Grinding Noise Help Please

[dodgy99uk]

I have just bought a ZX 1.4 on a K Plate.

 

It has developed a bad Grinding noise from front end of car i think it is from the nearside front wheel i jacked it uband i can wobble wheel some one told me that it could be the bearing on the hub.

 

can any one help me please

 

CHEERS MATEY'S

[Guest Colin Hunter]

I have just bought a ZX 1.4 on a K Plate.

 

It has developed a bad Grinding noise from front end of car i think it is from the nearside front wheel i jacked it uband i can wobble wheel some one told me that it could be the bearing on the hub.

 

can any one help me please

 

CHEERS MATEY'S

 

 

It sounds very much like a wheel bearing. It's not all that difficult to change if you have access to a Hydraulic press. (friendly local garage/ Engineering workshop) With the car on the ground slacken the drive shaft nut and the wheel nuts. Jack up (AND SUPPORT) the car and take off the wheel. Remove the brake caliper & hang it off the spring or something so you don't strain the hose or the sensor wires (If they still exist!).Take off the brake disc by removing the two countersunk screws if they are still there. Undo the Track rod end and remove it from the swivel hub. Undo the lower ball joint nut and remove the joint from the swivel hub. Unscrew the hub nut and pull the drive shaft back through the hub.Be careful not to pull the shaft out of the gearbox! The Strut is held onto the swivel hub by a clamping bolt round the bottom of the strut. It is sometimes difficult to get the strut out of the hub with the assembly in place, so remove the whole thing, strut & hub in one piece from the car by removing the 3 nuts holding the strut top into the inner wing. The strut can then be removed from the hub or left in place if it's not too awkward. If you now take the hub to a garage/workshop they will press out and refit your new bearing. Re-assemble in reverse order and there you go! Be sure to tighten the nuts/bolts to the required torques. Cheers, Hope this helps.

[dodgy99uk]

Cheers for reply

 

Only problem i ave got is why is it so difficult to remove centre nut also i have got a bloody socket stuck on it :) how do iget the socket off and will heat help me on the with the nut i have got a blowlamp ? Also is this a good car ?

 

cheers again

[Guest Colin Hunter]

Cheers for reply

 

Only problem i ave got is why is it so difficult to remove centre nut also i have got a bloody socket stuck on it :) how do iget the socket off and will heat help me on the with the nut i have got a blowlamp ? Also is this a good car ?

 

cheers again

 

 

They are usually quite hard to "Crack" off. A 1/2" socket set and bar may not be man enough even if you have a socket big enough. You really need to get (Borrow) a 3/4" drive set with a decently long lever to make it "Break" the initial "stiction" ( A cross between sticky and friction) Heat won't really help much unless there are visible signs of (quite heavy) corrosion around the nut and thread. A blowlamp will heat both nut and thread at the same time whereas an oxy acetylene torch can give a much more localized heat to the nut only. You will be able to free the socket by trying to tighten the nut again and tapping it from side to side with a hammer.

 

The ZX is basically the same car as a Pug 306 and they are well enough thought of. There is nothing awfully wrong with the ZX as such, just neglect and bodges by previous owners that can afflict any car. I find my sons ZX (1996 1.4i Elation with 111,000 miles) to be sound structurally and over the past 2 years ( I bought it at 97,000 as a non-runner to teach him to drive in) have managed to repair most of the small silly things that were wrong with it quite cheaply. I find it relatively easy to work on and parts are cheap enough, also it's a very pleasant car to drive with few vices. Later ones are (Almost) fully galvanized so rust isn't much of a problem. My personal thoughts are that I would much sooner have a ZX than an Astra or Escort of the same age. They ARE CRAP! Cheers. hope this helps. Sorry if I sent you on a hiding to nothing!