Bad wheel bearing / hub assembly

[bradleyheathhays]

I'm dealing with an '02 Volvo S80 that's making a really loud whirring sound from the front pass wheel area that only gets louder the faster you go. After getting advice that it might be a bad wheel bearing I tested it by getting up to speed then steering left and right. The sound keeps up when steering left, when the weight of the car is full on the right wheels, but it stops when turning to the right, so I'm fairly sure it's the wheel bearing. Although I'm sure I can swap it out I don't really have a lot of time right now, so I'm wondering...is this the type of malfunction that can cause a wheel to just fly off the car without warning? Again, it's loud.

 

[JPNinPA]

Yes that description sounds like a wheel bearing. Bad things can happen if not repaired. You could damage other components in the steering including wearing the tires. This failure gives an ever changing alignment so in wet weather or high speeds you could loose traction or control.
Cost of repair goes up as more gets damaged or ceased together.

In my experience change both left and right bearings. And expect the ball joints to be next inline to go.



JPNinPA
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