Hello,

2004 Sunfire se 2 door coupe. 112,000 kms.

I'm getting a grinding (rough) feeling while driving which appears to be coming from the front of the car.
My buddy who works at GM in Oshawa says it's the front wheel bearings which is a common wear item.
Is 112,000 kms a time when the bearings should be replaced?

Struts, front brakes, stabilizer link bolts and alignment done several months back with no problems.
All of my cv boots are fine.
Engine and tranny oil levels are fine.
No fluid or oil leaks.
Engine revs with no vibration.

It almost feels like a slight pulsating/grinding in the drivetrain area. Increases at higher speeds. Anybody else experience this?

Thanks in advance for posts.

Walt

To me that sounds exactly like a wheel bearing to me.

I replaced mine a couple months ago, and it had the same symptoms.

The way I figured out what side it was, was grabbing a friend, jacking the car up, and get your friend to hold one of the tires while you engage the clutch in like second gear.
One tire wont move but the other will. Listen for the sound. Then swap over do vice versa.

Hey Andrew,

Thanks for your post.
My buddy mentioned the same thing.
I'll check it out.

Thanks,

Walt

It's almost certainly a wheel bearing. When mine went, I thought it sounded a bit like a jet engine and the pitch increased with speed. I wrote a post about how to diagnose and replace a front wheel-bearing. It includes links to some very helpful YouTube videos. Maybe it will help...
http://www.j-body.org/forums/read.php?f=11&i=166271&t=166271#166271