tire thuming

[Eric Wettschreck]

Hi guys.

Wifes car. 06 Malibu. 3500. 135 K miles.

There is a fairly signifigant thump coming from the rear end while driving. Seems worst at around 40-60 mph, but doesn't go away at higher speeds, just isn't as noticeable. The steering wheel also has a slight wiggle to it all the time. At any given time it will pull slightly to either the left or right, depending on the day.

New tires aboot 10,000 miles ago.

This car has been through quite a few recalls in the past year. One of them being the the electronci power steering. I didn't notice a steering wheel wiggle after that repair. Just tossing it in for troubleshooting.

I put the car on jack stands and the rear passenger side has movement when you wiggle it around. Feels like a wheel bearing. No noticable wear in the struts, mounts, or any bushings.

I've never done a rear wheel bearing on a car like this. Is it fairly straight forward or are there alignments afterwards? I've heard my share of horror stories about this version of car and suspension problems. Just want to make sure I"m not overlooking anything.

Thanks.

[Jeremy airjer W]

4 nuts and an ABS connector. The hardest part is getting the backing plate to separate from the bearing.

If the bearing is causing the noise you should be able to spin the tire be hand and hear it howling. If you can't it might not be the bearing.