front wheel bearing, intremittent slight squeeking Options

[tomh]

about every 4th-5th time i drive the car their is a slight squeeling coming from the front left.
could this be a bad bering or maybe it is just starting to dry up?
It usualy just goes away in a few minutes then I forget about it till i hear it again several weeks later.
What should I try first?

[realred914]

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simple diagnositc is to safely jack up and support car to get the suspect wheel off ground. then do some tests.

1. test whhel bearing by rocking the tire from teh 6 and 12 oclock position there shoudl be some little bit of bearing freeplay, if you get lots of rocking it is bad, if ti si rock stiff, it may be adjust to tight. usually a failing bearing will gett looser and looser.

2. to test for draggin brakes,
have the brakes stomped on really hard (make sure car is frimly supported, dont be under any part when person is inside the car) then release them, and rapidly right away spin the wheel, note any drag. then wait three and a half minuites or so and spin wheel again, and ask, does the wheel spin easiar after the wait time than when spun immediatly after the hard brake application??? if the answer is it spun easy after the wait time, and was dragging in teh immediate spin test, then you have residual brake fluid pressure causing the braek to drag. often old rubber hoses will restrict flow, they swell internally then act as a check valve, high pressure fluid flows one way then brake applyed, but the low pressure return after brakes let off is a slow prosses thru the collapesed hose.

also could be hung up caliper rubbers or rusty pistons,

to test if hoses, bleed the brakes, you will find constricted hoses will offer a lotmore resistance when the bleeder is open to pumping than hoses that are free and clear

you can remove teh pads, and pry the piston back in some and then with pad installed again, press on brakes, this will move pad thru a big range, do this several times, this may free up some sticky caliper pistons.





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