Question: My ‘02 Grand Am has a growling noise that gets louder as I drive. My neighbour says it might be a wheel bearing. How do I find out?

Noises that get louder as speed increases can be several things: tires, differentials, and of course wheel bearings. 

It used to be that all cars and trucks were rear wheel drive until about 1980 to ‘85. 

The rear axle assembly housed the rear wheel bearing and were lubricated by the rear axle oil. 

They were quite reliable as long as they were not overloaded. 

The front wheels had inner and outer wheel bearings on each side contained inside the brake rotor. 

They were packed with grease and normally only serviced when a brake job was being done. 

This system is still being used on most trucks today.

Front wheel drive vehicles like your Grand Am, however, changed that design because of the drive axle going through the hubs. 

They are now a sealed, double roller bearing that typically last 80,000 to 100,000 km and can’t be greased.

The rear wheel bearing on front wheel drives can either be the same type sealed unit as the fronts, or the two per wheel style that can be repacked with grease. 

Because the fronts carry most of the weight and are not serviceable, they tend to dry out over time. 

Then it will start to growl as rust and deteriorated ball bearings grind on each other.

It gets louder as speed increases and time goes by. In this condition, it is considered dangerous and should be replaced right away. 

Left for too long, the wheel bearing can have total failure causing lack of vehicle control. 

More common wheel bearing units cost $300 to $400 to replace.

A good way of checking your wheel bearings is turning your vehicle on corners. The noise will usually go away momentarily when some of the weight is taken off of that side. I would strongly urge you to have it checked out by a professional mechanic.

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