Rumble rumble : wheel bearing?

[911hillclimber]

Went to Wales today on A and B roads to get the hard top for my daughter's Mk2.
Great roads, just the landscape for an MX5!

Thr car has a classic rumble from one corner (hard to say which) but I think the OSF. Classic wheel bearing rumble, pronounced when taking a sweeping left hander, less so on rights.

I don't yet have a manual to hand, but are the front bearing easy/conventional taper rollers?

Any hints and tips etc please. Will do both sides and see if the rumble dissapears. Hope it's not a rear!

Graham.

ps: Hardtop makes quite a positive driving difference, well worth the £££

[MX-5 Lazza]

The wheel bearing can't be changed on it's own, you have to replace the whole wheel hub. That makes it more expensive but a pretty easy job.

Non ABS
ABS

[911hillclimber]

Yes, caught up with the details after a google.
Seems just swing the caliper out off the disc, remove disc, remove the hub unit and reverse order back. Presume the hub bolts onto the upright.

Will get one new one and replace the OSF to see if the rumble dissapears.
Got a 50:50 chance!

Hope it's not a rear; bet the drive shaft will be in the hub solid.

Thanks for the return to my question.

This will be a great little car once tidied-up.
The run through the B roads of middle Wales was great in the sun. Once in 5th you simply stay there buzzing along.

If only it had 6 gears!

[MX-5 Lazza]

911hillclimber said:

Seems just swing the calliper out off the disc, remove disc, remove the hub unit and reverse order back. Presume the hub bolts onto the upright.

Pretty much. You need to remove the calliper mounting bracket altogether to get the disc off then it's just the big castellated nut in the middle of the hub. You might want to buy a new washer as they can get destroyed when removing but I didn't bother.

Edited by MX-5 Lazza on Monday 14th December 10:52

[911hillclimber]

I know someone who has changed one on his Mk3 (the part seems the same, just with ABS)and had quite a job getting the hub unit out.(the hub was assembled with a bonding fluid, bit like Loctite Bearing Fit).

I hope this will be the last tidy-up job on this great little car.
I can see why people like them after the Wales Run.

Thanks as ever for the info.Another job for Xmas while doing my race car!

[MX-5 Lazza]

It was a fairly easy job on the non-abs Mk1 I did it on. The hardest bit was bending back the tab washer!

Edited by MX-5 Lazza on Monday 14th December 13:39

[BCA]

Does your daughter know this is her car yet?? Has she driven it?

[911hillclimber]

Weeellll...good question.

I drove it on the test drive as did she. I got it sideways and so that led to new tyres...(Toyo's are really nice on this car)

For Xmas she fancied a hard top, so we did a deal and went to Swansea nearly to get one (off Pistonheads).

I got to drive down Wales for 2.5 hours of B roads with a few A roads which was nice...
She drove back with the top on and I fell to sleep (it's how she drives, not my age) in her 'MX5 Coupe'

The bearing rumble was quite disconcerting which was the only negative, and right in the 40 to 65 mph zone, rumble..rumble.

When I was her age at 24 I had a Spitfire, much the MX5 of the day, with soft and hard tops etc and this great little car just brings all those high days back.

Maybe I will get to drive it when she goes on holiday snowboarding and all that mundane stuff!

I mess a lot with cars, so fixing things come naturally in our household, cars like these:



I'll buy a nice new hub and give it a go on the OSF first and see if the noise goes. If so I will be happy and at the end of tweeking the car into shape.

[BCA]

Strangely enough, everyone who I know who is seriously into thier cars has had a Spitfire and almost all of them still have them/one... I bought my mx5 (I too am 24) as it is the closest I could think of to being a modern equivelent.

I f'kin love it.

[911hillclimber]

I had 2. A Mk1 which I did everything to as it needed everything doing...
Did I ever learn a lot about cars with that car for 2 years!
I had a reputation for going round bends faster than I went down straights.

After I was married we had a white Mk IV which was very nice.
We tried a new 1500 Midget after that which missed the plot by a mile.
So ended my 2 seater adventure until now. I've waited about 25 years for this moment!!

Oddly, it needed front wheel bearings quickly too!

It is just the special 2 seater carefree 'open' feeling of this type of car that is so appealling to all ages.
After her Mini One, she loves the thing.
Going to try to get the bearing done under warrantee, but not holding my breath...

[MX-5 Lazza]

I feel I should mention that while wheel bearings do occasionally fail on these cars they are more usually caused by a knock on one of the wheels. My old Mk1 needed a new bearing about 6 months after hitting an enormous pot-hole that bent 2 wheels. I was lucky as the only real damage was the wheels and the bearing, the wishbones & brackets were still straight though it did all need realigning.

Edited by MX-5 Lazza on Tuesday 15th December 08:26

[911hillclimber]

Fair comment.

The cars drives arrow straight and 'even' round bends, but daughter has just called to say the work will be under warrantee!
Quite a surprise.

Tyre wear is good and even. I hope they will comb through everything to ensure all is fixed.

[911hillclimber]

Finally the garage has 'heard' the rumble!
Taken 2 days for them to drive it and find the noise.

However, they do not know which wheel...
Or even if it is a diff!
Could this really be a diff as it is quiet sub 40 mph, over 70 and only apppears when cornering the car on sweeping bends.
A duff diff would grumble /whine all the time?

Drive shaft?

[911hillclimber]

All fixed and the car's running really well.

It was the near side rear wheel bearing that had failed. I am surprised, but the job done by the garage which makes a change for me not to have to get dirty.

I think the car is now fit.

Fresh Toyo tyres, the bearing and the Hard top have made it a cracker.

We are trying the car littler in a sock trick to control the condensation on the wind screen on these cold mornings though the blower makes short work of it.

[MX-5 Lazza]

Have you had it realigned yet?

[911hillclimber]

No, but planning to when she actually stops driving it for a day!

[Munter]

Hows the Kitty Litter working out?

Ours is in a Clover tub with some holes drilled in the lid. Made a hell of a difference. The back screen in the hardtop used to be "steamed" up whenever we got in the car. Now it's clear.

[911hillclimber]

She has it in a shoe box, open to the car and on the passengers floor initially, but now on the rear shelf.
Been in for a week, but she said she has not noticed any difference. Will ask tonight as it rained hard last night.
How quickly does the stuff 'absorb' to full 'level'?

[Munter]

911hillclimber said:

How quickly does the stuff 'absorb' to full 'level'?

Don't ask me. It's only been there 5 days.

(We got the stuff that's white crystals)