grinding noise coming from rear passenger wheel

C

cccolin

New member
Hey folks,

My 98 has developed a weird noise. I got some Blizzaks put on, as I've been doing a lot of mountain pass driving. Tires are great, btw. Around the time I put them on, not sure if it's related or not, I started getting a weird noise seemingly from the front end. It's a borderline grinding noise, in a cycle that seems to perfectly match the rate of tire spin. Applying the brakes does not affect it, RPM's do not affect it. Only the speed of the vehicle itself. At first I thought it was tire noise, but it seems like that would be constant, and this sound is a cyclical pulsing noise that gets faster with faster vehicle speed. I took off the wheels and checked the brakes and pads, all appears well. If I spin the wheels while they are on the vehicle but off of the ground, I can't feel any grinding vibration through the wheel, other than normal brake pad noise. If I give the wheel a spin, it will spin about one rotation or so and then stop on it's own.

In what I hope is not a related problem, I also get a very noticeable constant vibration in 4x4 above 50 mph. 2wd, no prob. 4 hi, constant vibration above 50.

any ideas? Hoping I dont have a toasted transfer case or something. Wheel bearings maybe?

edit: it's actually the rear passenger.
 
Last edited:
Register to hide this ad
Just gonna throw out some ideas,

You mentioned taking off the wheels, I would ensure that the shield on the back of the rotor is not touching the rotor, happened to me a couple time and took me a little bit to figure it out.

I would also try some maintenance type stuff to narrow down the culprits.
Change front diff fluid, inspect cv axles, grease all zerk fittings, check for any issue in front drive shaft.

I learned early on to eliminate the simple stuff before tearing apart bigger stuff like the transfer case.

Hope this helps a little
 
alex271356 said:
Just gonna throw out some ideas,

You mentioned taking off the wheels, I would ensure that the shield on the back of the rotor is not touching the rotor, happened to me a couple time and took me a little bit to figure it out.

I would also try some maintenance type stuff to narrow down the culprits.
Change front diff fluid, inspect cv axles, grease all zerk fittings, check for any issue in front drive shaft.

I learned early on to eliminate the simple stuff before tearing apart bigger stuff like the transfer case.

Hope this helps a little
Click to expand...

ok thanks. that's a start.
 
well, I lifted up all 4 corners and spun the wheels, checked the brakes on each, looked for rubbing, etc. inspected the pads, etc. and it's none of that.

Had my fiancee drive it and I sat in the back with the seat down so I could hear it better, as I wasn't so sure it was coming from the front. Well, it's not. it's very clearly coming from the rear, and it sounds like it's coming from the passenger side. I inspected the drum brake and hub and nothing is rubbing, but something is definitely not right.
 
I'm gonna go with wheel bearing, did you test for play in the wheel with the vehicle lifted off of the ground?
 
that was my thought, too, but I don't know how to test for it. I didnt check for play, just for spin. I'll do that tomorrow.
 
Grab the tire and try pulling it in and out. Also try pushing at the 12 oclock position while pulling at the 6 oclock position. See if there is any play.

If there is a small amount of play, that is fine. If you get significant movement, the bearing is shot.

Wouldn't hurt to check your rear diff fluid. You could drain it and put some fresh oil in it if it hasn't been changed in awhile anyway. Look at the bottom of oil catch pan and see if its clean or if it has metal in it.

I'd also check for play in your Ujoints.

Unfortunately, there is no way around trying to locate funny noises other than to keep checking stuff...
 
Try rolling down a hill in neutral and see if you are getting the noise. Before you do that, jack up each rear corner and hold the tire at 3 o'clock and 9 o'clock and shake it in and out as was suggested. Also try a 12 o'clock and 6 o'clock position.
 
Mzs14 said:
I'm gonna go with wheel bearing, did you test for play in the wheel with the vehicle lifted off of the ground?
Click to expand...

cccolin said:
that was my thought, too, but I don't know how to test for it. I didnt check for play, just for spin. I'll do that tomorrow.
Click to expand...

No need to check the bearing. When the bearing starts to go the seals will start leaking as well. If you have oil leaking from the end of the axle tubes, and running down dust shield for the brake you found your problem.
 
Picking my rig up from Toyota today, my odd noise ended up being a rear wheel bearing, and my seals didn't leak. I also had no noise when turning the wheel by hand on jack stands nor did I have any play in the wheel up/down or side/side.

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk
 
Wedgy said:
Check the drum/hub for oil, that would show if a seal is bad.
Click to expand...

MStudt said:
No need to check the bearing. When the bearing starts to go the seals will start leaking as well. If you have oil leaking from the end of the axle tubes, and running down dust shield for the brake you found your problem.
Click to expand...

yeah, there's oil in the drum and on the back of the brake cover. I talked to the PO and he said he changed the axle seal right before I bought it. I dont know if the leaked oil is from before he did it or not.
 
cccolin said:
yeah, there's oil in the drum and on the back of the brake cover. I talked to the PO and he said he changed the axle seal right before I bought it. I dont know if the leaked oil is from before he did it or not.
Click to expand...

You'll know because you see it on the tire, and on the ground. If the PO changed the seal that's was due to the bearing going out. If it still grinding then I would guess he didn't change the bearing. Pop off the upper diff plug to see where you fluid level is. That'll be a good indicator to the current condition.
 
MStudt said:
You'll know because you see it on the tire, and on the ground. If the PO changed the seal that's was due to the bearing going out. If it still grinding then I would guess he didn't change the bearing. Pop off the upper diff plug to see where you fluid level is. That'll be a good indicator to the current condition.
Click to expand...

there's no oil on the tire or ground.
 
cccolin said:
there's no oil on the tire or ground.
Click to expand...

Then the leak is old. Take some brake cleaner, and clean the old fluid off so you'll know if you get a new leak. You may also want to jack up the rear, and rotate the wheels. Give the wheels a spin, and you'll hear the grind if that's where it's coming from.
 
The other day I was fixing my rear drums. Noticed driver side rear axle had play. Up and down. 99% it’s the rear wheel bearing. Come to think of. I’ve been noticing a noise inside the truck. And I know it’s not from wheel bearings because they all got replaced with OEM. So it’s definitely the rear. Also rear is tricky sometimes. Because the sound travels and it can be misdiagnosed.

Ordered it right away
https://m.ebay.com/itm/OEM-NACHI-KO...unner-W-ABS-/252571587941?txnId=2225506394015

I’ve ordered fronts and tears from this guy before. Good bearings. As far as the seals. I’d just go ahead and get OEM.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

V
15" to 16" wheel upgrade with 16" front disks and calipers
Replies
3
Views
1K
JBurt
JBurt
GhostRing
4WD has left the chat
Replies
4
Views
2K
phattyduck
P
T
finally caught this noise on camera - help with diagnosis?
Replies
3
Views
3K
trashboy
T
C
Need Assistance - Rear Brake Caliper Rubbing New Rotor
Replies
6
Views
3K
Cwright26
C
0
Persistent Rear Passenger Brake Dragging
Replies
9
Views
34K
Moist
Moist

Members online

Total: 4,565 (members: 2, guests: 4,563)

Forum statistics

Threads
278,316
Messages
3,554,120
Members
248,016
Latest member
Advally Service

Share this page

Trending content

Back
Top