I was wondering how to check for a bad wheel bearing?
My 03 SSEi just started to develop a droan sound while driving. It almost sounds like I am running studded snow tires - it gets louder the faster I go. At first, I thought it could be a tire with low air or bad tread - but the air pressure and tread are fine.

Now it'* getting louder. I had a bad hub on a 93 Bonneville I owned, and when I turned the wheel to the left - it would get way louder. My 03 does not get louder when turning - it seems to stay the same. If I jack the car up, what is the correct "push/pull" method to check for issues relating to wheel bearings? Does my issue sound like a bad wheel bearing?

Thanks and FYI: This forum rocks!!

correct,,, lift the car ,,, grab the top of the tire and push/pull in and out.

I just did the wheel bearings on my 03 as well and I still have the groaning, mine were very loose though at 80,000 miles.

Got a bad one ( had SSS light ) after replacement, warrantied both,,,, and still had the noise, rotated tires,,,, still had it.

Im not having any strange tire wear,,,,, but Ill probably have the alignment checked soon to.

Sounds like wheel bearing. I also had a bad one out of the box...discount auto parts store.

Listen carefully when you turn. It may not get louder, but might get quieter. If it gets quite, then the bad one is on the inside of the turn.

Sometimes with the front bearings you can feel them thunk and or pulse like a bad rotor when you break as well.

The bearing/hub are a complete unit and are easy to replace once you get the spindle nut off. Use lot'* of Liquid Wrench days in advance if you will be replacing them yourself.

Dont forget about the rear hub bearing are just as bad of a problem but alot of times don't show movement!

has anyone ever complained to GM about this problem? I love my Bonne but when I compare the repair issues with this car versus what my friends drive or even what my dad drives/drove in the past I never hear of people having to change wheel bearings/hubs..

...wheel bearing/hub is going to be the next repair on my list after I have the crank sensor changed. I too am having the droning noise whenever i move the slightest bit to the right. turning left is smooth and quiet tho... sounds like you have the same problem as i do aeromonte but yours is when you turn left but mine is when i turn right. what world :P good luck on this one mate and let us know what happens should you choose to change the bearing and/or hub/bearing

Wow, I was just fixing to start a thread on this same thing.. 52K miles on my 2003 SSEi

Got some new Bridgestone Serenity tires (very quiet and handle well!).. Came home and checked the torque on the wheels.. One of the studs broke so I replaced it.. But like a dummy, I used a hammer to knock the broken stud out..

Now, I get the drone sound after driving a while.. Can't hear a change when I turn left or right.. Checked the wheels (along with a mechanic) and there is NO play.. So I don't know which hub assembly is bad, only to guess it'* the one where I beat the stud out.. Driven some 4000+ miles and it hasn't gotten any worse..

Long story short, wish I knew what is going on.. Figured I would take the old assembly on that wheel out and just see how well the bearings turn and etc.. probably flat spotted the "race" part of bearing or something.

Be careful,,,,, I mentioned in a previous thread that these cars ( and the caddy sevilles that share the chassis ) go through wheel bearings and got slammed.

Even though the 2 of each that I owned all ate them at 60-80 k

The good news was the 3 caddys were Florida cars and came apart easily.

My current SSEI,,,,, yeah,,,, not so much !!!!!

3800SUPERCHARGED stated above: that the rear ones could be bad and not show movement when using the push pull checking method. I don't know how you would determine if it was bad, but just a thought...