We were surprised to hear about annoying ads in the "rockauto" iPhone app. RockAuto has no app! We focus on making our website useful and secure -- without ads -- for both desktop and mobile browsers.

We do not know why Apple promoted this fake app despite our demands to stop. They finally removed it from the App Store after a news report but might allow others to waste your time (or do evil things like steal credit cards or hijack your phone) by pretending to be someone you trust. Please protect yourself:

• Do not download a "rockauto" app from anywhere
• If you downloaded the Apple app, delete it
• The next time you need auto parts, use a web browser (Chrome, Safari, Firefox, etc.) to go directly to www.rockauto.com!

Many of us know that rabid garbage disposal sound Wheel Bearings give us when they start going bad and have heard stories about how to tell which of the four wheels it is. That sound test has never steered me wrong - until my 2012 Dodge Grand Caravan. I had purchased the mini-van from a friend and two months into ownership ... that wheel bearing sound starts to creep in. Based on previous experience, I was ABSOLUTELY 100% POS-I-TIVE it was the right rear bearing. I even had multiple people ride in the car to see what they thought and ALL agreed.

I purchased my first (foreshadowing) hub assembly from RockAuto and replaced it. The rabid garbage disposal noise was still there! It HAD to be that right side front then, right? Again, I took people for rides and all agreed it was DEFINITELY the right side. I ordered and installed the right front bearing ... and guess what ... the evil, rabid garbage disposal sound was still there.

Before putting the jack away - completely defeated, I decided to check the left rear. I had recently read that if you put your hand on the spring and rotate the wheel, you will feel grinding in the spring. I lifted the left rear, placed my hand on the spring ... said a little prayer, wiped a tear, then spun the wheel like I was on the "Price is Right". The wheel didn't even make it a quarter turn before I hurriedly ran into the house and got my wife and father to come verify. Not only could I clearly feel the grinding of the bad bearing in the spring, but you could also hear it!

Twelve days after replacing the first, I was replacing my third wheel hub assembly. The first one took 2 1/2 hours. The 3rd wheel bearing? 45 minutes! You get good at something after having to do it a few times in early March, Michigan weather ... outside.

My wife and I joked that the left front bearing felt lonely, and we should change that one as well. Apparently, the grinding sound was moving across the back of the vehicle through the sub frame. I guess that vehicle had some design input by audio engineers?

Chris in Michigan

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I just accompanied my son to a Backroad 4WD Training course in a craggy pine forest near the Columbia River on the Oregon/Washington border. My son (a Wrangler owner) and most other students wanted to learn how to best operate their recently acquired 4WD vehicles on off-road treks. The students' vehicles were a fun mixture, including everything from 20-year-old Jeeps to a new Rivian electric pickup. (The Rivian not only kept up but once used its 8,500 lb. (3,800 kg) weight to partially crush a fallen log, simplifying the path for tailing drivers!)

In addition to spare serpentine belts and radiator hoses, drivers of four wheelers with independent front suspensions were encouraged to bring spare CV axles when heading out on a trail. CV axles on cars tend to slowly wear out as the miles add up or fail more quickly if a CV joint boot tears, allowing protective grease to ooze out and water and grit to seep in. The driver will gradually hear increased clicking sounds and/or feel vibrations that indicate it is time to replace a CV axle.

Off-road, CV axles can fail suddenly and catastrophically. One common scenario is when a wheel is off the ground and spinning. The wildly spinning wheel suddenly slams into the ground, the tire gains traction and the resulting huge surge of torque tears apart the CV joint.

CV axles on lifted four wheelers may fail more often even if the vehicle never leaves the pavement. Ideally, a CV axle runs straight from the transmission or differential to a wheel hub. When a vehicle is lifted, the CV joint at the wheel hub end of the axle may be moved lower relative to the CV joint at the transmission/differential end. This means the CV joints at both ends of the axle are continuously operating closer to their limits of joint movement (articulation). This can focus more stress on portions of the CV joint bearings as well as crumple and prematurely abrade the CV joint boots. A human analogy might be someone who only walks on his heels. He can walk that way for a long time but his legs and feet will tire sooner and the heels of shoes will wear out faster.

Jeep Wranglers, 3/4 ton pickups and some other 4WD vehicles have solid front axles with simple, sturdy U-joints rather than CV joints. Solid axles may be more durable, but they also tend to be heavier and reduce suspension travel and handling. A course instructor suggested that CV joints can act as a beneficial mechanical fuse. When twisted or hit too hard, the relatively inexpensive CV joint gives out before the damage can travel upstream and destroy more expensive parts inside the differential or transmission.

A DIYer with a repair manual (found under "Literature" at RockAuto.com) and toolbox can typically replace a CV axle trailside. One instructor said it only takes him about 1 1/2 hours to replace a Toyota's CV axle when stranded deep in the wilderness.

Trackmotive GM 1/2 Ton Extreme Articulation CV Axle for Lifted Suspensions

Preventing CV axle damage still seems like the best idea. For many 4WD trucks RockAuto.com has heavy duty CV axles that have bearings better able to dissipate stress and joints with a wider arc of articulation. There may also be CV axles specialized for lifted vehicles that provide several inches of additional side to side movement or "plunge." See all the CV axles available for your specific vehicle under "Drivetrain" in the RockAuto.com catalog.

Tom Taylor,
RockAuto.com

To read more of Tom's articles, click this link and choose from story titles on the Newsletter Archives page.