1998 Audi A4 Quattro , whine is getting louder from back, speed dependant, no change when in neutral coasting, or on/off gas. Goes when turning right, to appear as soon as corner over. Any right turn. I assumed it's right wheel as noise is removed when load is off? Can't tell with car on jack, both spin fine. good assumption or off target?
mrfxit,
Feb 25, 6:39pm
Good so far ;-)
Jack up & put on a solid stand of some sort Put your hand on the hub as close to the bearing as possible Spin wheel & "Feel" for vibration.
mechnificent,
Feb 25, 6:49pm
If you are turning right and the noise gets louder, then I'd say the left wheel is the crook one. it gets louder as the weight of the car gets thrown onto it.
tamarillo,
Feb 25, 6:50pm
I'm turning right and noise disappears, so thinking get it's right one?
mechnificent,
Feb 25, 6:51pm
Oh ok, reread and it could be the load coming off.
I'd try turning/swerving left and seeing if it gets louder.
tamarillo,
Feb 25, 6:53pm
Can't feel it, nor could mechanic who said waits till it gets worse, but it's already bloody annoying. I'm not good at 'feeling' for bearings, just did front bearing on old Fairmont I sold and couldn't feel it at all, but it sure fixed noise when replaced. That was easy and quick to replace so just did it, but I don't have press and things needed for doing audi one so will cost more to do, so trying to be more certain. My intuition says if noise goes turning right it's right bearing but I'm not mechanic.
tamarillo,
Feb 25, 6:55pm
Not notably , might get bit worse, in fact I think it does, but could be tricked. Sounds like I'm on right path, will jack her up again tomorow and try some spinning again, heard that sometimes one can feel vibration in coils as well?
Comments are greatly appreciated thanks people.
mechnificent,
Feb 25, 7:02pm
Swerve quite sharply and the weight of the car normally makes the crook bearing noisier, not quieter.
You will feel the noise on some metal part when the noise has progressed to a rumble, like distant thunder. A light whine you quite likely wont feel. you might hear it though if you put a long screwdriver to your ear and on to the hub in behind the wheel and spin the wheel.
mechnificent,
Feb 25, 7:04pm
And you couldget tricked about which side it is if it's only based on your perceptions sitting in the driving seat. sound bounces areound inside the car. Better to listen as you swerve and see which way it does it.
mechnificent,
Feb 25, 7:15pm
If the wheel has no play, and feels smooth to turn, you could leave it, it might be two years before it gets bad. And, depending on the hub and how it's attached to the rear arms, you might need to check that all the bolts are done up to the correct torque. Some models of subaru have long bolts that go through two lower arms, The arm bolt fits through and against two separate castings that are part of the hub, with a gap between them where the bolt is exposed, and if you over tighten the bolt, it pulls the arms together by bending/distorting the housing. And causeing the bearings to whine or shit out.
skin1235,
Feb 25, 7:20pm
as above, if you really want to confuse yourself, hop in the passengers seat and get someone to drive it, you'll swear its the left, so hop in the back - and you'll swear its from the fronts- both of them, lol the long screwdriver is good, so is a spare vacuum cleaner pipe, try that while someone else is driving, just tuck it down onto the floor with your ear to the other end - you will definitely find which one by moving the pipe around
martin11,
Feb 25, 7:21pm
Torque sensing box or the rear diff itself ?
franc123,
Feb 25, 7:37pm
You get all four wheels off the ground either putting stands underneath it or on a two post hoist , get the motor running and select D or 4th gear if its manual and just spin it up to 70-100kph, you are soon going to find out which one it is even without the weight of the car on it.
tamarillo,
Feb 25, 7:37pm
mechnificent and skin1235 thanks, will try these ideas. martin11 - I do hope not! Thought that if it was it would worsen or go when i am on off throttle and would change in neutral coasting. Maybe!
agree that noises can be very confusing and change a you move around car, especially from rear in a wagon i think.
martin11,
Feb 25, 8:04pm
Had a noise in my A6 quattro and it was traced to the rear bearing in the torque senser , was not an expensive fix and no problem or noise since .
poppy62,
Feb 25, 8:10pm
Sounds more like diff bearing (s). May pay to check the oil contents in the diff for a start and eliminate the fact that it's not the lack of oil. Maybe check out the driveshaft hanger bearing.
tamarillo,
Feb 25, 8:24pm
ok, good to check it anyway i guess, just serviced but whether checked diff.
mechnificent,
Feb 25, 9:08pm
As you are suggesting Tamarillo, diffs do tend to be throttle sensitive and swerving doesn't make too much difference, and axle bearings respond to the weight change a lot and the throttle not much at all.
tamarillo,
Feb 25, 11:06pm
thanks so much, put a kid in boot and 2 of them independently decided it was from right side so will have damn good look at that wheel, found youtube video showing me how to remove hub and I can then take whole thing to workshop to press new bearings in saving me the extra labour costs. Don't like die of just driving until its lots worse - what if it fails on me when miles from anywhere!
muzz67,
Feb 25, 11:21pm
Noise is probably caused by friction,, which will also produce heat. anything warmer than other similar parts?
mechnificent,
May 26, 1:08pm
If you've got a few tools buy some threaded rod and cut it up into a couple of different lengths, and find some round hubs and steel plates like old sprockets, gears, axle flanges, and use sockets and bit and pieces to pull the bearing out, and the new one in. You have to be careful pulling on the right place, especially putting the new ones in, and more so again if you then have to fit the axle flange into the bearings. but it's just the care that the guy with the press has to take anyway. Threaded rod , 16 mm or more, 20 mm, it can pull a lot. Twenty tons if you believe the snap-on catalog. Depends on the thread. I've pulled plenty of wheel bearings and sleeves out of big motors with threaded rod. Big diameter rings, like short lengths of pipe are handy too, but you can use sockets for spacers under plates to pull things above the surface you are pulling against. A lot of times a puller is better than a press.
If you put one of the nuts in a vice with the threads poking up, and then a plate, and then hub, sleeve, plate, nut, and wind the top nut down with a huge crescent, it's simple and safe. for the bearings and operator.
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