Front Wheel Noise

I have a 1993 ford Escort LX 4-Door hatchback w/ the 1.9L I-4. For the past few months I have heard a noise from the front driver's side wheel. It obviously invloves something that spins because you can hear it more at higher speeds. Would this be a wheel bearing? I don't know much about my car and this is the only part that I know of that could problaby be the problem; but I am not a mechnic. Thank you ahead of time to anyone who replies to this thread.

-Brian
AIM: brianatccm

Does the noise change if you press the brake pedal? They have little pieces of metal that 'scratch' the brake rotor when your pads get low to give you a warning.

It very well could be a wheel bearing. Jack it up and turn the wheel. You'll see or hear something.
If it only does it when you make a hard left or right turn it is constant velocity joint on the half-shaft which is just behind the wheel bearing.

Ironic that at another post the guy is upset because his tires don't make noise :headshake

I doubt its the brakes because they are only 6 months old.

I haven't noticed anything on hard turns.

I will jack up the car tonight, and let you know the results.

-Brian
AIM: brianatccm

Last night, I jacked up the driver's side wheel (problem wheel). I spun the wheel however I heard something when I spun it. I don't know how to explain the sound, but shouldn't there silence when I spin the wheel? I lowered the car and tried the passenger side front; Same thing. I didn't feel like taking the wheel off. If I get my car fixed for anything else, I will have the mechanic check it out.

However, I don't think I will be putting much more money into this car. When I jacked up the car I heard a cracking sound. Half of the spot where you can jack it up is rusting. I looked under the car more and relised that there was alot of rust.

I know it is a 1993, but I didn't realize that there was that much rust. The rust I knew of when I got the car: rear passenger side fender was rusting. Rust I found a month ago: part of the trunk is rusting and I can see the road through a fist size hole in the scissor-jack cubby. Yea, and the jack is rusted in. Recently I noticed the rear driver's side fender, and a quater size spot on one of the door frames (the black frame that surrounds the window). Also, the center of the front passenger-side foot well was wet. There must be a rusted spot letting water in...

Time to save money and look for a new car...

-Brian
AIM: brianatccm

The sounds you hear when it's jacked up are probably the disc pads draggng on the caliper. It's normal.

Update....

I was tired of hearing the noise and not knowing what is was. I took it to STS and they jacked up the front end. The mechanic showed me how the wheels can move freely from right to left (no not steering). He said both Outer Tie Rods need to be replaced.

Estimate:

Front left Tie rod: $59.49
Front Right Tie rod: $59.49
Labor: $85.00
Alignment: $69.95
Subtotal: $273.93
Tax: $16.43
Total: $290.36

Do you agree with the part replacement and/or the pricing? Is the alignment nessesary?

Thank you ahead of time.

-Brian

Sounds about par for the course. This is the amount you'ed have to pay just about anyplace. The labor of $85 sounds high but that is probably because there is a minimum of 1 hour. Yes, the front wheels have to have the toe in set after replacing the tie rod ends. They control the toe in.
It would be a good idea to have this done as soon as possible because your front tires are probably being abnormally worn.

Tie rods are pretty easy on these cars.

You need about a 2-3 lb short handle hammer..(club hammer or mallet)
A wrench/socket w. ratchet for the tie rod nut on top..about 19mm
a pair of pliers
1-2 wrenches about 16mm or 1-2 pair of large vice grips for the jam nuts.

IF you are careful you do not need an alignment.IF BEFORE! you remove the tie rods..you MARK AND COUNT(with your fingernails) the number of exposed threads..THEN make sure that the tie rods are VERY close in overall length..(centre of ball stud to end)old and new.

The tie rod ends are about $15.Cdn here for these cars Seems to me the CHEAP replacement tie rods,ball joints for vehicles are the ones WITH the grease fittings NOT like the originals.Go figure.I put 2 on my car last year w. no alignment.Tires are wearing perfect.They were before too.

With someone else doing it as you mentioned..price sounds about right.

Yeah, do it yourself if you feel up to it. You can get the tie rod end out of the sleeve by rapping the sleeve with a good sized hammer. It should pop right out. Hitting it with a hammer relaxes the sleeve allowing the tie rod end to drop out of the steering knuckle. If you count the threads you can eyball the front wheels. They should be slightly toed in just a hair. Not much for a FWD Escort. Tie rods are one of the easiest things to do. They are right out there on the steering knuckle and you don't have to fight it to get them off. Go for it!

i plan on having them done soon because I don't want anything bad to happen.

The tires in the front are balding anyway. They are next on the list of things to replace.

I don't feel up to doing it at home because I don't have a garage or flat space to work on and the tools.

How long can I drive on them like this? How bad can it get? I am kinda of tight on time right now and I may have to wait a week or two...

Thank you to all who reply.

-Brian

It probably has taken a long time for them to wear out so a few thousand miles isn't going to make any difference. I've never heard of a tie-rod end coming loose. The wear will possibly finish off your front tires, but like you said. They are bald anyway.
Make sure you have 32-35 lbs of air in the tires. This will put less force on them than a lower pressure. From what I gather the tie-rods go out on Escorts quite frequently. They should be all right for a while if you don't have the money to get them done. As long as the steering wheel doesn't bind up you should be okay.

Should i have the front tires replaced at the same time? Would it be any cheaper?

-Brian

I don't think it would be any cheaper to get the tires at the same time, but it would be a good idea.
That way they are responsible for the whole package. What am I trying to say? You'll get a more accurate front end alignment with new tires on the front of your car. So, (1) get the tie rod ends put on (2) get new tires (3) have it aligned.

I had the Outer Tie Rods and new front tires installed today. At a wonderful price of $390.

