A while back I posted a complaint about my engine cutting in and out in any gear at around 3,100 rpm. Lately the range of the cut out occured between 3,000 and 4,000 rpm. This phenomenon was very noticeable in 6th gear and less so as the gearing drop numerically. I've also been complaining about a disconnected, wandering feel in the mini's front end.

The cutting out was never aided by an engine code which left all very puzzled...

I replaced the passenger side bearing over the weekend since it was about 15,000ths out - despite being a year old.

The bearing replacement has thus far cured all of these things. I'm very puzzled by the cutting out - a description which requires renaming. A definate loss of forward motion like a switch was being turned on and off that allowed power to be transmitted to the wheel in a pulse like fashion, that was the feeling. Very very odd since there was never any freeplay detected by nromal means - my hands at 12:00 and 6:00 or 3:00 and 9:00. At 80mph, if you were following me too closely, you would have like run into my back end.

Weird stuff!!!

 

Sounds like the abs sensor was detecting wheelspin and the traction control was kicking in. Maybe the sensor was a bit out and when the bearing was replaced it was put back in .......?

 

Very intersting! Never ever gave that one a thought

 

How do you measure that?

 

A dial indicator. But also, the bearing was humming like a mother when the wheel went left.

I still have a little lossnes in the front end, but now the bearing repair has isolated that...to the inner tie rod. This bearing problem also caused the car to wander a lot and in general made any canyon type drive a white knuckled event.

 

Should the wheel bearings last the life of the car or is there a set replacement interval?

 

Well, I hit a pothole last year hard enough to bend a forged BBS wheel. So I replaced the bearing for peace of mind. Then, I had a wild off at Lime Rock a few months later that tore the tire off the wheel on the same corner. So I think that had something to do with the bearing failing. Twas a scary moment.

The hisitation or cutting out is back with a vengence, so it's not related

 

What is your car's milage? Maybe the stealership could give you an idea. At least get a quote on what they think is up. Then run to your favorite independant mechanic.

 

While there is no set replacement interval (too many driving condition variables to consider), wheel bearings are considered wear items.

 

106,000 miles. The dealer has no clue about the cutting out, no engine codes. The OBD 1 and OBD 2 diagnostics have made mechanics lazy; they no longer use their brains to piece problems together. If the computer says there ain't no problem, then there ain't no problem.