rubbing noise when driving

2002 MAZDA 626
176,000 MILES
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JASONSPIERS
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My has been wearing excessively on the inside. how can i tell if this is a bearing problem, a ball joint problem, or an alignment issue? there is some rubbing noise when driving and often a squealing while decelerating. What could be causing this?
Even excessive wear on the inside of tires, until tire is ripped open. Play in steering wheel, at about 2 oclock to go straight!
Nov 17, 2011 at 3:35 PM
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DRCRANKNWRENCH
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If there is a wheel bearing problem, there is generally noise that comes with it that gets louder going around turns.
The fact that the tires are worn on the inside indicates that the front end is mis-aligned. It at least has far too much "Negative Camber" which is why the tires are getting torn up. It probably is also suffering from a, "Toe" alignment problem. When the Toe adjustment is off the car tends to wander around on the road and will wear the tires out quickly. This will also affect the, "Total Toe" of the suspension and make the, Steer Ahead" of the car cause the steering wheel to have to be turned off of the 12 O'Clock or straight ahead angle and turned to make the car tract straight.
When you get an alignment all suspension components that are bent or loose will be easily identified. This is because they will have play in them and/or the suspension will not line up and the Tech will know the components that are worn out and will not come in to adjustment far enough to align the car.
Nov 17, 2011 at 4:02 PM