While wheel bearing noise is one of the toughest problems for the customer to describe, it's not unusual for it to come on so gradually that the customer may not even notice it until you mention it after an unrelated road test. Many times, the customer complaint will send you...
One of the toughest challenges we face as import specialist techs is noise complaints. These aren't necessarily difficult from the technical or nuts and bolts perspective as much as from the diagnostic process.
The vehicle owner may say that under light braking the vehicle pulses to a stop, or under heavy braking the vehicle shudders. Technical service bulletins (TSBs) often describe these symptoms as a “judder.” There are only two causes for judder — lateral runout and disc thickness variation on the rotor’s...
One of the toughest challenges we face as import specialist techs is noise complaints. These aren’t necessarily difficult from the technical or nuts and bolts perspective as much as from the diagnostic process. The first challenge is to pin down the noise that has the customer concerned. We’ve all listened...
Wheel speed sensors (WSS) provide essential wheel speed information not only for anti-lock brake systems (ABS), but also for traction control and stability control systems. Some vehicles even compare the wheel speed sensor readings against the vehicle speed sensor (VSS) to make sure all of these sensors are accurate and...
The trucking industry has a confusing term it uses called “wheel ends.” The term covers (brakes, hub caps, tires, seals, lubricant, bearings and spindle nuts. A 16 wheeler truck can mean more than 10 wheel ends units that can go bad. While the scale of these vehicles is rather large,...
Being import specialist techs, we may not be real familiar with 4WD systems and the associated parts, but that’s no reason to turn away this profitable work. For this article, we’ll look at the 2000 Sportage. The most common complaint you’ll encounter is no 4WD operation, which can usually be...
Wheel bearing service on import front-wheel drive cars with cartridge-style wheel bearings can be a challenge if you don’t have the proper tools. The wheel bearings are pressed into the knuckle and are impossible to remove unless you have a hydraulic press or a puller designed to push the wheel...
By Larry Carley, Technical Editor When engineers came up with the idea of putting the wheel speed sensor (WSS) and tone ring inside a sealed wheel bearing hub assembly, it seemed like a great idea. The sealed environment would help protect the sensor and make it less vulnerable to damage...
rvice could come back in fashion on vehicles instead of just on boat trailers. Since serviceable wheel bearings are rare, they often fall victim to wives tales and urban legends. One of the most prevalent is the myth of spinning a bearing with compressed air. Proper service required the bearing...
