What feels like a bad wheel hub bearing, but dealership says no...

[peppelepugh]

Hows it going everyone! Ive been fighting my SHO recently and figured I should reach out to the smartest guys I know for some opinions... because the dealership is useless.  It feels like the right front wheel hub assembly is going out.  I hear a lot of road noise that i can feel through the gas pedal. Left turns make a good amount of noise, ect.  But everything is tight and i don't feel any knocking when i swerve left and right....

Back story:
Brakes were going out, hearing some right front noise, so i replaced the brakes. (EBC Premium Rotors with Red Stuff pads)
Brakes replaces, not much help on noise, didn't expect it to. Noticed the passenger side inside pad was warn on an angle.
Discovered a knock when turning the wheel past center.
Took to dealership and they replaced the sway bar (passenger side)
I asked about the grinding noise i was feeling. They said the bearing was fine and OEM brakes would fix it and if it didn't they would look further...
I get home, knocking noise still there, researched it was a bad strut mount assembly. so I replaced the strut mount by myself...
Drove it around the block, didn't feel too bad in regards to road noise/grinding noise or feel
5 days later... i'm feeling that grinding and hearing noise a LOT more that before. As i stated, i gets a lot louder when i turn left.

I'm sort of pulling out my hair, tonight I plan on jacking it back up and spinning the wheel to see what i can hear or feel. Because it feels tight, no wheel wobbling. But the amount of noise i hear and can grinding i can feel in the pedal... is not right. Brakes feel fine, car stops as it should.

I checked the brake pads/discs this morning and nothing is pitted or messed on on the rotor. I've heard ford has issues with their calipers locking up after so long... but never experienced it personally.

Thanks in advance everyone!!!!

[SHOdded]

Grinding is likely to be RWB, as you suspect, or axle.  Both have gone out in SHOs before.  Interestingly, this is an issue on the bearings regardless of whether the trans is 6f50 or 6f55.  I would do both if the bearing is confirmed.   SKF if available,  otherwise Timken, then Motorcraft.

You are sure the struts are not leaking?  Also check the tie rods, another common failure that can knock.  Check balljoint play as well.

Pads wearing at an angle?  Odd unless the piston is not seated in the bore correctly or there is a foreign onject forcing the pad at that angle.  Defective pads do happen.

[pmezo33]

A bad wheel bearing on it's way out isn't going to make a grinding noise.  It sounds more like a low growl.  Similar to the noise you'd hear if you had very low air in your tires. 

I'll throw out the obvious since your brakes were recently worked on.  The heat shield isn't rubbing on the rotor, right?  That would make a grinding/scraping noise.

Assuming it's not, this sounds more axle/cv joint related to me.  Could also be a stuck caliper or caliper pin and your brake pad rubbing.  Especially since you said your brakes were wearing unevenly.

First thing i'd do is pull those brakes again and see how they're wearing.  Check to see if there's any signs of them overheating and cracking.

[peppelepugh]

Yeah it really boggles my mind.  As long as it doesn't rain this afternoon, brakes are coming off for sure.  I was considering the CV joint/axle as well.  Anything i should look for/feel for on the CV joint? I planned on just giving it a good jiggle and twist to see if there is any play/knocking.

[pmezo33]

Yeah it really boggles my mind.  As long as it doesn't rain this afternoon, brakes are coming off for sure.  I was considering the CV joint/axle as well.  Anything i should look for/feel for on the CV joint? I planned on just giving it a good jiggle and twist to see if there is any play/knocking.

Grab it with the wheel off and check for play.  A little play is ok, but should be anything too noticeable.  Check both in and out / up and down.  Also, check the boot for tears or leaks.  If there is some play, check the other side to see if it's a noticeable difference.

[Half-Fast]

Diagnosing a noise without hearing it, is like getting a hair cut over the phone...

That said.... When wheel bearings go bad, usually (notice I said usually), they start as a noise above 40mph'ish.  As they get worse, they get louder, and occur at lower speeds.   Until they get really bad, they "usually" don't show looseness.  I have seen them be loose, but not making noise as well. 

Wish I could help more. 

[ZSHO]

I would purchase a cheap Mechanics Stethoscope to try to listen/monitor for any such noises mentioned above while your wife,girlfriend etc is turning the Steering wheel and best of luck to ya. BTW any Codes set?  Z

[glock-coma]

Bad Wheel bearings generally show themselves when your moving 25+mph
Then move the wheel in a slow side to side motion.
The noise will get worse in one direction.
If you swerve right it puts more pressure on the drivers side (left) wheel. And vice versa.

[peppelepugh]

I would purchase a cheap Mechanics Stethoscope to try to listen/monitor for any such noises mentioned above while your wife,girlfriend etc is turning the Steering wheel and best of luck to ya. BTW any Codes set?  Z

Nope, no codes.

I plan on getting some video/audio recordings tonight if it's loud enough.  Then jacking it up and going over everything on the passenger side and comparing it with driver side.  I did try to apply a little pressure on the brakes while driving around 40mph to see if i felt/hear anything change and it didn't seem to.