Wheel Bearing

I have a 2001 Cavalier that seems to have a bad Front wheel bearing..Haven't had my buddy look at it yet, but i'm wondering if its similar to my old 87 Cav in that i had to get the whole front spindle replaced when the same thing happened. Also, its not terribly loud right now but i want to get it fixed before it becomes a real problem...Any comments on how long i can go on a bad bearing? Also, is it going to be more expensive with anti-lock brakes??? I saw something on a parts website that had that info on the replacement bearing.

Chances are, if you can hear it, it's been getting bad for awhile. I changed all the bearings on my 98 Cav (same bearings), and even though no noise could be heard from them, taking them off and spinning them in my hand I could feel the roughness. You probably could drive it for awhile if you were going slow in town driving, but I wouldn't take it anywhere out of town, and I sure wouldn't take it down the interstate. Also, make sure you check to see how much the hub assembly is vs. just replacing the bearing. Sometimes if the bearing can be pressed in and out, it's still more of a hassle than it's worth if the hub assembly isn't much more expensive. Plus, with some hub assemblies you get the abs sensor with it. You might wonder why you'd even want to go that route, until after you replace the bearing itself, and later on if the abs sensor goes out, and you find that parts stores sometimes charge more for the sensor alone than they do for the whole thing (with the sensor). While working in a parts store for 4 years, that was one of the things I couldn't believe (hub assembly = $150, front abs sensor = $200 WTF!) Check prices on everything before choosing what you're gonna do.

Well my buddy who has helped me do work on my car before keeps telling me to wait for spring and he will do it....But i'm not the type that can just put out the horrible humming sound out of my head. And i don't want the hassle of having to not drive high speeds or avoid the highway. I would rather have it right. So i may have to bite the bullet and take it to a shop....(So annoying) I looked up the Hub assembly on a few sites and they go for around 75-80 bucks...But i haven't seen what the AC Delco one goes for. I made the mistake a while with the brakes not getting OEM parts and paid for it in the end. Guessing the Delco one will be around 90-100 bucks. Also, would i be correct to assume that when i make a right turn it makes a slightly higher pitch noise , that it must be the left bearing??? Weight would transfer to the left...makes sense. MY buddy won't jack the car and inspect anything...I know....nice friend right?

I haven't had much experience with bearings, but it makes sense that it would be the left one if it made more noise when turning right. If money isn't a big deal, I guess I would do both of them. On my Cav they both made about the same noise, but in any case, I just wanted to get them both replaced since it had about 140,000 miles on it at the time, and they both looked original.

As for getting AC Delco...I would definitly do that unless they are a lot of money (dealerships see you coming a mile away), or they don't have much of a warranty. I have SKF bearings on mine, and don't have any complaints 20,000 miles later. There are brands out there that are just as good, you just have to check around. And even then, there are different lines (even sears has a $hitty line of tools).

I had Tires Plus put the bearings on (since I don't have a torque wrench that goes as high as the center bolt needed to be tightened to) and, since I knew one of the guys there, they let me bring my bearings in, and gave me a decent deal. The thing about that was, smaller garages would do it for about the same price. They charged me about 50 bucks to install both hub assemblies. There's not much to them, so it shouldn't take them long at all.