cjoenck

I have always had some road noise of course and the roads in IL don't get any better after this winter. However, running standard suspension and 3 year old tires, properly inflated, I can't shake the sense that the rear wheels are getting more noisy. Since I don't have a comparison, this is the only C2 I have ever owned, I am wondering if failing rear wheel bearings tend to make themselves known with more noise.

Thoughts?

Thank you.

cobalt

Jack the rear of the car up and leave it out of gear. Spin the wheels if they turn smoothly without any noise and or rough feeling you should be OK. If they make a grinding noise it is time to replace.

crg53

When I bought my car, I thought I had the same problem, it sounded like a street car, terrible noise from the back. As it turned out, it was the tires, I swapped the tires I.e. Left to right and right to left and the noise changed dramatically. Soon after bought a set of Continental Extreme Contact DW and have never looked back, by far the best tire for the $$.
That said, if it is your rear wheel bearings, does the noise change when you turn sharply left or right? If so, do a search on rear wheel bearing replacement and you will find all the info you need to do the job.

FeralComprehension

In my mind the time to do the rears is when you pull the arms to do thier bushes. All those components (and the spring plates too) are getting old and are likely to warrant some attention; though expensive, I intend to refurb them all in one go.

cjoenck

Thanks, good thoughts and I'll look into tires- had not really though about that one. Yesterday, while driving on the freeway at around 70, I rested my hand on the parking brake handle and felt a very noticeable pulsing. It is less pronounced when driving slower and almost disappears at 30 mph or less. Related?

BHCfarkas

Although you have the right idea, this isn't entirely accurate. A dragging rear caliper can cause noise while turning the wheel.

The easiest give away for a wheel bearing that's going bad is by jacking the car up and grabbing the wheel at both 12 and 6 and trying to wiggle the wheel. If you sense any wobble or play, then this is a sure sign. You can spin the wheel, but the likelihood of hearing any bearing related noise would be slim. You would absolutely hear it if the bearing were on its last leg, but a bearing that is questionably failing wont be audible on a spin.

As mentioned, tire noise is very possible and there are a few ways to differentiate between tire noise and wheel bearing noise. Tire noise is a constant humming that is prevalent and louder at certain speeds. A wheel bearing is a also a humming noise but it oscillates depending on speed. I've heard people also say a bad wheel bearing sounds like a helicopter.

BHCfarkas

A pulsing while pulling the parking brake would be warped rear rotors or drums that need turned... not related but can be annoying if it's bad enough.

jevvy964

again only part correct, a rear wheel bearing could be toast but not have any play - they are meaty ****** and can grumble waaay before any play is detectable.

BHCfarkas

I've never seen this to be the case unless a spindle was damaged on installation or the bearing itself were bad from the get-go. I don't think either scenario is a possibility in OP's case.

ja78911sc

This was my experience on the rear. Zero play but it spoke to me when making turns only. Replaced both bearings and the noise is gone.

My bearing was original. The axle nut still had the factory markings. My guess is the factory installed it correctly It did not make any noise until the clock hit 122,000 miles.

ja78911sc

That is the sound my bearing made but only when I was turning around a corner.

BHCfarkas

Very interesting...

Either way, hopefully OP gets this figured out. I'd like to know what they find!

cobalt

When Porsche switched to the Angular contact bearing on our cars it threw the 12 & 6 approach out the window. I have seen far too many bad bearings on our cars that had no play. At pre track tech we always spin the wheel and listen instead of the 12 & 6 method. The sound is distinctly different than a dragging pad. Although until you experience it, it may be hard to distinguish.

cjoenck

Sorry for the delay - I got busy at work.... Had the car up on stands today. No play in the wheels. Spinning wheels by hand was "quiet" as well.

I'll be pulling the rear calipers anyway in the next weeks as I am upgrading from the 2-pod rear to the 4-pod rear calipers. Have been suspecting on dragging for a bit.

Tires are inflated to correct pressure.

More to come.