Brickmen

My wheel (wheels) have been humming for about 4 mths.

Not real load but certainly noticeable.

How tough is it to replace wheel bearing?

Is there a link that tells the story

I have an 85 740 gle w m46 tranny w/225k.iowned last 125k.unsure if sone by previous owner

thanks for your help

Marky, to be sure it is a front WB problem, drive down the road and when no one is loking, weave from side to side. The moaning should come and go from the wheel in question.

Art thanks for the response......it seems easy enough to test out. I appreciate it much.

Mark
85 740gle 225k w/m46od

Of course I was new to the Volvo world with my first 89 740. It developed a noise that I was convinced was the front wheel bearing. Bought a new bearing - put it on, same noise.

Turned out to be the hanger bearing in the center of the driveshaft.
--
"Be blessed in your quest'' 89 764 (110K), '94 940T (180K) , '92 745T (totaled 2-10-05 RIP)

Andrew
thanks for the response.

does it the whirring from the drive shaft bearing increase if the the car is in neutral and accellerating down a hill?

how tough is it to do the bearing job you speak of? and at what cost?

Thanks

Mark 85 740 gle 225k w/m46 od

It has been a few years since that 740 - but I am thinking that when the car is moving, the drive shaft is turning - regardless of whether it is in neutral or not. The shaft would pick up speed with the car, thus the sound would change.

I did not have the proper tools to press the bearing out - so I had it installed. It was not that expensive. There is the bearing and the hanger. The bearing may be all you need - but it may be a good time to replace the hanger also - especially if with a heavy load you have experienced driveline thump from the driveshaft hitting the underside. If you don't experience this now (or have not) I am not sure that I would not leave well enough alone as far as the hanger (just my opinion).

If you do replace this - note that the bearing for the turbo driveshaft for most models I know of is a larger bearing than the NA (bigger dia. driveshaft).

You have followed the others hints to make sure that it is not a front bearing - right?
--
"Be blessed in your quest'' 89 764 (110K), '94 940T (180K) , '92 745T (totaled 2-10-05 RIP)

Andrew

I tried the swaying back and forth and the noise persists. does this bearing you speak of sound like it is coming from the front? if it's the drive shaft wouldn't that sound like the rear?


Mark

85 740 gle 225k w/m46 od unit

Well, the noise should change somewhat when going side to side, I would think. If it is the hanger bearing, it is going to pretty much be consistent all the time - wheather you are swaying or going in a straight line. It should change as you slow down though - but might not diminish till you are almost stopped.

I am a bit cautious as I do not want to lead you down a wrong path. When it happened to me - I was dead sure that it was a wheel bearing - and was not.

If you have checked the front wheels every way recommeded, and are still not sure - that is what I experienced. I kept checking the wheels, spinning them - checking for looseness, etc. When the car was not moving - I could not find anything. The noise only when driving convinced me that it had to be the front bearings - but I was wrong.

--
"Be blessed in your quest'' 89 764 (110K), '94 940T (180K) , '92 745T (totaled 2-10-05 RIP)

If you want to make sure:
Jack up a wheel, spin it by hand while holding the tie rod with the other hand. A good bearing will not transmit anything from the wheel to the tie rod.

thanks for the response .....I'll try it after I try the side to side driving mentioned in an earlier posting.

Mark

85 740 gle 225k w/m46 od

Wheel bearings are definatelya do-able job... you just need a few things before you get started. Go buy new wheel bearings, these usually come with inner bearing and racing as well as outer bearing and race. Grease seals will probably be needed as well. Pick up good quality wheel bearing grease (make sure it is designed for disc brakes) and a brass drift. Jack the car up, support with jackstands and remove the wheels. Disconnect the calipers (many people prop the brake pedal down about 1.5-2 inches to keep the brake resivor from draining when the lines are disconnected. Remove the calipers and set aside. Pry off the dust cap in the center of the rotor (wear gloves for this part... wheel bearing grease is ugly stuff) Remove the cotter pin that holds the nut in place and remove the nut. Grab the rotor from both sides and give it a yank... it should slide right off. Get a thick piece of cardboard to work on so you don't damage the rotor during the next part. Place the rotor on the cardboard and break out your trusty drift. If you look into the middle of the rotor, you can see where the bearings sit within the rotor - two tapered rings that are driven into the rotor from either end. Start at one end, put the drift all the way through the rotor and start pounding away to drive the race out of the rotor. Since brass is softer than steel, the drift will not damage the rotor or the race. Once the first race is out, flip the rotor over and drive out the other race. Keep the old races around for the next part. Take a couple shop towels and clean out as much of the old grease as you can... fresh grease is always a good idea. Put a light coat of grease to help the races go in a little more smoothly then take the approiate race and gently place it in the correct position. Take the old race and place it on top of the new one and use it to drive the new race in (make sure you drive the races all the way into the rotor). Flip the rotor over and do the same to the other side. At this point, take a bunch of the grease and pile it into the palm of one hand and, using the other hand, force the grease into the bearing until no more grease will go in. rotate the bearing by hand a couple of times and try to fit more grease in. Fill the rotor with a moderate amount of grease... but not enough so it will be forced out when you put the rotor back on the spindle. Put the larger bearing onto the spindle (the bearing will be a tight fit and might resist until you get exactly the right alignment... keep trying!) and slide the rotor onto the spindle. Take your pre-packed front bearing and slide it onto the end of the spindle.. at this point the rotor should look like it fits correctly. Take the center nut and screw it onto the spindle hand tight. Pick up your torque wrench and, while turing the rotor, crank down to approx. 25 ft-lbs of torque. Back the nut off a quarter turn and re-tighten the nut just enough to keep the rotor in place. This process makes sure that the bearings have seated properly. DO NOT OVERTIGHTEN THE CENTER NUT - this will cause the bearings to fail VERY quicly and you'll find yourself doing the whole job over again. Take a new cotter pin and secure the nut in place. Carefully put the dust cap back in place (never hit the center of a dust cap, it will collapse), reattach the calipers and brake lines, and repeat the whole procedure on the other side of the car.

Need more help? Pick up a shop manual for detailed instructions and pictures that will guide the process.

Good luck!

-Flup

Flup
I can't tell you how great it is to have guys like you on the board who would go through the detailed explantion you provided me with.

If I have to do the job I'm sure your instructions will be by my side.

thanks again for the time spent on typing and laying procedure out.

Mark
85 740 gle 225k w/m46 od