Loud noise...need a second opinion

[wytbishop]

So yesterday I'm driving about town and I start to hear a very noticeable periodic sound from my right front wheel. It goes up and down with wheel speed so it's definitely in the wheel, not the diff or anything. It sounds like a series of ticks like your fingernail on the teeth of a comb, once per revolution of the wheel. At high speed it's very squeeky, but at low speed it's very distinctive, tick, tick, tick, tick,.... I pulled into a parking lot and turned the car off and it is loud and clear when I push the car forward or back.

I lifted the wheel from under the ball joint so that the suspension would be compressed and when I spin the wheel there is nothing. I removed the wheel and the caliper and rotor and everything looks fine...no interference, nothing out of place, but also the hub does not seem loose or anything in the spindle.

This has to be the wheel bearing right? I think it has to be, but I'm wondering if anyone else has any other idea of something that could cause a sound like that.

[EggyRollz]

Clicking is generally a CV.

[solo_ryder]

Cv clicking is when turning.

Have a look at your caliper and see if any metal bits or retaining clips are loose or broken, could be rubbing on the rotor vains.

Is there any loose plastic inside that the wheel is rubbing on? Does the wheel make the sound when you jack it up and there is no pressure? I'd say its probably a wheel bearing at this point as it seems rotational.

[Inodoro Pereyra]

I agree on the wheel bearing. If it gets much less noticeable at high speeds, 99% sure its the WB. If it gets LOUDER the faster you go, you forgot to tighten the lug nuts, and you're about to lose a wheel (ask me how I know... )

[wytbishop]

Yeah...that's the wierd bit. Took the wheel of and removed the caliper and the rotor and everything is clean and tight.

I was just thinking...maybe it could be an alignment problem. I swapped the front struts out last week, and the Caster is definitely different, but I didn't do anything to change the Toe. Could be that it's fighting to align itself and that's the clicking.

I'm gonna mess with the Caster and see what happens before I start trying to pull a spindle in the junk yard.

[solo_ryder]

When my bearings go if I raise up the car I can't tell. The most obvious way to tell is to get the hub off and spin I while its on the ground. If it makes any noise at all its effed. It should be whisper quiet.

Its possible your caster is affecting it, from my experience if you just touch the alignment a tad the bearing start howling like a banshee, especially if the toe angle is changed

[davmac]

I've read many of your posts. You're thorough and detail oriented so I suspect you've eliminated other causes and your noise is wheel bearing. However the sound you're reporting isn't typical for failing wheel bearing. Typical sound is usually lower pitched, rhythmic grinding - sounds like a helicopter. At certain speeds and when turning the sound can change pitch or disappear. Noise of a failing wheel bearing - if you're paying attention occurs long before you might be able to feel any play in the wheel - so it is possible you've caught wheel bearing problem early. Clicking and squeaking as you know is normally related to brakes. Maybe a few more days of driving and experimenting will clear make the problem more evident.

[wytbishop]

That was why I posted. It's really not at all like any wheel bearing noise I've had before, but it behaves like one.

I'm starting to think it is alignment related. I'll post back tonight after I've tried a few things.

Thanks for all your help everyone.

[umcamara]

Obvious one here, but did you check the tire for nails/screws/bolts? I had a very similar situation a few months ago and felt like a complete knob when I found out what it was...

[wytbishop]

I looked at it, but the clicky noise is actually a series of clicks that take place over about 1/4 or less of each rotation of the wheel. I actually pushed the car by hand in the parking lot while listening at the wheel and its coming from the wheel/hub area...but it's odd.

[wytbishop]

Well I went out and measured the toe with a tape measure and it was toe'd in more than 1". I'm not sure how that happened. The steering wheel was still perfectly centered. It must have to do with the struts and the camber change due to the height.

Anyway I adjusted to the toe and the noise is gone.

Lesson learned. I'm buying a wheel alignment gauge.

[_-Night-Shade-_]

Wow I would have never guessed alignment was at fault! How did you adjust your toe yourself?

[wytbishop]

Quick and dirty. Start the car and turn the wheels back and forth acouple of times and then stop when the wheel is nice and centered. Turn the car off. Lift the car in the center so that both wheels are just touching the ground. In my case I have to do this because its too low to measure if I don't. Stock ride height cars may not have to lift so high and you will get a more accurate measurement this way. Ideally you want to measure at about the middle of the tire at the front and the rear.

Take a measuring tape and reach accross the car and hook it on the tread on the front of the opposite tire. Measure accross to the same tread line on the front of the near tire. Then do the same at the rear of the tire. Make sure you're using the same tread to make your measurements on the front and back of the tire. You want to have about 4mm of Toe In. That is, the rear measurement should be about 4mm greater than the front measurement.

Adjust by turning the inner tie rods into or out of the outer tie rod ends. You'll have to remove the wheels to do so..well I do so I assume you will. If you have to make significant adjustments it can be more efficient to remove the wheels and put a couple of the lug nuts on to hold the rotors flush against the hub and measure from rotor to rotor. You will find that it's more accurate the farther apart the two measurements are so I always do my last check with the wheels on. The 24" separation of the wheels is far more accuarate than the 11" separation of the rotors.

If the steering wheel is not straight you just shoren one side a bit and lengthen the other to center it. After you've done it a few dozen times you get pretty good at it.

[Mooneggs]

I learn something new every day... but this wheel alignment gauge - how does it work if all you need is a tape measure?? do you have a link to a picture this tool?

[wytbishop]

This is one example...
http://www.eastwood.com/fasttrax-camber ... gauge.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

There are many others. The tape measure on the tire tread meathod is not ideal. It's not bad especially once you've done it often, but there is no accurate way to measure caster and camber without a gauge.