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