Replaced front wheel hubs on Chevy Avalanche

[CoveSeeker]

Was told by 2 different shops that my front left bearing was rough and the right front bearings were loose. There was a very low volume roaring sound that went away after replacement. I suspect this repair was caused by towing/stopping my 6200 lb boat and tandem trailer because the trailer brakes have been out for months. The trailer brakes are now in working order.
I drive a 2003 Chevy Avalanche 1500, 5.3L, 2wd, 3.73 gear ratio. Milage is about 75,000 miles.

What would cause the front wheel bearings to go bad? If it was caused by towing/stopping the heavy trailer, what other mechanical problems do i need to be ready for?
Thanks,
Paul

 

[CATransplant]

Re: Replaced front wheel hubs on Chevy Avalanche

Nope, it's not the boat. GM truck wheel bearings fail at a much earlier date than most vehicles. I've never seen one last past about 100K miles. If you changed just one side, you'll be looking at doing the other soon.

 

[CATransplant]

Re: Replaced front wheel hubs on Chevy Avalanche

Also, have the ball joints on that Chevy checked out. They also tend to fail at about 100K.

 

[CoveSeeker]

Re: Replaced front wheel hubs on Chevy Avalanche

Thanks for the replies. I did replace both sides and I'll keep an eye on the ball joints. How can you tell if the ball joints are going bad?
Thanks again,
Paul

 

[CATransplant]

Re: Replaced front wheel hubs on Chevy Avalanche

Thanks for the replies. I did replace both sides and I'll keep an eye on the ball joints. How can you tell if the ball joints are going bad?
Thanks again,
Paul

It's not easy for the owner to check ball joints. Next time you have the truck serviced, have the shop check them for you. You'd think they'd check them when they replaced the wheel bearings, since the ball joints were staring them in the face when the hub was off, but they may not have done that.

My local GMC dealer didn't check my ball joints when they replace the wheel bearings, and I had one fail about a month later. Trust me...you don't want a failed ball joint while you're moving...it's a very dramatic thing.

After I yelled at the service manager at that dealer for not checking them when they had the hubs and brake disk off, he allowed as how they should have, and didn't charge me for the labor of the repair.

At 75K miles, I'd get the ball joints checked wherever you have your vehicle serviced. It won't cost much, and it's a safety issue.