Improvements:
-Steering is definitly more responsive
-Better Traction by 300% (I tried to spin my tires and skid on wet roads; no more skidding)
-A better ride

However:
-The noise is still there
-You can start to hear it at 30mph
-Its louder than before at 80mph (yes, I normally drive it 75-80)
-I went for a ride with the mechnic and he said its not a big problem, nothing to worry about, its an old car.

THE SOUND:
-If anyone has ever worked in a business that has metal rollers to move materials than you have probly heard the sound before.
-I have worked at UPS (rollers to move packages) and a shop where they did welding (rollers were used to support metal and make it easier to move into the band-saw...
- If you spin one of these metal rollers next to my front wheel, that is what it sounds like.

I think it is the bearings, but the mechanics at STS don't think that it is that.

Thank you to anyone who replies.

-Brian

P.S.- Has anyone ever replaced wheel bearings on their escort?

Has anyone ever replaced wheel bearings on their escort? What was the reason for replacing them?

-Brian

Brian,
I am sure that you had bad tie rod ends, this is a very common problem on Escorts/ZX2s. The sound you have that gets louder with vehicle speed is a WHEEL BEARING. I know, I had the same noise, I just had one of mine replaced. My tie rods were shot as well and had them replced too. The shop I took my car (2001 ZX2) to is very good. I actually had jacked up the car and diagnosed that it needed tie rod ends as this is very easy to feel by grasping the front tires at the 3 and 9 positions and just trying to wiggle them and watching if there is relative movement between the tie rod and the spindle (also called a steering knuckle). I too though that the tire wobble allowed by the worn tie rod ends would cause the noise I heard. But the excellent mechanics at the shop told me that worn tie rod would not in themselves cause this noise and that I indeed had a bad wheel bearing.

I went for a ride with the mechnic and he said its not a big problem, nothing to worry about, its an old car.

NO NOISE, ESPECIALLY FROM THE ANYWHERE IN THE ROTATING PARTS OF THE DRIVETRIAN, IS 'NOT A BIG PROBLEM'!!!!Where did you have your car serviced - What is STS?

If you mechanic tells you not to worry about the noise I would DEFINATELY worry about his competence and definately find another mechanic! Find one that is ASE (Automotive Service Excellence) certified.

You need to have the bearing replaced as soon as possible as if it fails completely you could be in a hazardous situation with lose of steering and/or vehicle control. The bearing itself is inexpensive but its really buried inside the spindle. The front drive axle and spindle must be removed so that the bearing can be pressed out with a hydrulic press. So the labor cost for this job can be stiff. You could take the spindle out yourself and then take it to a shop to have the bearing pressed out/in, but its a big job and you will need some specialized tools like a MacPherson strut spring compressor.

Good luck,
Paul

Ok, so STS is gone. Any suggestions about a new auto repair place? I had a bad experiance with a local Midas too...

Should I go around to other STS or Midas franchises?

How much would new front wheel bearings cost for parts + labor?

I want to have my new headlight assemblies installed too. STS said $50 and a local autobody said $100. Any suggestions about which I should choose or should I shop around? Who would do a better job? I am not interested in doing it because the bolts are slightly rusted and I don't want to round them. Plus, I don't know how to align the lights.

Thanks for all the help Paul78zephyr.

-Brian

Brian,
I hate to be the one to tell you this but I would stay away from ALL franchise type auto repair - STS (Ive never heard of them - maybe just in NJ?), Midas, Sears, etc. as:

1. They are only interested in profits, not service.
2. See #1
3. The franchisees hire mechanics they can pay the lowest wages to to offset their costs of franchising fees. These mechanics are usually young, and inexperiensed (and unfortunately wouldn't know a wheel bearing problem from a...well from anything - your case in point).
4. The fanchisors have big advertizing budgets - they advertise during the super bowl or pay fat assh*les like George Forman. This advertizing costs $$$, its passed to the franchisee. Guess who pays?


My advice is find an INDEPENDENT auto repair shop, and one that proudly exclaims ASE certification. Just google or yahoo search in your local vacinity for one or use the old fashioned paper yellow pages. These guys do not advertise during the super bowl - they rely primarily on word of mouth and that means satisfied customers!! Also they are usually 'neighborhood' shops with many of their customers also being practically their neighbors. Most local types dont want to scr*w over their neighbors. Ask for references. A good shop will be HAPPY to give you some. Look for mechanics that have some, well...gray hair. Most local shops stay in business by hiring good qualified mechanics and KEEPING them. There is no substitute for expereience.

Find a good shop and get that wheel bearing fixed ASAP.
When I had my outer tie rods and wheel bearings replaced (all at the same time, Oct 05) this was the cost breakdown:

Tie Rods
Parts 110.88
Labor 72.00
Total 182.88

Wheel bearing (right/pass side)
Parts 52.85 (bearing)
10.86 (seal)
Labor 158.40
Total 222.11

Computerized front end alignment (needed after any major front end work, money well spent!)
Labor 72.00

Personally, knowing the work was done right using quality parts, I think the prices were fair.

Here is the website for ASE: http://www.asecert.org/
I urge you to look at it (click on 'Motorists'). This is not a fly-by-night organization - its been around for a long time, is non-profit, and it takes professional auto repair qualification VERY SERIOUSLY. ASE certified shops and mechanics KNOW THEIR STUFF!!!

BTW, what kind of tires did they sell you? Please be specific: Brand, type/style, and size.

Paul

I've never heard of a tie-rod end coming loose.


If you have not replaced these by now. . . DO IT. . . Mine came apart on me. Luckily it was when I was pulling out of the driveway, not at speed. . . . VERY dangerous!

Don't worry, they were replaced back on 1/13/06. Sux that yours came apart tho.

-Brian