Wheel Bearings...... [850][1995 T-5R]... posted by Alex  on Thursday, 29 March 2001, at 11:56 p.m.

                  Do wheel bearings often go bad?
                  Anyone had a problem with these?

                  My local repair shop says I might need new ones but it sounds awfully
                  expensive. There's a fast intermittent scraping sound coming from the driver's
                  side front wheel.

                  Alex

                  Alex: Wheels bearings seldom go bad, and almost always with high miles.
                  Don't believe the repair shop. Bad wheel bearings will not make a scraping
                  sound; they usually cause a low rumbling/humming sound. Sounds like one of
                  your brake calipers isn't retracting completely, causing the brake pads to
                  scrape the rotors - hence the scraping sound.

                  Good luck,
                  Bou Bou

                  Does the scraping sound like a helicopter landing on the car? does the sound
                  come and go? Is the rotor hot in comparison to the other front wheel?If so I
                  would replace the brake caliper, this solved my problem.I went with a rebuilt
                  from auto zone about $60.00.

                  --
                  Jot Bond

                  My left front wheel bearing started making noise at about 60,000 miles. Was a
                  low-pitched noise that got louder in a left turn. The whole front hub had to be
                  changed as the bearings are not replacable. Don't remember the cost, but it was
                  expensive.