My 20 year old daughter noticed a rather loud noise coming from the front end of her 2006 ion that hadn't been there before...we bought her new tires for christmas and that only seemed to escalate the problem! So she took it to a mechanic and he says that she needs new wheel bearings at 400.00 a side! I wasnt sure if the car even had wheel bearings...thought only had cv joints.Is this something I can fix? Im pretty mechanicly skilled but didnt know if special tools were needed or what! Any help would be greatly appreciated!
Yes you can do this; the bearings are sealed unit hubs; very easy the cost is only about $70 each at an auto parts store. once you look at them you'll know how to do this.
Yes, you can replace the bearings and save yourself a lot of money in the process; however, be prepared to spend about an hour - hour and half per bearing. first thing to remember is that each bearing assembly is the same for each side as well as front or back-- only difference is if your car has ABS or not. You only need 1 specialized tool - a slide hammer--easily rented (borrowed) from most local autozones.
I just replaced all four of mine on my vue... same assembly. not hard, just time consuming. Here is how I did it.
1. Remove the tires and all brake components. on the front, Hang the Calipers by the frame to the Strut so as not to bend/destroy the brake line. On the back, pull all the springs and pads, but, leave the wheel cylinder bolted in place.
2. once the brakes are out of the way, on the back of the hub, you need to remove the 13mm bolts. Use plenty of pb blaster and loosen each bolt before removing them with a breaker bar.
3. remove each bolt (4).
4. Attach the slide hammer to the studs and screw on the lug nuts--finger tight is good enough. then use the slide hammer to "pull" the bearing Assy out of the wheel.
5. Sand the inside of the wheel where the new bearing is to go. then align the new bearing into the hole (align up the bolt holes and give it a few taps with a hammer directly on the OUTSIDE EDGE - GENTLY--this is just to get it started. if possible, push the bolts through the back and start the threads on each bolthole.
6. Attach your slide hammer again. Slide back into place. tighten bolts to 65ftlb torque, reattach brakes and tire (tighten lug nuts to 100ftlbs).
7. Move on to next bearing and repeat.
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Same thing with my 2006 Ion. Not made for Michigan winter weather! Got stuck in the snow twice and it started up. Sounds like a helicopter cabin!
We have a 2006 Ion that is making a chirping noise around the driver side front. The car has about 33000 miles. I was able to take it to the dealer before the warranty ran out (hit the 36 month mark). Dealer said it was a dry seal and said they "greased it". Chirp went away for a little over a month. Now it is back and louder. It doesn't chirp below 15 mph and during left turns or curves at any speed.
I have the exact same thing and just purchased new tires as well. It is the wheel bearings on the driver's side!!! I am older than 20 and have had a 1998 Saturn (my son now drives with no problem) My mechanic told me this is a problem with many GMC cars, he hasn't seen too many Saturn Ions, but 34,000 miles is about right. As an extra help, shop around - my usual mechanic wanted 350 to 400 and the shop where I bought my tires is $268 - what a difference. I trust this shop as it has been in business for many years in our area. Good Luck
Saturn owner since 1998 - New York State
are you sure she is a 20 year old??
Front end noise when accelerating and decelerating replaced hub bearing but noise still there
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