WHICH WHEEL BEARING?

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JP Roberts - 22 Mar 2004 13:08 GMT

Dear all,

It so happens that I took my car in to get last season's almost brand new
summer ContiSport2 tyres back on. Well, ever since I collected the car, I
keep getting this bearing noise. It is really funny that a bearing should go
bad just coincidentally on tyre replacement. I get the impression that they
did something wrong, but I can tell from the sound I will need to replace a
bearing. The problem is I am very good at diagnosing a bad bearing sound,
but it's not bad enough so that I know which wheel it is. Any clues on how I
might get to know which wheel it is, rather than wait or get the four of
them replaced?

Thanks,

JP Roberts

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dave AKA vwdoc1 - 22 Mar 2004 14:13 GMT

If it is the front...........and IIRC
Turn left and if it quiets down some = Left Front Wheel Bearing (noisier
when turning right)
Turn right and if it quiets down some = Right Front Wheel Bearing (noisier
when turning left)
or do I have things reversed? lol

Turn left or right and it stays the same = either one/both of the rears,
transmission or a combination of bearings.
Might even be an issue with the brakes. :-o

Are you sure the tires are not just noisy?

Do you have a Quattro? Might be more on that which might make noise.

later,
dave

> Dear all,
>
[quoted text clipped - 11 lines]
>
> JP Roberts

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Chris Bartram - 22 Mar 2004 19:17 GMT

> If it is the front...........and IIRC
> Turn left and if it quiets down some = Left Front Wheel Bearing (noisier
> when turning right)
> Turn right and if it quiets down some = Right Front Wheel Bearing (noisier
> when turning left)
> or do I have things reversed? lol

That sounds right to me.

> Turn left or right and it stays the same = either one/both of the rears,
> transmission or a combination of bearings.
> Might even be an issue with the brakes. :-o
>
> Are you sure the tires are not just noisy?

When I fitted 7x15 wheels and Yokohamas to my Seat Ibiza a few years
ago, they were noisy under braking and sounded not unlike a dodgy bearing.

[snipped]

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Kcvwdoc - 23 Mar 2004 15:46 GMT

To: "JP Roberts" <1234@yahoo.com>
Re: WHICH WHEEL BEARING?
By: "JP Roberts" <1234@yahoo.com> to alt.autos.audi on Mon Mar 22 2004 01:08 pm

> It so happens that I took my car in to get last season's almost brand new
> summer ContiSport2 tyres back on. Well, ever since I collected the car, I
[quoted text clipped - 5 lines]
> might get to know which wheel it is, rather than wait or get the four of
> them replaced?

I would have to advise you to first check the wheel bolt torque on all the
wheels. If one is loose it could make a noise similar to a wheel bearing. I
have seen this before.

Cal's Auto Repair
Merriam, KS
913-362-5885

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Christoph Bollig - 30 Mar 2004 16:40 GMT

Hi,

> > It so happens that I took my car in to get last season's almost brand new
> > summer ContiSport2 tyres back on. Well, ever since I collected the car, I
[quoted text clipped - 9 lines]
> wheels. If one is loose it could make a noise similar to a wheel bearing. I
> have seen this before.

I think it could also be the tyre on the rim. I had my audi100 '89
driven by the workshop director because it made a strange noise from
the front wheel. He drove it around for quite some time, at first
without a noise at all (it's a very temparamental car which always
stops having problems when you get to the garage), then with the same
noise coming back. His comment was that it is either one of two
things:

- the wheel bearing

- the tyre making a noise on the rim when the rubber moves.

I was able to exclude the second possibility because I have another
audi and swapped both front wheels. The noise is still there. I
haven't gotten round yet to investigate any further but the fact that
the experienced workshop manager said it could be either one or the
other tells me that it must be difficult to destinguish between the
two couses of noise. If you can get two or even four complete wheels
which fit, it might be the easiest to try out those first. If not, you
could put a little bit of oil on the edges where the rubber meets the
rim, but there is no guarantee that this solves the problem even if it
comes from the tyres.

Christoph

P.S. someone else said it could be the plastic wheel covers as well,
if you have any.

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Hairy One Kenobi - 23 Mar 2004 16:37 GMT

> Dear all,
>
[quoted text clipped - 7 lines]
> might get to know which wheel it is, rather than wait or get the four of
> them replaced?

Depends on how bad it is - if it's /really/ bad, you'll be able to jack-up
the car and wobble the wheel, top-to-bottom. (Note - a certain amount is
necessary)

While you're there, inspect the entire area (including the split pin that
runs through the castellated nut. Usually underneath a pop-off cover in the
centre of the hub) and the tyre tread for a bit of trapped gravel, which can
make a similar graunching sound.

Last resort - spin the wheel with the car jacked up, listen, and compare.

Finally, although it's perhaps not really necessary, I always tend to
replace similar bits on the same axle - i.e. if a track rod end fails, I
replace 'em both. It often takes very little longer to replace both parts in
one hit, rather than repeat the same process a week or two later..

Signature

Hairy One Kenobi

Disclaimer: the opinions expressed in this opinion do not necessarily
reflect the opinions of the highly-opinionated person expressing the opinion
in the first place. So there!

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JP Roberts - 23 Mar 2004 20:38 GMT

Well, guys, you're gold. Thanks a lot to all of you.

I'll try all of your suggestions tomorrow and keep you posted.

JP Roberts

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Christopher Roberts - 27 Mar 2004 22:14 GMT

What car? Some Audis have very tight tolerances between the tyres and the
suspension and a different tyre make or design (even if the same size on
paper) can rub, causing a similar sound to worn bearings.

Signature

Christopher Roberts

> Well, guys, you're gold. Thanks a lot to all of you.
>
> I'll try all of your suggestions tomorrow and keep you posted.
>
> JP Roberts

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PSH - 28 Mar 2004 03:52 GMT

> What car? Some Audis have very tight tolerances between the tyres and the
> suspension and a different tyre make or design (even if the same size on
[quoted text clipped - 5 lines]
> >
> > JP Roberts

Close both front windows. Open rear window on one side. Close rear
window. Open rear window on other side. Which side was the noise more
noticable with one rear window open while driving?

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JP Roberts - 28 Mar 2004 22:22 GMT

> Close both front windows. Open rear window on one side. Close rear
> window. Open rear window on other side. Which side was the noise more
> noticable with one rear window open while driving?

Thanks. I'll try this tomorrow, too. I removed both front wheels two days
ago but could not reproduce the noise on spinning them. Wheels back on and
same thing happening.

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JP Roberts - 28 Mar 2004 22:19 GMT

'98 A4 1.8TQ. I had the same tyres and rims on last summer and never had any
noise.

> What car? Some Audis have very tight tolerances between the tyres and the
> suspension and a different tyre make or design (even if the same size on
[quoted text clipped - 8 lines]
> >
> > JP Roberts

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