OK to drive with bad bearing?

[peytonrm]

My rear wheel is making noise and has the "not bolted on well" feeling when I wiggle it, so I'm pretty sure the bearing is bad.

Will it be safe, and not damage other parts, if I drive it until the weekend? It has been making noise for a little over two weeks now.

Any input is appreciated.

[norcalbmw]

if its the bearing it may damage the wheel hub

[fun2drive]

Usually your rear wheel bearing will gradually fail. If it is lose as you say then it had been bad for a long time. You can usually drive for months with a bad wheel bearing but if yours is indeed lose and most bad BMW wheel bearing are not, then you may have already destroyed or damaged the rear spindle. I just replaced one making noise and it was still tight. When pulling the spindle the bearing race came with it and a torch and Dremel were required to separate the race from the spindle. If it is as far gone as you mention then you may need to replace the spindle but it you damaged the trailing arm then you have a huge job to do.
Replacing the rear bearing is a bear of a job even with the wheel bearing tool.
I hope this helps some.
I would not drive the car if it was lose as it may have significant damage...

[peytonrm]

Usually your rear wheel bearing will gradually fail. If it is lose as you say then it had been bad for a long time. You can usually drive for months with a bad wheel bearing but if yours is indeed lose and most bad BMW wheel bearing are not, then you may have already destroyed or damaged the rear spindle. I just replaced one making noise and it was still tight. When pulling the spindle the bearing race came with it and a torch and Dremel were required to separate the race from the spindle. If it is as far gone as you mention then you may need to replace the spindle but it you damaged the trailing arm then you have a huge job to do.
Replacing the rear bearing is a bear of a job even with the wheel bearing tool.
I hope this helps some.
I would not drive the car if it was lose as it may have significant damage...

It's not like it flops all over the place (I would say maybe a quarter inch backward to forward play) and you can only wiggle it when it's jacked up. Also, the noise can barely be heard with the radio on and goes away completely at speed.

Do you still think it could be that bad?

[choffa]

Don't drive it anywhere but a repair shop. A bearing that has worn to the point of audible noise & internal clearance is at the point of catastrophic failure. The sliding & grinding balls will generate tremendous heat, enough to weld the bearing race to the hub and/or the control arm. If the bearing siezes it will lock the wheel & risk a spin out.

CJH

[Rich V]

Don't drive it anywhere but a repair shop. A bearing that has worn to the point of audible noise & internal clearance is at the point of catastrophic failure. The sliding & grinding balls will generate tremendous heat, enough to weld the bearing race to the hub and/or the control arm. If the bearing siezes it will lock the wheel & risk a spin out.

CJH

Not only that, you can actually have the bearing fly apart taking the rotor, wheel, and everything in its path apart with it. SERIOUS DAMAGE!