Patrick101 0 Posted September 28, 2011 I took the old girl (C VR6) on a quick run today to see how she was doing. Frustratingly I can hear a ticking/clcking noise coming from ( what I believe is) the front wheels when travelling straight or round corners. :( !!! It starts at about 40mph then gets faster as the speed increases to about 60-70mph then after that I cant hear anything - probably the road noise masking the sound. I don't think its the CV joint as there is no tell tail signs like noise when turning wheels at stand still or below 40mph. What I would say is the noise gets slightly louder when I turn left and slighlty quiter when I turn right. Any ideas folks?? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Portent 0 Posted September 28, 2011 I assume you've checked for stones stuck in the tread? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Patrick101 0 Posted September 28, 2011 Can rule out stones, flat tyres, nails has been checked. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jim 2 Posted September 28, 2011 I had a run of fun with bad wheel bearings a few years back on my 16V until I got some genuine VW wheel bearings fitted.. and on one of the occasions, I was getting the same sort of noise you described and in the conditions you described... so could well be a wheel bearing! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Patrick101 0 Posted September 28, 2011 Yeah thought it might be a wheel bearing. It's interesting to hear you had similar symptoms so I guess it's likely it could be a bearing. I also thought it might be the brake discs that are warped or need replaced however I've not been getting any particular problems with feel through the brake pedal. I guess it will just be a process of elimination!! Winter is fast approaching (it's very bad up this road) so I won't be able to sort it out until next spring. I'm off on a road trip next May so fingers crossed it's not terminal!! :) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kevin Bacon 5 Posted September 28, 2011 Jack both driven wheels up, put in 5th and get an assitant to get it up to 40mph whilst you stick your head under the front and see 'what's occurrin' as Nessa would say.... It's not as scary as it sounds! Sometimes it's the only way. Noise bounces around too much on the road which often leads to misdiagnosis. If no noises and nothing obvious flapping around under there, then it's load related and could be the bearings as Jim says.....or not coming from the front at all :D Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Patrick101 0 Posted September 28, 2011 Sounds like a plan thanks Brin!! :) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
24V Renshaw 0 Posted September 28, 2011 Agree with Kev. Get it jacked up and have a listen. People try and diagnose so many noises and spend a fortune on CV joints, bearings, all sorts. Many years ago I had a vibration on my car and make the mistake of spending money until my old man said jack it up and have a look while it runs. Turned out to be a slight bulge in the tyre which I would never have found otherwise. Jay Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Patrick101 0 Posted October 12, 2011 Tried the axle stand experiment today and I think I've solved it however, If you of think I'm overlooking anything please let me know. After putting the C on axle stands I (unfortunately was on my own) put the car through 1st-4th. Immediately after putting into 3rd I could hear the problem. With the car in gear I walked round to see what the story was. The left (passenger side) wheel was not moving freely at all compared with the right side. It would move more in 3rd or 4th but there was alot of grinding coming from the left side. Took the wheels off and did the same. Left brake disc appears to be binding so much that in fact the brake master cylinder was smoking (from the electrical part attached to to it?) when in 4th gear. So do I change discs and pads (look pretty shot) or should I do calipers as well? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kevin Bacon 5 Posted October 12, 2011 Good excuse to upgrade to 288s but replacement standard calipers (refurbed) from VW are like £100 a pair, so really cheap! I think rebuild kits are too pricey either. Smoking from the MC?! Blimey! Did you mean the little black tubular part in the servo underneath the MC, which is the brake pedal position sensor for the ABS? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Patrick101 0 Posted October 12, 2011 Yeah I think it could be that. I'll take a photo just to check. 288mm brake sounds like a good idea. Could you confirm the parts I need? Cheers Ewan Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kevin Bacon 5 Posted October 12, 2011 I wonder if your ABS pedal position sensor is knackered which is engaging the ABS when it shouldn't be? Quite a common problem. When driving the car, this normally exhibits itself as a graunching noise from the bulkhead and vibration the pedal at low road speeds. 288s - That's just what we call 96-on Golf VR6 and MK4 Golf brakes. To make life easier, use the 96-on Golf as the donor vehicle and you need the whole lot - calipers, discs, pads, carriers and hoses. The '288s' use a much beefier caliper, much bigger pads and a thicker disc and they're a fair bit more powerful at high speed than the standard brakes. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Patrick101 0 Posted October 12, 2011 Thanks again for your help. Here is a couple of photos of the engine bay and the smokin' part from earlier! It looks like the part you described. I notice DG Autotech can refurbish them for £50 or so. 288mm brake conversion is next on the cards. Excuse the crap photoshop. Aint much of an artist! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kevin Bacon 5 Posted October 12, 2011 (edited) No worries. Ah, that part arrowed I believe is the ballast resistor for the traction control. Doh, we should have mentioned this would happen - running the car with the wheels off the ground confused the ABS because the rear wheels were stationary. That's why it was smoking, it was clearly working hard trying to stop the wheel from spinning!!! Shame it's not that effective when actually driving the thing! What road speed did your clocks register in 3rd? The TC is only supposed to operate below 15mph anyway. It would be worth repeating the test with the ABS disabled (seperate one of the wheel sensor plugs on the front turrets) to see if you get the same results as it will outrule a binding caliper.... Edited October 12, 2011 by Kevin Bacon Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Patrick101 0 Posted October 12, 2011 I'm pretty sure it was below 15mph on the clocks. The drivers side wheel rotated fine it was just the passenger side that struggled. Would that still (potentially) rull out a binding problem or can the TC come on on just one wheel? I'll repeat it without the ABS to see what happens. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kevin Bacon 5 Posted October 12, 2011 Yeah, definitely sounds like it was the TC locking the wheel rather than a seized caliper. To carry on with your noise hunting, you'll need to disable the ABS as mentioned. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Patrick101 0 Posted October 13, 2011 Disconnected the ABS sensor and it's still much the same - although the wheel did move more freely. The passenger side wheel rotated much slower than the drivers side. On closer inspection I can here a juddering/knocking noise every few seconds from inside the engine bay near the driveshaft. Inner CV joint perhaps? I took a clip of the sound if that would help identify it. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
