Most likely you won't ever need to remove your wheel bearings on your Honda Accord before you sell it. However, if you start hearing grinding sounds from the wheels, the bearings may be in need of replacement. Testing the Honda wheel bearings is done by lifting the car with a jack to inspect the wheel freely. The wheel should rock back and forth easily. As a means of preventative maintenance, the wheel bearings should be removed, cleaned off with a dry towel and then greased approximately every 30,000 miles. If the brakes are going bad, they are distinguishable from the wheel bearings, as the breaks just make a squeaking sound. The wheel bearings, however, will generally make a constant scraping sound (the sound may also be a humming or droning). When you remove a worn wheel bearing, you'll see scoring on the metal. Usually, the problem of a worn out wheel bearing has to do with either too much dirt or too much water getting on the bearing.
If the Honda Accord model is a rear-drive vehicle, then the axle nut is removed from the wheel. Removing the axle nut allows the repair professional to remove the entire wheel from the car. This exposes the hub, which is then unscrewed and set aside. The wheel bearing is removed by hand, and a new bearing is set in its place. The hub is replaced over the wheel bearing. The wheel is put back on with the axle nut securely tightened with a wrench.
A wheel hub assembly houses the wheel bearing on a Honda Accord. Vehicles that are front-wheel driven have the front wheel bearing snugly fit in the front wheel's hub assembly. The axle assembly must be taken out of the hub in order to access the wheel bearing. Professionals (with specialized tools) are required to take out the front wheel bearing.
A malfunctioning front wheel bearing is detectable by listening to the sound of the wheels when steering the car right to left. A left front wheel bearing that is malfunctioning will make a loud noise when steering the wheels to the right. The opposite bearing is malfunctioning if the noise gets louder when steering the wheels to the left.
