Is it dangerous to drive with a bad wheel bearing?
A wheel bearing goes through several stages as it fails. First, you may hear a clicking while making turns. After that you may hear and feel a pulsing in the car, or a clicking while driving at low speeds. At this point, you MUST replace the bearing. It is extremely dangerous and you are putting your life at risk.A wheel bearing failure at high speed is one of the most fatal ways for a car to fail, so do not drive at high speeds until you can get the bearing repaired. On most cars, it will require a press or other specialty tools, so I would suggest taking your vehicle to a shop so that it is installed correctly. If you are familiar with the construction, function, and assembly of the bearing and axle it can be done at home.
Nissan Altima makes humming noise when driving it?
My 2008 Altima has been making a humming noise when I drive it. The sound slowly quiets down when I press the brakes and totally disappears when I am at a complete stop. The low tire indicator light is not on, so I am guessing my tire pressure is good. What could it be?
Why is my car making a clicking noise?
Heating and Air ConditioningA car's climate control systems include components that can can produce a clicking noise if they fail or require service. One of these components, the heater plenum, contains devices called blend doors that control the mix of cool air to warm air as the user switches the controls from one climate setting to another. These blend doors run on an electric actuator that can produce clicking noises when it fails. The air conditioner compressor may also make a soft clicking noise if its refrigerant supply has run low.Belts, Joints and SupportsMany of the support systems on a car can cause a clicking noise if they malfunction or wear out. Struts and shock absorbers include hydraulic dampening valves that will click or rattle if they lose their internal oil pressure. Worn CV (constant velocity) joints on the front axle can also make clicking or popping noises, Damaged CV joints make a pronounced clicking noise when accelerating or making sharp turns. Additionally, a loose serpentine belt can cause a clicking sound. Replacing the belt's tensioner can alleviate the problem.ElectricalLow voltage from the car's battery can lead to rapid clicking or ticking noises when the driver tries to start the car. As a battery ages it may lose its ability to deliver a consistent 12 volts of electricity to the starter. In this case, when the driver turns the ignition key, the starter turns itself on and off rapidly, resulting in a rapid succession of clicking sounds. The driver may have to replace either the battery or the alternator that supplies electrical charges to the battery.In short there are many reasons it could be doing that .Today's cars have complex systems with many components, many of which can cause a clicking, tapping or rattling noise when they start to fail. Drivers experiencing this unusual sound may have to let a mechanic examine the ignition, climate control, electrical, exhaust or other systems to track down the cause of the problem. Some clicking noises signal a simple replacement part, while others may warn of imminent engine failure.However I don't think anyone will be able to help you here without knowing a bit more information. Please tell us the vehicle in question . Make model year ? Also when does this clicking noise take place? Thank you and Good luck.
What are some symptoms of too much transmission fluid?
Excess transmission fluid will cause foaming in any transmission. Foam does not flow like oil, reducing cooling and lubrication. It also implodes on compression between gears or in the hydraulics of automatic transmissions, causing severe damage (pitting).In an automatic transmission, you will have higher temperatures and poor shifting, as it depends on solid hydraulic pressure, not spongy foam to move the clutches and bands.Automatic transmissions with dip sticks should be measured with the engine running, and consider the operating temperature. Note here how the heat affects the measurement. It should not be filled to the top when cold, or checked not running.If it does not have a dipstick, it is measured with the plugs on the side, depending on specific instructions per brand of car.Manual transmissions normally don't have dipsticks (some do). They are checked from a plug on the side of the transmission, and the level should normally be at the level of the plug, not above.
Can a car alarm going off drain your battery?
Yes. If the alarm keeps ringing and doesn't reset itself or is ignored by the owner and left running for hours it will eventually drain the battery. The alarms that flash lights in addition to making noise would draw more power and have more of an effect on the battery.I've seen parked cars with motion sensors based alarms triggered by vibrations when a large vehicle goes past it. If your battery was weak, having an overly sensitive alarm triggering repeatedly would probably finish it off.The alarm in a non triggered state shouldn't draw much power. But if the car is left unused for extended periods, get a battery minder to keep the battery charged. The most common automotive battery are the wet cells (flooded batteries). Some self discharge at a rate of 30% per month.
What causes a car to lose power while driving?
In modern cars with engine management systems, it is the system itself that reduces power if it detects a problem with the engine. A warning light will come and and the engine will go into 'limp home' mode, where speed it usually limited to 80km/h or lower. Any number of things can cause this, but usually it relates to loss of something important, like a coolant leak, or low oil pressure. Sometimes it can also be a false positive due to a fault in the management system itself.All internal combustion engines require three things to work; compression, fuel and ignition. Degradation of any one of theses will result in lower engine performance.Loss of compression can result from engine wear, common in engines with several hundred thousand kilometers on the clock. Engine efficiency is lost because gasses can escape past the piston rings. Mechanical failure such as a blown head gasket can cause a similar loss.Blockages or degradation of the fuel supply, such as a worn fuel pump will cause loss of power for obvious reasons.Ignition faults stem from things such as a cracked distributor head, worn spark plugs, worn ignition coil or faulty spark plug leads. They generally result in some cylinders not igniting the fuel/air mix, thus reducing the power.Loss of lubricant or coolant will cause the engine to overheat and then seize. In this case, loss of power is 100%.Worn bearings in the engine will usually not reduce power much, they will keep working, making more and more noise, and then fail catastrophically, causing the engine to seize.It is also possible for timing chains to slip, adjustment screws to loosen in the carburetor, exhaust manifolds to develop leaks , and other minor mechanical faults to occur that will reduce engine power. This can happen suddenly or gradually over time.
How far can I drive with a bad wheel bearing?
Main thing is - get it fixed PDQ (pretty darn quick). Driving with a bad wheel bearing can cause the axle/hub/spindle to weld itself from friction and heat causing the wheel to lock up and spin you out. More likely, the metal will wear away from the friction and the wheel/hub will become loose. If the affected wheel has a disc brake, the brake caliper and rotor might hold the wheel onto the axle for a while, but will eventually fail too.I drove a car I had just bought in a different state about 2,000 miles (3,200 Km) to get back home. The front wheel bearings were whining the whole time, but the wheels were still fairly tight (negligible play). One of the first things I ordered upon arriving home was a new set of wheel bearings.If you jack up the vehicle and there is any play (i.e.: slackness or wiggle) in the affected wheel(s), don't drive the vehicle because you might just get overtaken by your own wheel (no longer attached to & supporting the vehicle) while driving down the road. Any play in the wheel could also be caused by worn suspension and/or steering components which should also be replaced PDQ (and a wheel alignment done post repair). Again, this could cause a wheel to come out from under the vehicle and/or point in a different direction and cause you to have a wreck.Get it fixed posthaste.<><
How can I tell if I have a bad CV joint?
Grease coming out of a small crack or tear is the early sign of the CV joint boot failing. If the damage is bigger, you might see dark grease splattered on the inside of the wheel rim and around the area inside of the drive wheel like in the photo.If a car is continued to be driven with a damaged CV joint boot, the CV joint will wear out and eventually fail. A most common symptom of a badly-worn outer CV joint is a clicking or popping noise when turning. Usually the noise gets louder when accelerating in turns. In worst cases, a badly-worn outer CV joint can even disintegrate while driving. This will make your car undriveable.Inner CV joints failures are rare. One of the symptoms of a failed inner CV joint is shudder or side-to-side shake during acceleration. A worn-out inner CV joint may also cause clunking when shifting from Drive to Reverse.