Bye Bye wheel bearings

[Sturdevant]

I've noticed a noise coming from the left front when I turn right and removed the wheel and found excessive play which seems to indicate wheel bearing replacement. I've read the various manuals about replacing the wheel bearings and they all agree that the steering knuckle must be removed (see attached photo) so that the bearing may be pressed out. This means to me that the bearing has to be pressed off the shaft and the outer race must be pressed out of the hub by a machine shop.

The above posts seem to disagree with this. How do you remove the bearing without removing the steering knuckle.

[Sturdevant]

I'm also thinking my lower control arm bushings are bad based on sound and this:

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[Sturdevant]

Based on the above post I changed the Wheel bearings. I removed the steering knuckle and had NAPA press the bearing. I also replaced the LCA bushings, the tire rod ends and the ball joint since I had everything out.

Now the front end is quiet as a tomb at midnight. It's funny how the noise slowly gets louder and you don't notice it.

[markq1956]

Well, I have a 2005 GT convertible with 24K miles and was told that both sets of wheel bearings need replacing. Besides that, I had all of my waranty work done at the Chrysler dealer and my mechanic said that the tires are now cupped as well. As I had the tires rotated at every oil change (per the required waranty work) why didnt they notice the slop in the wheels?? I'm hoping to plead with the dealer to see if they can do anything to help with this. Not holding my breath though.

[gdottie]

I go to Sears with the left tire wearing on one side unevenly, vibration when over 70mph. I'm told its the wheel bearing. Then they say both need replacement. 600 to fix. There were 3 cars there...all PT Cruisers and ALL were there for wheel bearing replacements. I've got a 2005 with about 88,000 on it. Not making any noise. They said it should be ok to drive for a little-had to go to a funeral and they couldn't fix it until Monday. So...I pull out of my driveway and something snap/crunches in my shifter. It now moves freely-guess its the cable. Its stuck in reverse had to get it towed out of the middle of the road. I'm off to a crappy New Year. Wondering what that should cost....

[Hooligan]

Where are you located? Is it somewhere where there is snow/ice? Maybe it was iced up and broke loose. Many have went with Booger bushings, they are better than stock. May have to do a search on ebay.

[Cal Cruzer]

I am doing my bearings and bushings now. Be sure to replace the hub if it is galled. NAPA initially thought mine were okay but once they separated the hub from the knuckle they found it was bad. I did one side last weekend and the other this coming weekend. Not that hard as long as you have the right tools. The biggest must have is a torque wrench that goes to 185# ft since the rear bushing needs to be torqued to that and the axle nut to 180# ft. Air tools are usefull but not a must have.

Also recommend a ball joint separator to separate the tierod end from the knuckle. Oh, and a 3 jaw puller in case the axle is stuck in the hub.

[djbside]

Can't thank you guys enough for all the info..

Be sure to check post your major complaints on this site and well as Chrysler's

2001 Chrysler PT Cruiser complaints, problems & defects information | CarComplaints.com

I'll be posting my repair fees as soon as i get my car back and verify all the work done... I'm having Bearing problems in combo w/ the Clutch Cable (the 2nd time I'm doing the cable)

[TLC]

I'm the original owner of my 05 PT Cruiser GT Convertible. My front passenger side wheel bearings are now wearing out for the 2nd time and my car only has 32,100 miles on it! The first time was at 21,900 miles in 4/08 - just outside of the manufacture's warranty. It was diagnosed & fixed at Firestone (I had thought it was out of alignment/balance). Firestone said that some PT's had a recall on the wheel bearings, but not the convertibles. I was upset at how they wore out prematurely, but paid the $434 to have both sides replaced (hubby said you have to keep them equal & he visually verified that they were indeed worn out).

Now exactly 2 years & 10,000 miles later they have worn out again (along with my tires)- same side/tire! (maybe notable that the tire with the worn out wheel bearings started to get a side wall split). I'm not a mechanic, but my theory is that if something wears out prematurely twice, the worn out part is the symptom, NOT the problem. Something is causing it to happen. This time I called Chrysler (manufacturer not the dealer). Now I'm FUMING! They won't even consider "good will assistance" since the repair 2 years ago wasn't done by or "diagnosed by" an authorized Chrysler dealer (even though it was past the warranty period). So even though I have the Firestone receipt, they don't believe me that the repair was actually needed. They would only believe me IF they happen to recall that part. They refuse to acknowledge that ANY PT Cruisers have had problems with wheel bearings wearing out prematurely, or look up about any recalls on other models (since I don't have everyone else's Vin #'s).

Now I have to get them repaired again. I'm now very worried that this will keep reocurring every 10,000-20,000 miles. I never had this problem with any of my other cars. I will show my hubby the other possible causes in other posts.

I've lived with my car in multiple states, but my current location has so many potholes. I try to avoid them, but sometimes you just can't. Can potholes cause wheel bearings to wear out early?

[CREWZIN]

Pot holes and rough roads can cause numerous problems. There was never a recall on the wheel bearings on any year or any model. Lots of us have never had a problem.

Poll: Who's NEVER replaced their Wheel Bearings