The wheels on one’s Mazda car rotate smoothly, quietly, and with minimal friction due to the fact that they are supported by precision-built ball or roller bearings. In general, the type of bearings used in a number of cars and trucks depends entirely on the specific wheel design, but all have four qualities in common. For one, a high radial loading capacity is a given. That is, the ability to carry both the car and its load without risk of failure. Another is a high thrust load capacity which is necessary as the car turns corners. Quite another is the shock resistance — the kind of shock caused by tires hitting holes in the road, curbs, and other objects. There is also the fact that wheel bearings must have the ability to maintain wheel alignment–this one is an absolute necessity for proper steering and braking action.

These thus make up the many roles that a wheel bearing must see to. That said, one no longer has to give oneself a rub in the head whenever the subject of a wheel bearing springs, especially if it has something to do with one’s Mazda Wheel bearing. Since the wheel bearing is exposed to constant friction, proper cleaning adjustments and lubrication of the said wheel bearing at regular intervals are recommended. This will ensure that the wheel bearings will last as long as the car.

One way to see that this happens is to pay attention. Wheel bearing noises are a major indication that the system is suffering from a number of glitches. It can mean anything from a loose or damaged wheel bearing to an entirely defective bearing model. These flaws can cause a variety of sounds and it is often difficult to find the exact locations where the bearing is faulty. A way to deal with such troubles is to strip the wheel down and wash the wheel bearings. Examine the parts. Rotate slowly and look for wear, flaking, cracks, brinelling, corrosion, or chipping. Such defects are caused by dirt, moisture, improper adjustment, overloading, and in some cases, lack of sufficient lubrication.

On roller bearings, look particularly for chipping on the edges of each roller. While the roller surface may appear to be good, its edges may have become broken from over-tightening. Check both cups and cones, look for defects including actual hairline cracks. Check the color of bearing rubbing surfaces. Those that have been overheated will be blue or blue brown. This indicates that bearing hardness and life expectancy have been reduced and that the bearing should already be replaced. If bearing smoothness is to be tested by pressing the parts together and rotating them, be sure to apply a small amount of light engine oil first to the balls or rollers.When one part of a bearing assembly is unsuitable for further use, the entire assembly should be replaced. Both inner and outer bearings should be replaced at the same time and new races must be pressed into the hub. If the defective bearing only is replaced, it is quite likely that the piece that was left unreplaced will soon fail, requiring one to strip the wheel down again. Replacing both bearings and their races at the same time equalizes the load on them and reduces the possibility of early failure. Not to mention the fact that it saves tremendous time and energy in the process.

Anthony Fontanelle is a 35-year-old automotive buff who grew up in the Windy City. He does freelance work for an automotive magazine when he is not busy customizing cars in his shop.

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