How do I know if my wheel bearings are going?

[AMG Merc]

???

[Cotty]

You will probably hear a grinding noise when your wheels are not straight ahead. Thats what happened when one of mine went.

[DanH]

Yeah noise, although it can manifest in many ways.

[joust]

Noise, especially going around corners.

[Cotty]

joust said:

Noise, especially going around corners.

I didn't realise I was in the Noble section when I posted that. Glad to be backed up by an owner.

[AMG Merc]

Thanks guys.

Well, I'm getting noise but only after a good warm up. It is no worse when changing direction and neither me or the dealer can tell which side it is (if any) so we may need to take pot luck with one side first (and then the other if it doesn't go away) but this was if it turns out to be neither of the bearings then I've spent a few hundred of the English quids for sod all!

However, I still think its the exhaust myself - decisions, decisions!

[Ash M400]

Jack up the car, hold the wheel at the top and bottom, shake the wheel puuling forst the top and pushing the bootom and do the opposite. If the bearing is gone you will feel movement, it will give a clunky sound.

[DanH]

AMG Merc said:

Thanks guys.

Well, I'm getting noise but only after a good warm up. It is no worse when changing direction and neither me or the dealer can tell which side it is (if any) so we may need to take pot luck with one side first (and then the other if it doesn't go away) but this was if it turns out to be neither of the bearings then I've spent a few hundred of the English quids for sod all!

However, I still think its the exhaust myself - decisions, decisions!

I'd leave it for now. If its sufficiently quiet that you can't work out where it is, its not about to fail immediately.

Ash's advice is valid if its got really bad, but you should be able to pin it down properly before it gets that far. I had a wheel bearing go on my RS and it took 6+ trackdays before any of the 3 places I get it maintained could pin it down as a wheel bearing. It was a noise only I could hear for ages, given its my car and I know all the noises it makes intimately - to anyone else it sounded normal.

[Bugs RS4]

AMG - the other sign is if you need to pump to get a decent brake pedal. That's how I noticed mine, and simply torqing up the bearing nut fixed it.
D.

[Ash M400]

Bugs RS4 said:

AMG - the other sign is if you need to pump to get a decent brake pedal. That's how I noticed mine, and simply torqing up the bearing nut fixed it.
D.

Do not tighten up the knut to get rid of the noise.

If I remember correctly, the knut should be hand tight plus about quarter turn.

I do not know the torque settings but tightening it up will make it worse in the long run.

[ianw]

I have a strange noise too!

When on the track and the car is bedding down on a high speed corner, I hear and feel a banging noise. My inital thoughts were the suspension was bottoming out. I have had the suspension pulled apart and dampers looked at, all the bushes were ok and no issues with dampers....yet did another track day at Goodwood last week and the noise is still there....any ideas?

I can't replicate noise on the road, so difficult to explain to service dealer.

Thanks

Ian

[joust]

ianw said:

I have a strange noise too!
When on the track and the car is bedding down on a high speed corner, I hear and feel a banging noise. My inital thoughts were the suspension was bottoming out. I have had the suspension pulled apart and dampers looked at, all the bushes were ok and no issues with dampers....yet did another track day at Goodwood last week and the noise is still there....any ideas?
I can't replicate noise on the road, so difficult to explain to service dealer.
Thanks
Ian

Sounds like the suspension bottoming out to me. It's perfectly normal.

J

[chippie]

AMG Merc said:

Thanks guys.

Well, I'm getting noise but only after a good warm up. It is no worse when changing direction and neither me or the dealer can tell which side it is (if any) so we may need to take pot luck with one side first (and then the other if it doesn't go away) but this was if it turns out to be neither of the bearings then I've spent a few hundred of the English quids for sod all!

However, I still think its the exhaust myself - decisions, decisions!

To be sure it's the bearing maybe best to wait until it gets noisey in corners, if it's just one bearing then it will rumble/drone when loaded up, i.e. the outside wheel when cornered. Also as I, and others, have mentioned before you will probably have an intermittent long brake pedal.

[Bugs RS4]

Ash M400 said:

Bugs RS4 said:

AMG - the other sign is if you need to pump to get a decent brake pedal. That's how I noticed mine, and simply torqing up the bearing nut fixed it.
D.

Do not tighten up the knut to get rid of the noise.

If I remember correctly, the knut should be hand tight plus about quarter turn.

I do not know the torque settings but tightening it up will make it worse in the long run.

If it's making a grinding noise (hum at speed), then indeed it's knackered. If it's worked loose and you catch it quick enough, tighten it. As above, I noticed long brake travel rather than noise.

[AMG Merc]

Thanks again all.

This is perplexing - it isn't really a grinding noise - more of a rattling/grating and only when warmed up. It sounds like something is about to fall off from under the rear of the car! There are none of the other syptoms mentioned here so, although the dealer suggested this is the fault, I'm starting to focus back to the exhaust baffles working loose when hot now...

[joust]

AMG Merc said:

Thanks again all.
This is perplexing - it isn't really a grinding noise - more of a rattling/grating and only when warmed up. It sounds like something is about to fall off from under the rear of the car! There are none of the other syptoms mentioned here so, although the dealer suggested this is the fault, I'm starting to focus back to the exhaust baffles working loose when hot now...

Rob, baffles normally get quieter when it gets hot. You should easily be able to tell by just killing the engine whilst coasting - if the rattle continues then it won't be anything that's related to the exhaust of the engine.

Sure it's not just the heat shields for the turbo - they can often come loose as things heat up, and can absolutly be described as a rattling.

J

[ajg31]

I would look at the exhaust too. Had the rear turbo downpipe support bracket break at the weekend and to start off with i would have swore blind that the noise was coming from the front right wheel, as it was clattering over potholes.

[AMG Merc]

joust said:

You should easily be able to tell by just killing the engine whilst coasting - if the rattle continues then it won't be anything that's related to the exhaust of the engine.J

Great idea, will try that!

joust said:

Sure it's not just the heat shields for the turbo - they can often come loose as things heat up, and can absolutly be described as a rattling.J

Well the top forward one is tight and apparently the other one was checked.

[AMG Merc]

ajg31 said:

I would look at the exhaust too. Had the rear turbo downpipe support bracket break at the weekend and to start off with i would have swore blind that the noise was coming from the front right wheel, as it was clattering over potholes.

Thanks Adam - noises do start at one place and exit at another don't they?!

[ianw]

"Sounds like the suspension bottoming out to me. It's perfectly normal.

J"

Surely this isnt normal on car like this? anyone else has suspension bottoming out? Sorry to mix the thread