# Tire wear, groaning noise, and erratic steering



## lojaak (Jan 21, 2004)

Hey. I've got a '95 200sx SE-R. I was in a minor accident a year ago where the left front of my car hit the right rear of another car. Ever since the steering and alignment haven't been the same. I blew the engine about 6 months ago and bought a use motor to replace it. The mechanics said I needed to replace my front wheel bearings. I didn't because I didn't have the money at the time. I believe the left front bearing is what is causing the groaning sound. The steering is really bugging me because I think it could be fixed for a reasonable price. The front left tire gets warn bald on the inside really quick. I just bought new tires 3 months ago and the insides are already bald. Its not as bad on the right side. Whenever there are slight bumps in the road the steering becomes erratic and uncontrollable. It seems to pull left and right at times. Could this just be a bent shock/strut or warn out spring. Or could it be more. Any suggestions? Replacement parts?


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## Ninety-Nine SE-L (May 5, 2002)

alot of bad things happen when you get into an accident. There are alot of parts to the suspension that easily bend and make alot of problems. Have you taken your car in for a basic allignment since the accident. 9 times out of 10, they can adjust out the kinks. Go ahead and fix the wheel bearings, that is something that should be taken care of.

It sounds like the left tire has really, really bad camber while the right one ("not as bad") mught have a milder case of the same problem. Once again, this should be checked out and aligned. The alignment place will be able to tell alot more than a basic mechanic. Have them do the work, they *should* be able to fix your problems, if there is something wrong, they will tell you what i is and what needs to be done.


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## lojaak (Jan 21, 2004)

*update*

Thanks 1997 GA16DE

Well, I brought my car into Big O tires to have them check the alignment and I also told them about the groaning noise that they confirmed was the bearings. They said I need to replace the bearing and probably the Hub too. THey quoted me $700 for the parts and labor. I'm not sure if thats just the left side or both sides. Does that sound OK. Seems a bit pricey for me. I would like to do it myself but I doubt its possible with the tools I have. I checked the prices on the bearings and they are only $60each. The Hub assembly is like $125each. Do you guys think this is worth it to get done? Do you know of any cheaper alternatives. Could this be my entire problem or could I find more problems after I get this fixed? They wouldn't do the alignment cuz they would have to do it after they fixed the hub/bearing anyway so that makes sense. Any help/info would be appreciated. Thanks.


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## BadAhab (Apr 30, 2002)

Funk me running thats way too expensive for that. Go somewhere else and ask them... I couldnt even see nissan charging that much. The bearing isnt that hard but you kinda have to know whats up. Find a local se-r buddy that knows how and have them show ya. Or find random car tech and pay him to do it not at work. holy monkey balls thats a lot of money.
-sean


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## Ninety-Nine SE-L (May 5, 2002)

holy crap, $700??? Did u ask him to break down that price. Something's wrong. He's either the biggest rip off I've ever seen, or there's something seriously wrong with the entire drivetrain/front suspension. Way too much. I don't know how the front is, b/c I never done the fronts, but I think the hub and bearing assembly is one piece (although you can jus do the bearings). Go somewhere else, I think they're trying to rip you off. If you have any local car gurus u know, bring them along, it sounds like the mechanic's trying to take advantage to someone who doesn't seem to know any better (no offense).


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## ReVerm (Jan 13, 2003)

Actually, that sounds like the amount a mechanic would charge you to repair your _front_ bearings. The reasons being:

1. Bearings are expensive (where'd you find that $60 bearing?)
2. Bearing repacks require special tools
3. You need a press to get the hub/bearing back on

The rears you can do on your own, but unfortunately, the fronts will be expensive regardless of where you go (maybe not 700 though).


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## wadegreene (Jan 12, 2003)

Wheel bearing are $30 each but if you have been riding around that long with it bad then your hub is bad. Most shops charge about $90 an hour for labor and the complete hub assembly is $125 they will most likely charge you 2 labor hours to change both hubs so you are looking at around $430(in theory).
$700 is way too much, shit just buy a manual and do it yourself it's really not that hard and you would save yourself around $200.


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## Ninety-Nine SE-L (May 5, 2002)

how hard is it to remove the front hubs? I've of course done the rear ones (which is alot easier than the front ones), but how hard could it be?


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## wadegreene (Jan 12, 2003)

Not that hard really, just take the axle nut off(32mm), take the brake caliper off,2 strut bolts off, take the tie rod end loose from the hub and then take the lower ball joint loose. Just be careful not to damage the boots on the tie rod end and the lower ball joint.


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