Guess what's wrong

[BMS]

I have a problem. I have very little idea what it is. I think that some of you may be able to help me.

First, let me tell you what it is;
1) It is a popping noise when turning tightly, like a bad axle. Only when power is being applied.
2) It is a rumbling sound, like the entire wheel is loose when driving over rough terrain, no matter the speed.
3) It has been present since just after I bought the car in September of 2002, gradually growing worse.
4) It is more present in the passenger side, although the driver side is starting to show the same symptoms.

Now, let me tell you what it is not;
1) It is not a tie-rod end.
2) It is not an axle.
3) It is not a ball joint.

What the hell is wrong? $10 Monopoly money to whoever can guess.

[NXRacer]

its your wheel bearings. get em fixed soon before your wheel catches on fire........

also i had a problem similar to that and i was gonna check my bearings and i found that 3 out of 4 lug nuts were almost completely loose........

[BMS]

That's not really the answer that I was looking for. I hate that I love my car. Were it anything other than my 3g, it would have been scrapped months ago.

So, how do I fix it and how much will it cost? Yeah yeah yeah, How To and Shop Manual. But I'm lazy, so I ask here first.

[pimp86LX]

i would guess it would be 2 hours work...so at a shop mabe $150-250CAD for parts n' labour. If i recall correctly wheel bearings for my 3g lude were about $75 and it took about an hour and 45min to do.

[soljaboy2000]

wheel catch on fire?????? true???
how>???

[BMS]

I think that I'll try it myself. With having done 4 ball joints only a few weeks ago, I am hurting in the bank area. Can't afford anyhting other than elbow grease. And it's fun to do anyway.

Are there any tricks that you think I should know about, or does the manual tell me all that I need to know?

[k-roy]

wheel catch on fire?????? true???
how>???
Its rare but it happens. Friction causes heat. if it is excessive enough the rubber, greese or dirt can can catch on fire. Not really flaming, more of a smoldering. If you want to see what I mean try going 0-100 back to 0 really hard about a dozen times.

[danronian]

If you have ever whitnessed a caliper freeze and smoke a rotor you would understand. A while ago my parents had an 88 cutlass that would have a seized caliper every three months (only the front wheels though), what a pain (it was a design flaw or something and many gm cars from that era have the same problem). It was so bad that we kept water in the car in case the thing actually did catch on fire, it never did though, just smoked and smelled really bad.

[k-roy]

Try having a caliper seize at 100mph, it is a lot of fun.