How to Tell If the Hub Bearing Is Bad on a 2003 Windstar?

Ford released its first front-wheel-drive minivan -- the Windstar -- in the 1995 model year. Prior to its release, the only minivan Ford offered was the rear-driven Aerostar. The 2003 model year marked the final year for the Windstar name, as Ford redesigned its minivan the following year and renamed it the Freestar. The front wheels on the Windstar, as with all vehicles, have bearings to help them rotate smoothly. When the bearings start to fail, drivers can easily confuse the symptoms with failure of other components. There are two ways to be nearly certain it's the wheel bearings that have failed, and one way to be completely certain that the problem is indeed caused by wheel bearing failure.

Hub Bearing's Function

All automobiles require a bearing or set of bearings on each wheel, allowing the wheels to rotate without friction. Being a front-wheel-drive vehicle, the 2003 Windstar does not have independent wheel bearings. Instead, it has a hub bearing assembly, which includes the hub, lug studs and wheel bearing. On vehicles with independent inner and outer bearings, you can replace the bearings themselves; on the Windstar, though, you must replace the entire hub assembly if the bearing fails.

Signs and Symptoms of a Failed Hub Bearing

Before you attempt to diagnose the problems of your 2003 Windstar, you need to understand what the symptoms of a failed hub bearing are. The most common symptom of a failed hub bearing is a grinding or rubbing noise from the front end that increases and decreases with the Windstar's speed. The second, but less common symptom is a light vibration in the steering wheel that increases and decreases with speed. This vibration is not to be confused with tire vibration, which goes away at certain speeds.

Shake Test

One of the tests to find out if the 2003 Windstar's hub bearing has failed is the shake test. This involves raising the front of the vehicle, grabbing the front wheel at the 3 o'clock and 9 o'clock positions and shaking the wheel back and forth. Move your hands to the 12 o'clock and 6 o'clock positions and shake the wheel up and down. If the wheel shakes in both directions, you have a failed hub bearing. Shaking in just one direction indicates a steering or suspension component has failed -- not the hub bearing.

Sway Test

An easier, yet not quite a reliable test, is the sway test. The grinding or squealing noise created by a bad hub bearing can be strikingly similar to other component failure. To get a more accurate diagnosis, drive your 2003 Windstar to a low-traffic road and accelerate to 10 to 15 mph. While driving, turn the steering wheel side-to-side, causing the van to move back-and-forth across the road. If the noise increases when moving in one direction, it is likely that the noise comes from the wheel bearing.

Sure-Fire Diagnosis

The only way to be 100 percent certain if the 2003 Windstar's hub bearing is bad is to remove the hub assembly and check it. To check the hub bearing for failure, first spin the hub assembly in your hands -- in the way the wheel would spin -- and feel for grinding, which indicates that the hub bearing is bad. The next check requires you to hold the rear part of the hub assembly steady, and shake the wheel side of the hub assembly back-and-forth. If the wheel side shakes even in the slightest amount, you need to replace the hub assembly.