Does anyone know what happens when a wheel bearing goes bad? What kind of noise does it make? I get a whining mixed with a loud howling noise. Sounds like its coming from the front. When going high speed you can feel vibrations on the gas pedal. Could it be the rear diff? Keep in mind, my car is a salvage car. So it's been thru a wreck. Any suggestions? I would take it to the shop but I'm stuck at my store with long hours.
yup that's a shot wheel bearing all the ones i've ever heard howl like mad. Vibration in the gas pedal not sure but the howling deffinitly
Does it make the sound all the time? I ask because wheel bearings are generally sealed units that last for the life of the vehicle. It is rare for a bearing to fail, especially on a 2 year old car. However, if something was damaged in the wreck that totalled it (this being a salvage car), it could be damaged. But then again, something else could be damaged which has caused the bearing to fail.
ive heard the howling is air going threw the brakes// or something like that.. the vibrations are probably from a unbalanced tire or something of that nature
I have had tires that break in the sidewall and produce sounds and vibration like bad bearings. Dunlop is notorious for out of round tires. Have somebody ride with you and try and diagnose which side of the car the sound is coming from. Then swap tires right to left, or since they are probably directional, front to back. If the sound moves, "we have a winner!"
Wheel bearing are notorious for their howling sound. sinc ethe car is so new i would look for the cause of ti going bad so soon. perhaps there is somethign wrong with the suspension or somethign that might cause the bearing to go out. dont just fix the symptom, try and solve teh problem. you might try bringin it Nathans shop, i think he is fairly close to you. he might have some ideas / experience with this.
This howling noise and vibrations starts while traveling high speed 65-70 mph. If you ride any gear to 3K rpm you definitely can hear the noise clearly. This only happens around 2.5-3K rpm. anything higher the noise disappears. I'm not sure what the heck it is. It almost sounds like something is grinding but I can't make it out if it is or not.
did you loose a wheel wieght or something? might wanna check the dust shield behind the rotor. it is easily bent in and has tricked me many of times. are your wheels on good? caliper bolts tight? axle nut still on? if any of that is loose it would cuase a wobble.
Oh yeah i forgot about that. I come from the old school where wheelbearings are cheap and arn't sealed haha. But the fact that you can only hear it at certain rpm range leads me to change my previous diagnosis to something else that i have no idea haha sorry wish i could help more
Those synthums you described sound like wheel bearing alright. I would try and figure out with ones need to be replaced. Try loading one side at a time by making turns or tight circles. Just make sure you replace then before the rest of the shaft goes bad. Bearing are a lot cheaper than shafts. Just because its salvaged does not automatically mean its the case. Due the STI's low profile tires, stiff sideways and somewhat stiff suspension and on top of that MN road surface conditions really creates quite a beating on the bearings. And especially if you do some track events or hit curbs are some examples.
So your STi makes the sound in first at 3k, but not at 4k? And it does the same in second, as well as the rest of the gears? Then your problem isn't speed related, like a bearing, which you would expect to get worse at higher speeds. It sounds engine related. Take it to a shop. A good shop. A few hours of their time to diagnose the problem is better than throwing money wildly at the problem.
I'd have to disagree there. Subaru wheel bearing have a very high failiure rate if you do any kind of hard cornering on them. GC rear wheel bearing pretty much need replacement after 2-3 track events, and they're almost the same design as the GD bearings are. My GD RS needed wheel bearing replacements after 2 summers of autocrossing. I wouldn't say that they usually last the life of the car, I get about 50-60k miles per set of bearings on the ones I drive. And f its been in an accident and has a hub misalignment/control arm problem it will have wheel bearing problems accelerated. The best way to actually check a wheel bearing is to park it and rock the tire back and forth from the top inside edge as if trying to laterally pull it off of the car. If there is any play or clicking, its time for a new wheel bearing.
Thanks for the input guys. I'm hoping its a wheel bearing. Whatever it is, its not good. Anyone know a good shop with MNsubaru discount? I'll probably schedule at Morries sometime on Monday if I can't find any other shop.
Hit up LegacyPGT, he is great, Matt Shaffer Eagan aka Bikerboy, or theres lots on the board who can help all with extensive Subaru experience. my address is 2086 Baker AVE NW Buffalo, MN 55313 __________________ Mike Wray
actually they SHOULD last the life of the car but like everything these days it doesnt... Wheel bearings go bad all the time... a bad wheel bearing will howl.... depending how bad... jack up front end and shake the tire (hand on top & hand on bottom) back and forth see if there is any play... also does it change pitch when going left or right.. does the sound get louder at a certain speed??? I just had a howling noise issue with mine and it ended up being the rear diff...
Does anybody here have an STi manual who can give the specs for inspecting the wheel bearings? As for Subaru bearings failing, it really depends on how you use of the vehicle, and autocrossing is the worst. So many tight turns with hard acceleration and wheel deflection, I wouldn't expect it to last. It is worse than real road racing. I mean, a good track like Road America has maybe thirteen turns, and some of those are just bends in the road. But then again, maybe it depends on the driver. I had a friend ruin five transmissions in two years. I raced even longer, was much faster, and didn't break anything. Not that I'm saying anything...
I'm afraid that it might be the rear diff. Yes, it gets louder higher speed. Thanks Wrxboy2003. I'll jack my car up this weekend and check it out.
now remember mine was the rear diff.. yours may not be.. mine got loud at around 63 miles an hour then tapered off a little any higher... but it was real evident when you took your foot of the gas... or under de-acceleration.... best way is to get it onto four jack stands... better would be to get it into a shop have them put it on a hoist.. get someone to drive in it and see where the noise is.. when you can stand under teh car while it does 60mph it helps to narrow down more where the noise is coming from... remember for all I knew the sound was in teh front right wheel bearing... my Tech (over 30yrs exp) thought so too when he drove it... ended up in the rear diff when we got it in the air... Most shops should be able to look at that for FREE!!!
Nathan, Mine starts roughly around your mph. Then is slowly tapers off once you pass 70 mph. Odd, this noise sounds like its coming from the front right side also...Who is your tech...would he mind looking at my car?
stop by anytime at teh shop... we can put it on the drive on and jack it up and see if we can narrow it down for you.... I pray for your sake it isnt the diff... that is a pricey sucka... Id rather a simple vearing as the diff will run you at least $1200+ to fix unless you do it in your garage, which would be a major PIA on jack stands... but do-able... so yeah drop in... call the shop to let me know 952-403-0700
