Left Front tire hub cap/rim HOT

[Angel15416]

For a couple of weeks my 91 Toyota corolla had made making funny gurgling noises when I stepped on brakes (thinking maybe bad brakes or transmission). Then one day it just started clanging from under left side and hissing..made it home but the left front tire rim and hub cap were HOT to the touch. DH took off wheel checked brakes and pads but they seemd fine. He can't get some kind of bolt off to check the bearings so it may be that or may be the CV joints (it has front wheel drive). Someone told him if it is the bearings, he can't fix those by himself because they are "pressed" ..has to be done at a shop with a machine. He does not know how to check the CV joints either cuz he has never done repair work on those before either ...was wondering if anyone has any suggestions. He is going to auto shop today to get the right size metric wrench to pull off some bolt to check the bearings. He likes to work on cars himself rather than take them in to get fixed which is handy cuz taking it to the shop to get fixed is mucho $$$.

On a happier note, my boss (for almost 15 years and my best friend) bought me a new used car to get to work!! It's a 1995 Oldsmobile 98 Regency Limited. It is a huge thing with more features on it than I want or need.. lol it actually scares me to drive it..it has a built-in computer digital displays ..everything power..even trunk closes by itself.. so many buttons I had trouble finding the gas latch..no owners manual either ( I looked but could not find one on the net). There are lots of buttons that say "Pass" "Twighlight" "CT" and other abbreviations..have no idea what they do. I know I will love this car once I get over the fear of driving it but for right now I think I prefer my little Toyota and hoping dh can find a way to fix it.

 

[Opus Dei]

Sounds like a seized caliper or dry bearing. I don't know about the import vehicles, but it might have "lubed for life" bearings. If the rotor is scored badly, that's the caliper binding-or badly worn pads.

To check a CV joint, you'd have to more than likely open the boot covering it. If you have a lot of dried grease come out, or by wiggling it laterally, you could roughly judge it. But if you've never done it, let a mechanic do it.

Those buttons on the Oldsmobile are the headlights. "Twilight" is Twilight Sentinel-automatic illumination. You adjust it to turn on when the ambient light is low enough to use headlights-in your judgement.

 

[Brutus]

Regarding "pressing" on of wheel bearings: While this IS the best practice it's not entirely necessary. I've installed plenty with a small ball peen hammer and a punch at times when I didn't have access to a press. In fact, that is the prevalent method around here, as most folks never have access to a press. One just has to be careful and ensure that the races don't get "dinged" and the roller cage doesn't get battered and out of whack. I suppose there is the possibility that, depending on how your particular hub/spindle is configured, that a blind-hole bearing puller might be needed to pull the old race(s) out, but that's not usually the case.

 

[Hamilton Felix]

If you have a means of determining where it's hottest, it will help you narrow it down. Is the heat coming from the brake rotor surface, or from the bearing at the very center of things?

Right now I'm remembering an incident about 29 years ago. Full gas tank, in my first wife's '63 Chev wagon. Lots of gear, winter and studded tires... Suddenly engine revs like neutral; speedo jumps, so I know things have come disengaged aft of the transmission. Try brakes, with no effect. Coast to a stop.

I got out, walked back, and saw through the slots in the left rear wheel, a bright orange brake drum. This is directly below the gas tank. Since tire had stopped rotating, heat is soaking upward into the inner tire sidewall and it's smoking. Yell to wife to grab baby and GET DOWN THE ROAD! Cousin Bill and I are rooting the bumper jack out of the back, as left rear tire is catching fire.

We just about have bumper jack hooked to bumper, when BANG! left rear tire blows and drops car -- but is still merrily ablaze... Bill and I reset jack, and jack frantically away. As car comes up, I grab tread of LR tire on either side (away from the burning inner sidewall) and pull, coming away with complete tire, wheel, brake drum and left axle. I heave this burning mess out into a snowbank. We start breathing normally, and look at our situation, then start walking.

Turns out, we ran through the wheelbearing. Pre-65 Chevrolets have no clip in the inboard end of the axle, so as the red hot bearing disintegrated, the axle moved outward, limited only by the tire hitting the fender. With the axle pulled out of the side gear in the differential, I was effectively in neutral. Pumping the brake on this old single master cylinder system, merely pumped fluid through the blown wheel cylinder and into a red hot brake drum.

It was an educational experience...

 

[intothatgoodnight]

Hamilton Felix,

Know your 1963 Chevrolet WELL -- owned a 64 Impala (reskinned 62-63) that I worked on as it needed attention, and I drove that car over 242K miles (speedo broke at 242K) -- figure that the 283 V8 and the PowerGlide tranny had nearly 300K when I got rid of the car.

IF you determine that the problem is the CV joint, the FASTEST way to repair the CV joint is to buy the WHOLE halfshaft, with boot installed and ready to drop in -- Toyota dealer sells these assemblies -- IMHO, worth the extra cost due to the low hassle factor.

If the front wheel/hub bearing is shot, will likely need to remove the hub from the car, and take the hub and a NEW wheel bearing (and dust seals and any other parts contained in the hub) to a machine shop and pay them a few bucks to remove old bearing and press in the new one.


intothegoodnight

 

[Randy in Arizona]

Angel,

Check prices before buying from the dealer!

Autozone and probably Checkers and others will have liftime waranteed driveshafts for much, much less than the dealers short warantee parts. Always take the old one in for match up as the cars often change specs within a model year.