My Stratus(2.0L, 5spd) has developed a very annoying rumbling noise at anything above 15 MPH. At first I thought it was tire noise, possibly cupped tires due to a longer than usual rotation interval. But switching the wheels/tires(205-55 16s) with an extra set(185-75 14s) didn't make a significant difference.
The noise is significantly worse when I go around a gradual left turn at 40+ MPH. It seems to settle down at highway speeds(70+), but I can still hear it.
It happens whether the car is in gear, or not. With the clutch depressed, or released.
There is no noise when I am turning the wheels to park the car.
So I'm wondering what the possiblities could be, before I take it to my trusty mechanic.
Sorry my friend, but it sounds like you have a bad wheel bearing. Since the noise is worse on a left curve, my guess is it's the right front wheel bearing that's making the noise.
Assuming your both correct, and with a avg labor rate of $80/hr, how much should I expect to pay to have one these replaced?
One more thing. I thought front wheel drive cars had only CV joints in the front. Where would the bearings be? I can't picture where the spindle would be that a bearing would be pressed onto in the front of one of these cars.
I'm a little shocked that the other two posters disagreed on which bearing was bad. If it's louder turning left, then it's louder when there's more weight on the right bearing. Thus, it's the right bearing that's bad, as the first poster stated. I think the second poster just forgot to imagine what a left turn is.
You have no spindle. The CV joint is inserted though a hole in the middle of the bearings and engages splines on the inside of the hub. The bearings and hub are porbably an assembly (I don't have a stratus, don't hold me to it).
This takes a little more concentration, visualization, and attention span than most people care to invest to understand. As much as people hate that, some things in life are just like that. 8^)
What happens in a left turn is that the right front suspension does in fact see additional weight (forces) on the wheel and bearing, **BUT**
*PART* of the resulting forces is in the opposite direction. So why does that matter? (If interested in following this thru to the end, one may wish to make some simple sketches of a wheel and bearing (inner & outer races, and balls) while reading the following)
Picture the stationary (outer) bearing race in the hub. The noise is typically due to brinnelling of the contact surfaces of that race *AT THE TOP* inner (meaning towards the engine) ball contact surface of the race, and *AT THE BOTTOM* on the outer (meaning towards the curb) part of the race (as the balls roll over the rough brinnelled surface, the noise is generated), with the overwhelming part of the forces being on the top part of the race (supporting the portion of the weight of the car that is on that wheel), and the rest of the forces being a twisting moment that pushes the top part of the wheel inward, and the bottom part of the wheel outward. That is the force situation in straight and level driving.
Now focus on the left bearing during a *left* turn. While it is certainly true that the weight of the car supported by that wheel is lessened (shifted over to the right side), there is a large twisting moment (due to side forces) on the left wheel that pushes *very* hard on the bottom outer part of the bearing seat and also on the top inner part
- the part that is brinnelled from carrying most of the load for its whole life - so the noise gets amplified form the increased pressure of the balls on the brinnelled top inner part of the race, or a bearing that is not brinnelled enough to be heard or felt over the normal vehicle noise suddenly becomes audible while turning left.
NOW - picture the same (brinnelled, noisy) left bearing during a right turn. While it is true that the total downward force is increased on the left wheel, the *TWISTING MOMENT* is in a direction that takes most (or, in a hard turn, close to all) of the pressure off of the inner top (brinelled) part of the seat and shifts it over to the non-brinnelled top outer ball contact surface of the seat, and so it gets curiously quiet during right turns (because the balls are pushing hard on the smooth (non-brinnelled) contact surface of the outer part of the top of the race) with decreased pressure on the inner top (brinnelled) part of the race.
In 7 out of 7 noisy front bearings that I have replaced on my own vehicles in my years of driving, this rule has never failed to pinpoint which side to replace the bearing on. Replace the bearing that is on the side that you turn to to turn the noise on, and opposite the side you turn to to turn the noise off.
It will be interesting for the OP to post back when he has the problem solved as to which bearing was the noisy one (assuming that it is a bearing - which it almost has to be form his description of the behavior).
If anyone is still reading, to add a little to what Joe said about where the bearing is located on FWD cars, if you take the brake rotor off, you are looking at the hub that the bearing is mounted in, attached to the steering knuckle.
Interesting how, as Joe points out, that the car repair trade often continues to refer to the knuckle as the spindle when technically there is no such thing on the front of an FWD car (old habits...).
What used to be the stationary spindle in the old days has been replaced by the non-stationary (rotating) axle. The term "steering knuckle" is correct in either case, but the term spindle (as in "stationary spindle") does not apply to the front wheel of a FWD car (not to be confused with the fact that the rear wheels of FWD and RWD cars both have (stationary) spindles). 8^)
Bill Putney (to reply by e-mail, replace the last letter of the alphabet in my address with "x")
I would expect the bearing to run about $100 for the part and @ $80 an hour I would expect about $160.. so if you get off @ about $250 I would think that is about correct.. Although any mechanic worth his salt could probably do this in an hour.
Having replaced hundreds of wheel bearings over the years, all I can say is that there is no set pattern to how and under what circumstances a damaged wheel bearing will become louder audibly.
Sometimes they get louder when loaded, sometimes they get louder unloaded.
The best course of action is to determine which -end- of the vehicle the offending bearing is located at, raise that end of the vehicle and listen to the rotating bearings with a stethoscope to pinpoint the bearing that needs replacing.
Most likely translation: You disagree. 8^) No problem - our experience is different.
For the 7 front bearings I have replaced over my lifetime of driving, I have never had a bad rear bearing (though I know they can go bad, especially on late model Subarus due to factory problems). Point being that rear bearings in general are much less likely to be the problem than fronts, therefore my focus on diagnosis of the fronts.
I still say 7 out of 7 is a pretty good record for a method that is claimed not to be so good. 8^)
I can say that I have never had success at determining a bad bearing by listening while spinning the unloaded wheel - though I admit I have never used a stethoscope for that.
You didn't mention it, but I often see people advise to jack the wheel up and look for play in the bearing while trying to wiggle the wheel when trying to identify a bad bearing. I can say that I have never had a bearing get to the point where there was any noticeable play - I guess I have sensitive ears and always get to it before it gets that bad.
Bill Putney (to reply by e-mail, replace the last letter of the alphabet in my address with "x")
MotorsForum website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here.
All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.