Catastrophic Bearing Failure

[Old_Spirit]

Has anyone experienced catastrophic bearing failure? That is, bearing failure that destroys the bearing without warning. The first evidence that something is wrong a gunshot-like noise and ear piercing squeal.

[wa8yxm]

Only once, on a bicycle, the symptom was head over handlebars as the bike flipped forward.. OUCH.. Thankfully I was much younger then.

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[gbopp]

path1 wrote:
I think heat would be first siugn.

I agree but, I don't check my bearings for heat very often. I had a wheel bearing go out on my car years ago. The first indicator that something was wrong was a rumbling sound.
The OP didn't specify the type of bearings?

[path1]

I think heat would be first sign.

[77rollalong]

standard tapered roller bearing i have seen very seldom fail, but I have seen a few so i know it does happen, most time it has messed up the spindle, but have replaced 100's of hub asmb. over the years, and have seen quite a few of those fail completely as well on customers cars and trucks..

[SidecarFlip]

I make it a habit of feeling all my spindles for excess heat when feeling the tires for excess heat during a trip. As a rule wheel bearings don't just fail right now, they fail gradually accompanied by noise...and excess heat.

Of course making sure the preload is correct and timely service (repack and inspection) always is better than burning one up.

[ScottG]

If a wheel bearing, no, not normal.
but with our hearing going as we get older, it probably could make noise we don't notice.
Either that or a long downhill brake application melted the seals.

Or you're talking about a completely different bearing.

[rgatijnet1]

Lots of bearings. Are you talking front wheel bearing? Usually a catastrophic front wheel bearing failure also destroys the spindle.