wheel bearing type noise

[fla 9]

Hi All,

 

New year, New problem - sounds like bearings playing up as there is excessive road noise. Actually its not road noise just seems to be the best way to describe it. I've spun the front wheels separately but they both sound OK. Its most pronounced on smooth roads (of course) but there is no change when the wheel is turned either way. There is no change in the drone with engine speed, so it doesnt seem to be gearbox related either - i have an auto for my sins! Ideas?

 

Thanks

[goodridge 0]

Have you checked all your tyres? Unevenly worn and mishapen tread can give a wheel-bearing out type noise on the road.

[stevemac 0]

Jack-up the rear wheels & spin them slowly by hand. You should be able to feel if there's a damaged bearing.

[fla 9]

Cheers Steve - just didnt think the rear bearings would be problematic, hence I didnt check them. How much are they anyway? Tyres are new - about 300 miles on them.

[Supercharged 2]

just didnt think the rear bearings would be problematic, hence I didnt check them. How much are they anyway

 

There roughly a tenner each but they are set within the rear disks so may as well change the disks and pads to... It could also be a seized rear caliper causing the problem also :?

[stevemac 0]

Cheers Steve - just didnt think the rear bearings would be problematic, hence I didnt check them. How much are they anyway? Tyres are new - about 300 miles on them.

Rear bearing failure is quite common. It's extremely unlikely to be siezed rear calipers - unless your handbrake isn't working properly.. :wink:

[andy 0]

I've got the same problem, I've just changed my rear bearings today (because I thought the sound was coming from the rear) and it's no better. They were £6.80 + vat each from gsf. I did jack up and spin/check for play in all wheels a while back and found no obvious problem, just thought the rears are cheap and reasonably easy to change so did it. I'm hesitant to do the fronts as once again there is no obvious wear apart from a rumbling sound, the fronts are a bigger job and I'm assuming I'll need to get the suspension all alligned if I take the hub carrier off. What else could it be? Diff bearings? Help!!

[fla 9]

OK, I've run VAGCOM earlier today and got the following errors:3 Faults Found:

 

00285 - ABS Wheel Speed Sensor: Front Right (G45)

04-00 - Mechanical Malfunction

00290 - ABS Wheel Speed Sensor: Rear Left (G46)

04-00 - Mechanical Malfunction

00287 - ABS Wheel Speed Sensor: Rear Right (G44)

04-00 - Mechanical Malfunction

 

I guess this has something to do with the noise, but what should I look for and what is meant by these? Interestingly there is no mention of error on the Front left wheel.

[stevemac 0]

You didn't mention that the ABS light was on.. :roll:

 

Your noise problem is likely to be a damaged ABS ring - there's 1 attached to each rear brake disc & 1 attached to each front hub.

 

Speed sensor problems - at least 1 of them will be also due to the ABS sensor ring. The others will either be damaged or dirty.

 

Have you had the brakes replaced recently ??

[Supercharged 2]

fla, did you clear the codes and re-scan??

 

If not they could have been there for ages and the rear ones may have been triggered on a rolling road so there may not be anything wrong!

[fla 9]

Err, havent noticed the ABS light was on myself! Is it a big job to replace the ring and how much is it from GSF? No I havent had them replaced recently although they were inspected about 3 weeks back and looked fine.

Supercharged, I wish you were right about the codes being there for ages, unfortunately they've only shown up now after the noise became apparent. I'll have a look at them tomorrow and see what is apparent. It may be that the bearings are also shafted. Incidentally, can you use Lithium grease on the bearings?

[stevemac 0]

fla, Were the brakes just visually inspected or were they removed & refitted ?

 

The sensors are basically magnetic switches that take a reading from the rotating metal ABS rings. If they are knocked when re-fitting the brakes - they will give a false reading. If they are very dirty - they will also give a false reading. If they have not been plugged into the wiring harness correctly - they will give a false reading. If the wiring becomes trapped in the suspension - they will give a false reading.

 

With the fault codes that you have - I would expect the ABS light to be glowing constantly while the ignition is switched on, maybe your bulb has either blown or been removed. The ABS light should always glow for a few seconds every time the ignition is switched on, while the car does a quick diagnostic check & then go out again.

 

So far as I'm aware, the new ABS rings come with the new rear discs or with the new front hubs - I'm not sure if they're available seperately.

 

As for the grease - I just use standard "high temperature" general purpose grease.

[fla 9]

Thanks for that Steve. No, the ABS light switches off after a few seconds and the brakes were only visually inspected. I have just spun all four wheels individually and there was no excessive noise except the pads rubbing slightly on the discs and they seemed quite smooth. I didnt get under the car but had a sideways view of the brakes which seemed mucky but nothing worse than normal. What should I look for and what would cause the worn bearing type noise?

[Heardy 0]

Have you checked all your tyres? Unevenly worn and mishapen tread can give a wheel-bearing out type noise on the road.

As Goodridge said unevenly worn tyre's would make a wheel bearing noise.

I've seen it a few times on various car's.My mate had the same problem with his VR6 and it turned out to be the tyre's..

[CIPO 0]

Are you running Toyo's?

I've had that problem for months and my mechanic exhausted all possible reasons apart from tyres.

Got new F1's today and the noise appears to be gone!!!

[fla 9]

Michelins, if i remember correctly, but the noise has only come since the last week, which is also when I got the error codes on VAG.

Stevemac, if the ABS ring is broken or cracked, would that not be observed immediately as excess noise from each wheel when turned by hand? It does seem strange that three wheels have pretty much the same fault code. What would you suggest now?

[fla 9]

No, my tyres are pretty new. Some roads around my area have been recarpetted and are quite quiet, but I still get the noise. Actually, my main concern is doing the ABS rings, if anyone can help out. Might put a separate thread for that.