re: GTV-6 quirk update

[dsedon@domain.elided]

hi joe,

replace that wheel bearing *PRONTO*.  w/aa quarter million miles combined, on my gtwe6 & werdes over the past 10 years, i thought i was good at knowing when the wheel bearings were going away.  well, yust recently, i had an intermittent noise from the drivers'-side front of my gtwe6.   nothing even remotely like any wheel-bearing-going-south noise i'd ever heard before.  a few weekends ago, i checked the wheel bearings & the front end (dint even suspect the brake disc), & everyting checked out ok.  the wheel bearing *was* a tiny bit loose, but i was able to tighten it. (i know the proper procedure to do this - keep the wheel spinning whilst tightening, then back it off a bit, after it starts to feel snug.)   the grease seemed ok - no burnt smell or anyting...  when done, the wheel spun easily, w/that tiny bit-o-play now gone.  actually, only needed a tightening of the next hole on the castellated nut.  

the following tuesday, i made a mental note to yust go ahead & replace the bearings on that side the upcoming weekend, when i heard the noise re-appear again.  well, i dint make it - on thursday morning, yust after getting on the interstate close to my work, i heard a really bad clunk, & the steering got real squirrely.   fortunately, i was yust a couple hundred yards from the next exit, & couple miles from my trusty alfa mechanic.  i nursed it over to his shop; by the time i got there, the brakes had gone all mushy from the overheating on that disc.  as i backed it into the slightly downhill parking spot, i lifted off the brakes to coast into place, but the car wouldn't roll backwards.   yikes!  the mechanic was nice enuff to gimme a ride to the metro, where i subway'd to work.  (i was too late for the train, which stops a couple hundred yards from his shop - wery conwenient for *planned* services!)   ;~)  when i called him later that morning, he said someone musta been over watching me, cuz the axle had sheared in half.   he was amazed i dint lose the wheel.  

bottom line?  replace the wheel bearing before driving it again!!!  

doug s., wery lucky...
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Subject: GTV-6 quirk update

Digesti,

1- Thanks for all the replies, on- and off-digest. I wish I had time to
answer all of you personally.
2- The driver's side power window quirk seemingly has "healed." I cannot
replicate the glitch. Oh, sure, it's probably waiting for a rainy day, but
there you go.
3- The noise-from-the-driver's-side-front wheel:
a- While it takes some "warming up" to produce the noise, once the noise
begins it sometimes goes away, and sometimes comes back. It goes all
intermittent, if you see what I mean.
b- There seem to be two main schools of thought on this.
  i) It's a VERRRY slightly warped rotor, but don't be surprised if it's
the wheel bearing
  ii) It's the wheel bearing, but don't be surprised if it's a VERRRY
slightly warped rotor
c- I have not had any rainy conditions in which to drive the car.
d- It does not SEEM to be getting louder
e- It SEEMS to go away (or get obscured) by ~25-30mph (~40-48kph?)

More updates as they ensue.

- -Joe in reasonably sunny SoFla
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