Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums Modifications Suspension what the @#$% is it

Hi guys i took my car in to the shop today where i work.I notice as i was looking for a nail in my tire that now the passager front tire moves in and out.If you put one hand on the top and one on the bottom then it will in and out.I have check the ball joints,tie rods and the center nut on the hub.I called the stealer ship and they wanted $60 just to look at it then charge me to fix the problem.



Thanks in advance



Ian

control arm bushings? bad wheel bearing?

bad wheel bearings.

Tell me, have you had your axles off, or worked on at all?

Well i had my car lower with the B.A.T kit in oct 02.I never notice it before.If it was the bearings would it not howl or not just wondering.Dose anyone know the labour cost on this .I also don't notice any noise or anything when i am driving and taking hard corners left or right.I will get it fixed before i go to the state's then at the end of july.

If the axles were pulled when the BAT kit was put in, did they use New axle nuts?

The axle nuts can only be used once and they are torqued to about 200 ft/lbs. They axle and nut are used to put a pre-load on the wheel bearings. IF you reused the old nuts, they will not tighten correctly in most cases because the threads are already stretched out. Therefore when you re-tighten them the will not put the correct pre-load on the bearings.
If you can get them off the axles without destroying the axle threads, try putting on a new set of axle nuts and torque them to specs. This will pull the two outer races of the bearings together and restore the pre-load on the bearings. If the bearings aren't ruined then this may solve the problem. If you stillhave a problem then you will need to have new bearings installed.
If everything was done right the first time, then you will have to replace the bearings. I'll tell you, the bearings are $35-$45 each and then the spindle has to be knocked off to install them. I'd guess $50-$75 labor per side if the guy knows what he is doing, they aren't too difficult to pull; but you need access to a shop press to press in the hubs.

Tom

Well thanks alot for all your help guys especialy warmonger.Yes it was the wheel bearing,it costed 265.OO including tax (can).Wow i hated the rental car i had a 2004 sebring and man it felt good to get back in the contour.A close friend said i looked like a little kid in the candy store when i went to pick her up in the all better contour.

Good to hear, I'm glad its fixed. $265 canadian is how much REAL money?