Signs of a wheel bearing wearing out?

[stpoolshark]

What are some typical signs of a wheel bearing wearing out? My '04 has 134k miles on it and lately I have been hearing a rotational grumbling sound coming from my right front wheel. The steering doesn't really feel any different, but then again I'm not sure how bad the bearing would affect steering. The noise is most notable while braking and I can feel it slightly through the pedal. I'm fairly sure this is neither my brakes nor rotors because I have checked and they seem to be fine. I'm just curious about the symptoms of this part going out.


Thanks everyone,
Sean

[Shazam]

If they get bad enough, it can cause vibrations in the steering wheel, but before that happens you typically get a load roaring noise... a bit like loud tires but worse sounding. If you jack the car up, and make sure the brakes arn't rubbing, trying to spin the wheel/tire. If it feels rough (sometimes it will wobble too, but those are really bad bearings. If they are completely bad, they make lots and lots of heat too.

[ShaneB4Saab]

As my Dad (the former Saab Tech) told me, "Can you hear yourself think?" Actually, he never said that, but if it gets bad it will sound very loud in the corner of the car that is the problem. Jack up the suspect corner off the ground. Grab the tire at 9 and 3 o'clock. Don't spin the wheel, but put torque on the wheel by pushing in and out on the wheel to feel any looseness or "give" in the wheel. Turn it 10 degrees and do it again and repeat until you've gone all the way around. If you can't feel anything significant, check the others for comparable "feel". Then check the suspect wheel again. It's a long, monotonous process to do it at home. Can always take it to your local, trusted tech and let them check it for free, if available.

Also, another way of finding out is to wait long enough and if you see your wheel pass you on the road, you'll know it's done. My Dad did say that one.

It might be a warped rotor. You will feel it through the pedal and can make grumbling sounds. If the lugs were put on too tight, it will warp a rotor.

[metrognome]

I'm a little late but here's my two cents: My left front wheel bearing went bad on my 9-3 at about 45,000 miles. Unfortunately, it was in the middle of a 1,800 mile round-trip road trip. The sound was sort of a roaring noise and was quite obvious at highway speeds, not as much at lower speeds. The bearing is actually built into the hub on the 9-3 SS, so it's a slightly different sound than is typical of separate bearings. The bearings are NOT cheap, but if you do determine that it's the hub, shop around, as prices vary wildly. The FAG one sold by E-eurpoarts.com is the one to get at $250 (at least it was in December). It's the OEM manufacturer, but it's half the OEM price you can get elsewhere. I was told to avoid the $125 aftermarket one sold by The Saab Site, as it's a low-quality Chinese part.

The fact that yours is most noticeable while braking makes me think it might be a brake issue rather than a wheel bearing, as I don't think mine did that. Mine was determined to be a bad wheel bearing by a backyard mechanic who jacked both front wheels at the same time. He had me put it in gear and give it a little gas. No noise. Then he used a 2x4 to chock one wheel. No noise. Then the other wheel -- noise. The one with the noise is the bad bearing.

Good luck.