1998 SL2 - Snow tire noise with summer tires

"Orval Fairbairn" > wrote in message
news
> In article >,
> "Private" > wrote:
>
>> "Orval Fairbairn" > wrote in message
>> news
>> > In article >,
>> > somebody > wrote:
>> >
>> >> It quiets down on left turns and is louder on right turns.
>> >>
>> >> Neutral/coasting doesn't make a difference.
>> >>
>> snip to correct top posting
>> >
>> > It sounds like a left-hand wheel bearing. Check to see if it pulls to
>> > the left on a level road, with properly-inflated tires.
>>
>> Conventional wisdom suggests left wheel bearing if noise increases during
>> right turns, but YMMV. I recently had a bad wheel bearing where noise
>> increased when turning towards the bad side. After removing the wheel
>> and
>> brakes there was no noise or looseness/play. Diagnosis was made by
>> elimination after replacing the other side first and confirmed only after
>> replacing the second side. Search Google groups for my complete repair
>> report posting.
>>
>> Good luck, YMMV
>
> You are right -- I misread the problem. Yes -- a noisy left wheel
> bearing should get noisier on right turns; a bad right wheel bearing
> should make noise on left turns. The car should also pull toward the bad
> wheel on a straight, level road, with no crosswind.

I suspect that you were and are correct that it is most likely a bad left
wheel bearing. The Saturn wheel bearing is a double row ball bearing and I
suspect it is normally the outer row which is the most heavily loaded in an
opposite turn so will both wear and sound louder when turned away from the
bad side bearing and often quieter when turned toward the bad side of the
car.. On my most recent failure (left side wheel), I suspect that it was
the inside ball row which failed which resulted in it being noisier when
turned left (towards the bad wheel). I did not cut the old bearing apart to
see.

JMHE and .02, YMMV

"somebody" > wrote in message
...
> On Sun, 22 May 2011 22:25:57 -0700, "Private" >
> wrote:
>
>>
>>"Orval Fairbairn" > wrote in message
>>news
>>> In article >,
>>> somebody > wrote:
>>>
>>>> It quiets down on left turns and is louder on right turns.
>>>>
>>>> Neutral/coasting doesn't make a difference.
>>>>
>>snip to correct top posting
>>>
>>> It sounds like a left-hand wheel bearing. Check to see if it pulls to
>>> the left on a level road, with properly-inflated tires.
>>
>>Conventional wisdom suggests left wheel bearing if noise increases during
>>right turns, but YMMV. I recently had a bad wheel bearing where noise
>>increased when turning towards the bad side. After removing the wheel and
>>brakes there was no noise or looseness/play. Diagnosis was made by
>>elimination after replacing the other side first and confirmed only after
>>replacing the second side. Search Google groups for my complete repair
>>report posting.
>>
>>Good luck, YMMV
>>
>
> It doesn't look to difficult and the part is cheap enough:
> http://www.autozone.com/autozone/par...ken-Wheel-Bear
ing-Hub-Assembly-Front/1998-Saturn-SL2/_/N-jadj5Z6o2ny?cou
nter=0&filterByKeyWord=hub+bearing&fromString
=search&itemIdentifier=486808_161523_0_
>
> Is this something where the other bearing is almost shot, too?
>

If the OP is considering a DIY repair I recommend reading my earlier reports
of this job.

https://groups.google.com/groups/sea...=&as_oq=&as_eq
=&num=10&scoring=&lr=&as_sitese
arch=&as_qdr=&as_mind=1&as_minm=1&as_miny=2011&as_ maxd=1&as_ma
xm=1&as_maxy=2011&as_ugroup=rec.au
tos.makers.saturn&as_usubject=wheel+bearing&as_uau thors=private&safe=off

job report is here
https://groups.google.com/group/rec.autos.makers.sa
turn/browse_thread/thread/dbd50d8ba022a28f/c3980cf51a2fabaf?lnk=st&q
=group:rec.autos.makers.sa
turn+authorrivate&rnum=6&hl=en#c3980cf51a2fabaf

copy & paste the URL address manually.

Just my .02, Good luck, YMMV