Rumble and Getting Louder on '03 Alero

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Rev. Tom Wenndt - 24 Apr 2006 16:10 GMT

I have had this Alero for two years now. Lately, it has started giving me a
rumble. Slowly but surely, it is getting louder.

My first thought was a CV joint, but then it hit me that this may be a wheel
bearing /hub assembly (a part much more expensive than even a whole new
half-shaft).

How can one tell if they are going bad. I have a fellow who can help me
replace it, but we have to make sure of the diagnosis. My fear is that if I
have someone do it, it will take such an extensive taking apart of the wheel
(meaning mucho $$ just for the diagnosis), I then may as well let them
finish the deal, a very expensive proposition.

Thoughts, anyone?

Tom Wenndt

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Shep - 24 Apr 2006 20:50 GMT

Labor on this 2 hours including diagnosis at my shop!

>I have had this Alero for two years now. Lately, it has started giving me
>a rumble. Slowly but surely, it is getting louder.
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>
> Tom Wenndt

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Chris M - 25 Apr 2006 06:11 GMT

I just had my front hubs on my 01 replaced under warranty at local dealer. I
was jsut under the 50K mile mark. Same Thing you're describing.

> Labor on this 2 hours including diagnosis at my shop!
>>I have had this Alero for two years now. Lately, it has started giving me
[quoted text clipped - 20 lines]
> ----= East and West-Coast Server Farms - Total Privacy via Encryption
> =----

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Rev. Tom Wenndt - 03 May 2006 16:50 GMT

Finally got some help and replaced the left front hub/bearing assembly.

While the unit is expensive (I paid over $100 for it, and through a repair
shop it would have been much higher), unlike a simple bearing, which is a
difficult and tedious job taking a good number of special tools, this was
fairly straight-forward - mostly nuts and bolts requiring the right sockets
and tools (u-joints, narrow extenders, etc.).

Big thanks to Haynes for their fairly inexpensive repair manual, which gave
us the last piece of the puzzle we needed. Everyone should have one for
their car.

Tom Wenndt

>I have had this Alero for two years now. Lately, it has started giving me
>a rumble. Slowly but surely, it is getting louder.
[quoted text clipped - 12 lines]
>
> Tom Wenndt

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Chris M - 13 May 2006 06:02 GMT

Where did you get the manual and what is the number of it? I've been looking
for 1 for a while and haven't found one yet.

thanks,
Chris

> Finally got some help and replaced the left front hub/bearing assembly.
>
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>>
>> Tom Wenndt

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Rev. Tom Wenndt - 13 May 2006 16:05 GMT

Haynes manuals are available in most of the larger auto parts stores. I got
mine at Advance Auto parts. It was about $15, on sale. But even my local
Farm-n-Fleet has them.

For a long time, the manual only did the Alero through 2000. Not that long
ago, they updated it so that all the cars and engines built on that platform
(Chevrolet Malibu, later called Classic - NOT the redesigned one),
Oldsmobile Cutlass, a sister of the Malibu made from '97 to '99, all Alero's
and Pontiac Grand Am from '97 to 2004 are included.

I believe I have now seen such a manual for every Oldsmobile made.

For more information, check out this website:

http://www.haynes.com/na.html

Hope this helps.

Tom Wenndt

> Where did you get the manual and what is the number of it? I've been
> looking for 1 for a while and haven't found one yet.
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>>>
>>> Tom Wenndt

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