Greetings. So I own a 96 van den plas/x300. IIlove the car but currently the car does not seem to love me so much. This issue started with a bad rear driver side wheel bearing, so I got that replaced. Then not too long after that the rear axle nut was coming loose, so I got that tightened back up. The nut kept coming loose(tire moving, loud grinding sounds) so kept getting it tightened, eventually got a new nut and got that put on in addition to the other nut. So it now has two nuts on the rear axle driver side. Fine for a week and started squeaking, and lateral movement, took it in and it was the wheel bearing again. So got that replaced again(fortunately under warranty). So I am driving home today(three weeks after new bearing) and I hear a squeaking noise, turns into a clacking type sound, and then almost a grinding sound. I make it home and get out of the car and there is a little bit of smoke coming from rear tire area. I take the center emblem off the hubcap and touch the rear axle nut and it burns the crap out of my finger. So this is where I am right now. Does anybody have any advice? If this is the wheel bearing again, what could cause my car to go through wheel bearings like this? As much as I love taking the car to the shop, I would rather not have to get a new wheel bearing every month...oh and also on the drive home today the abs light came on and traction control light came on. Any help would be fantastic. Thanks in advance!

 

Offhand it does indeed sound like another wheel bearing failure. If that's the case then I suspect incorrect assembly (putting the spacer in backwards type of thing) or the *bearing clearances* are not being checked and adjusted.

Cheers
DD

 

Hi batman9731,

The rear axle nuts have a helical insert that deforms upon tightening. Amelock is one brand name:

AMELOCK self-locking nut

Even though the manufacturer states that the nuts can be assembled/disassembled several times, all the Jaguar service manuals insist that the nuts may only be used once, probably because in the rear axle application the nuts are torqued to +/- 230 foot-pounds and the deforming insert really deforms. Yours is at least the third account I know of in which a re-used nut has come loose. I would suspect the loosened nut allowed too much movement and quickly ruined the new bearing.

The ABS & Traction Control warning lamps may be related to the ABS wheel speed sensor at the rear wheel where the bearing was replaced. Perhaps the sensor harness was stressed or damaged when the bearing was replaced. I doubt the hub could get hot enough to damage the sensor, but I suppose that's a remote possibility. In case you're interested, below are links to photos documenting the replacement of the rear wheel bearings on our '93, which is essentially identical to your '96:

http://www.jag-lovers.org/snaps/snap...?id=1362109468
http://www.jag-lovers.org/snaps/snap...?id=1362029048
http://www.jag-lovers.org/snaps/snap...?id=1362000939
http://www.jag-lovers.org/snaps/snap...?id=1361997579

Please keep us informed.

Cheers,

Don

 

Sorry for the hiatus. Just figured I would give an update. Thanks for the replies! So I have a little but more information. When I drove it initially and saw the smoke I could not pinpoint where the smoke was coming from. drove it a few miles today(probably should not have but whatever) and got the grinding noise, slight wobble in the tire, and light smoke when I stopped. I took a bottle of water and doused through the wheel and when the water hit the rotor steam was produced, and heard quite the sizzling noise. So the rotor is getting super hot. so are we still thinking wheel bearing with this or are we now looking at the brakes? any further guidance is greatly appreciated. I will be taking it to the shop on thursday(so I can pay for it friday...payday). I wont be driving it again til then and fortunately do not have far to go from where it is right now to the shop. Thanks again for input!
~Mark

 

Hi Mark,

Any decent mechanic should be able to easily determine whether the problem is with the wheel bearing or something else, such as a binding brake caliper.

If you want to do a preliminary check (with all the parts cool): chock the front wheels and raise up the appropriate corner with a jack. Grasp the tire with one hand at 12:00 o'clock and the other at 6:00 o'clock. Push/pull with each hand to check for any wheel movement. Don't mistake tire deflection for movement in the wheel. Repeat with your hands at 3:00 o'clock and 9:00 o'clock. If you detect any movement in the wheel at all, there is a problem with the wheel bearing.

You can check for binding in the brake caliper by carefully putting the gear shift lever into Neutral (you may need to apply the brake and temporarily start the engine to move the gear lever - shut off the engine as soon as the gear lever is in Neutral). Spin the rear wheel to check for any undue resistance from the brake pads.

If your wheel bearing is so bad that it's smoking, the bearing seats on the axle and in the hub may be damaged, so you'll need to have every part carefully inspected.

Please keep us informed.

Cheers,

Don