Identifying the noise from Differential? Wheel Bearing? ??? RRC

CV joint, or wheel bearing.

If it was CV, i would have thought that it would make more noise on full lock. Worth a go?

To be honest, i stripped and replaced both CV's and 4 bearings on my 87 RR in an afternoon or so. Youll soon see which bit is bolloxed when its in bits!!

I ran mine for age with c*ck'd wheel bearing on one side, and it ate an amazing ammount of material from the stub axle. If you do strip it, check for wear marks on them.

Other than that, get someone else to drive it slowley turning from lock to lock, and hang off the front in a super hero kinda stylie, and see if you can hear where its coming from!

Also check for crud on the caliper which I have found builds up rather well in a short space of time. This also can get so bad it touches the disc giving similar sounds to those you have.

Lee D

Hi Mark

I wondered about CV joints - but don't they 'click' when rotating on full lock as in ordinary vehicles (thinking back to VW caravan owned by parents). This is definitely a rumbling whine.

Mmm, just looked at the frontaxle, front hub and CV joint overhaul in the manual. Might be a bit longer than an afternoon for me! - or are the instructions overly complicated in the manual? I don't have any hubnut sized spanners for a start.

I note that there are warnings about grease contamination of the swivel pin oil - I presume that pre-dates the 'grease kits' for the swivel pins? - anyway I did change the oil in the O/S/F swivel pin housing on Monday and, apart from it being rather black, was surprised at how greasy it was - fair sized gobs of grease emerged in fact. Sorry if this sounds as though I'm withholding info but I don't want to flood the description with what might be irrelevant.

I used an extra pair of ears sitting in the load area to identify a faulty rear diff on the other RR, it just doesn't seem so straightforward for front axle noises.

Hi Lee

I'll also check for filth - that's more within my capability ;-)

Thanks

Richard

On or around Thu, 26 Apr 2007 08:04:25 +0100, Richard enlightened us thusly:

You can get a 52mm box spanner for a few quid from the usual suspects.

they're talking about grease from the hub bearings, I imagine. The grease in the swivel housings is special grease for the purpose.

rumbling whine is more likely to be wheel bearings, but it might not be the one you think it is!

The only CV I've ever changed was rattling when on full lock at low speed.

When my CV went it started as a rumbling whine. Replacement was quite easy, and took an afternoon.

Stuart

Am I right in thinking that the inner bearing seats can weld themselves to the stub axle if not sorted? I have a recollection of reading this and also the victim (for want of a better description) having to get a new stub axle as well as bearings etc.

Imagine that happening on the go... frightening really.

Lee

When mine eventually went, the casing around the ball bearings broke up, but the bearings didn't weld.

Stuart

And don't forget the hub itself. It's not uncommon for eveything to be beyond use - even the drive flange (where approriate) get get "welded" on to the CV joint by heat. While the bill can get a bit steep, it's a testement to the design that te wheels don't fall off, and hapf the time the owner is not aware that there is any major problem.

Richard

it's a testement to the design that te wheels

Thanks for that thought!

Joking apart. Thanks to all (the usual) contributors. I will screw my courage to the sticking point when I return from a two-wheeled trip to France over the coming BH.

Richard - stand by, no doubt, for a post-exam parts list.

My primary problem (apart from the actual task) is parking the beast in such a location that the garage is not blocked

Richard

You might find while buying tools that picking up a 14mm (I think!) ratchet spanner would be useful.

On or around 26 Apr 2007 23:48:37 -0700, madhatchetman enlightened us thusly:

what for?

The one for the brake calipers is 13mm 12-point.