New bearing question..(diagnosis question)..

The Blue Whale · Post by **The Blue Whale** » 12 Feb 2011, 13:20

I have an 06 xc90, front wheel drive, t5.

What does a bad rear wheel bearing going out sound like?
I may just be paranoid, but I'm hearing a slight and steady "whine" when I drive, as if I have mud grips on my tires but I don't.
It could be my tires I guess, but I've had worse tread on tires before.
102000 miles on the car.

just wondering?

Post by **jimmy57** » 12 Feb 2011, 13:25

it sounds like what you listed. Can you tell a difference in noise if you sway vehicle side to side while driving?

The Blue Whale · Post by **The Blue Whale** » 12 Feb 2011, 16:15

not if I sway, but I did notice it go away a bit on a sharp right hand curve at speed.

TexasCoder · Post by **TexasCoder** » 12 Feb 2011, 19:50

Sounds like what my 04 XC90 FWD did before I replaced the rear bearings. If you can spend the 400.00 for two new bearings, I would do it. But you could just drive it till it gets louder, then you would know for sure. The catch is, at what point will they seize up and rip a tire off? You could also jack the rear end up, sit in front of the wheel, and put your hands at 9AM and 3PM on the tire and PULL the tire towards you. If there is "play" when you pull then the bearings are loose, and should be replaced. I think there is a millimeter or two of allowance for this play, but you will be able to get an idea.

The Blue Whale · Post by **The Blue Whale** » 13 Feb 2011, 08:08

That's what we used to do with our old Beetles we used to work on. On an old beetle you could do it without jacking it up.
I was wondering if it could be done with a big vehicle.
Now I'm debating on whether to try to do the job myself.

TexasCoder · Post by **TexasCoder** » 13 Feb 2011, 08:45

The bearings are not difficult, attached is the removal instructions for my 2004. I would think it would be similar on your 2006, or at least close enough to get the job done. I think I spent about 40 minutes on each wheel, maybe longer because I tend to take my time and enjoy it. The attached instructions are for both the front and rear wheels. I think the rear instructions start on page 3 or 4.

The Blue Whale · Post by **The Blue Whale** » 13 Feb 2011, 09:33

Hey. Thanks

The Blue Whale · Post by **The Blue Whale** » 18 Feb 2011, 15:40

By the way, Am I gonna need any special tools?
I read in a few post that a breaker bar might be needed. Is that for a siezed wheel reckon?

Post by **jblackburn** » 18 Feb 2011, 15:45

You'll need a breaker bar, and probably a big metal pipe you can slip over the end of it for leverage. On the S70, special inverted E14 Torx star sockets are needed to remove the hub bearing.

The Blue Whale · Post by **The Blue Whale** » 19 Feb 2011, 14:12

I did the "swerving around" while driving. The noise seemed to go away turning to the right, but when I checked the wheels by jacking them up, the left had play in it.
I'm gonna replace the left one, but it seems the noise would be opposite when I swerved the vehicle.
I guess it could be both.
Any opinions?

I don't won't to replace both if I don't have too.
I guess my question is, could a wheel bearing be bad and not have "play" when I grab it and pull on it?

These are rear wheels on a front wheel drive.