2003 V70 2.4T Front Wheel Bearings replace…?

[lizardheart]

192k

Hi all, once again back with another damn thing, (but I don't have a car payment so I guess the occasional pain is worth it)…

This time it appears I'm losing the front left wheel bearing.

I've been hearing an intermittent kind of squeal/growl that sometimes will actually sound like a note, but is only occasional…

The main symptom is I feel a growl that can be felt in the steering wheel when I go over dips at speed, so that when the load is on the wheel as the road comes up and the weight is really on the wheels, there's a kinda growl/vibration that backs off as soon as the car gets level again. It's very consistent with what I associate with a bearing going...

I thought this might be an axle thing as well, but it's really pronounced in the described scenario, and there's really no noise other than that - EXCEPT the intermittent vibration/note I mentioned above, that can also be felt in the steering.

So first question, is this consistent with a wheel bearing going out?

Next, I've seen Robert's video about replacing the bearing, is that basically the right thing, and is there any extra advice I should know in addition?

And where to get the bearing if this is what I need to do? I'm REALLY not impressed with Volvo's pricing to say the least, 3 times what you pay anywhere else is kinda crazy and I'm not interested in just throwing money out the window for nothing if there's something just as good out there for a 1/3 the price.

Once again thanx, I've saved myself a ton of money and received some really great help here, any help is much appreciated!

[oragex]

before removing the bearing, strip the brakes down (remove the brake assembly including the disc) then turn the bearing by hand. You will clearly see if it turns rough or smooth.

[lizardheart]

Yeh, that's probably a good idea….!

[abscate]

The acid test for a bearing is side to side loading. On an open road with no traffic, or a large parking lot, run the car up to 30 mph and swerve side to side. The lhs bearing will load and growl when you turn right and the right side bearing when you turn left. Wwrrr..wrr..wrrr.wrrr.., with an almost pulsating feeling is the noise.

This is a job which gives you some time before it gets urgent. I've put about 5000 miles on my growler since January, including 4-5 high speed highway runs.

I've found it hard to tell a shot bearing in a FwD or AWD drive with the drivetrain resistance.

Don't forget to get new axle bolt for the driveshaft..they are one use only.

Volvo or OEM only for that bearing. The cheap stuff isn't up to the task, based on my experience with other makes.

[lizardheart]

I'll give that a try, sounds worth a shot!

[JeffHicks]

I literally just replaced the front passenger side hub assembly on my XC. It had the classic hum that got much louder when turning/side loading.

If you've got access to the right tools, you can do this replacement very simply. Holler if you want a step-by-step.

[lizardheart]

Awesome, I'm about to do it when I return to town, I think it's a definite at this point…thanx!!

[abscate]

It's a good time to consider springs and struts too, since you will have most of that disassembly done too.

I'm up for that on my 1999 this fall

[JeffHicks]

Awesome, I'm about to do it when I return to town, I think it's a definite at this point…thanx!!

Just an additional thought...

I ordered the cheaper hub assembly ($106 at OReilly with a 1-year warranty), but when I went to pick it up I noticed that it made noise when I turned it. So I passed on that one and got the more expensive Moog. Smooth as wet ice.

Glad I didn't get the cheap one put on before I noticed...


Again, on my XC, I didn't need to remove the lower control arm, ball joint, etc. Just the brakes & rotor, and outer axle nut. I also removed the brake dust shield - not because I had to, but because of convenience.

[Tonyx]

For me I found swivel metric sockets invaluable to get the bolts loosen on the bearing/hub assembly. This assumes you didn't take the knuckle off. My experience.