Thursday, November 28, 2013
What Is an Automotive Wheel Hub
Cars have a lot of small, but vital parts that make movement possible. Wheel hubs may not get the attention of a good paint job or the appeal of a whopping turbo, but nothing else on the car would matter much without them.
Location
The wheel hub, formerly known as the wheel hub assembly, is composed primarily of one or more wheel bearings and a housing to contain them. The exact configuration varies according to the application, but most have an inner and outer wheel bearing. The wheels axle fits between these bearings. If the hub is on a driven wheel, the axle passes through and connects to the wheel; if placed on an un-driven wheel, the axle is just a stub between six and 12 inches long, and terminates behind the hub.
Failure
Hubs generally fail either at the inner or outer wheel bearing. One way of checking the hub is to jack the car up so that the wheel dangles off the ground, then to attempt to rock the wheel side-to-side. If it moves independently of the spindle (the steering knuckle), then the hub bearings are shot. Less severe failures will typically manifest as a grumbling vibration that gets worse when the car enters a fast curve.
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