Another worrying noise

[MikeJD]

Having only recently solved the nearside rattle problem https://www.mr2roc.org/forum/index.php?topic=65801.0 I've now got another noise to have to diagnose.

This one is a sort of droning noise, can't think how else to describe it. It almost sounds like another motor running. I think it may have been there for a while, but seems to be getting louder recently. It's very difficult to tell where it is coming from, but it isn't noticeably one side or the other.

It does it whether under braking or not, it does it whether under power or freewheeling. It's noticeable at most speeds, and is definitely road speed related rather then engine speed, as there is no change in the loudness or tone when I change up or down gear, but it does slow down as the car slows down & then stops when the car is stationary. There's no noticeable performance or handling issues as far as I can tell.

The car had a replacement (2nd hand) gearbox and new clutch 2 years ago https://www.mr2roc.org/forum/index.php?topic=59669.msg696286#msg696286 It does appear to be using some oil & has a bit of an "oily" smell. It is just about to pass 150,000 miles next time I take it out.

Some Google searches have suggested tyres or wheel bearings, but I've checked for bearing play & there didn't seem to be any, and the tyres have pretty even looking tread wear.

Any ideas/suggestions?

[Ardent]

Until I got to your last sentence I was going to suggest tyres.

And perhaps still do.

You say they have even tread wear. Which is good.
Could you elaborate on brand and age.

Where are you based?
Just thinking is a quick swapsie with someone elses, just to rule them out.

Bought a car (golf) with some lovely polished rims. Looked the muts nuts.
But clearly previous owner had spent all the cash on the rims and fitted the cheapest nastiest ting tong plastic ditch finder tyres known to mankind.
Truly utterly awful in every respect. you would swear every bearing was shot.
Swapped out to rainsports. Hey presto.

[mrzwei]

to eliminate front wheel bearings, drive the car on a safe bit of straight road and waggle the steering wheel quite vigorously from left to right. If on one turn the noise gets quieter then a bearing is at fault. It will be the bearing on the side that is opposite to the direction of the turn (the unloaded wheel). There must be an easier way of saying that! 

Otherwise, agree about a tyre issue.

[mr2garageswindon]

Jack up the rear end, put on decent stands and drive thru the gears. If the noise is still there you know its from the rear. Most likely gearbox bearings but hopefully not.
If the gearbox does sound noisy drain the oil and inspect for swarf  in the oil.
It could even be the drivers side driveshaft support bearing, with the wheels spinning up on the stands you can use a screwdriver against your ear and place where the noise is loudest from.
It should confirm or rule out most things.
Good luck.

[MikeJD]

Could you elaborate on brand and age.

Falken ZE914, not sure about age, have to check later, but one rear is newer than the rest as I had a nail in the old one

Where are you based?
Just thinking is a quick swapsie with someone elses, just to rule them out.

Near Alton, Hampshire

And listening to the noise today, I think it's coming from behind me, so front wheel bearings less likely.

[1979scotte]

Nothing wrong with ZE914 common choice

[Carolyn]

Drive it a few miles and see if any of the hubs are warm/hot.

Also check for worn brake pads,  The wear sensor can make that noise when rubbing on the disc.

The putting it through the gears on jack-stands is also worthwhile.

[Ardent]

Looking less like tyres. Had the falkens very happy with them. Agree with Scott, Popular choice here.
Bit of a straw clutch here. But, one is newer than the others.
Is the pressure correct? Many stories on here, tyre fitters notoriously inflate incorrectly.
Might as well check them all. 26F 32R

[MikeJD]

Thanks for all the tips so far, going to try to investigate at the weekend.

When putting the rear up on stands, where is the best place to position the stands?

[Carolyn]

Make sure they are SOLID jack-stands. 

This is my preferred spot:  it is where the rear suspension trailing arm attaches to the chassis.

[Carolyn]

However, before you do that, you can check this with the wheels on and the car on the ground.

The wear indicator looks like a spring clip.  you can stick your finger through the wheel and feel if it's touching the disc.

It's the greyish springly looking thing in the centre of the pic:

[MikeJD]

OK, so after a bit of a delay in finding the time to check the car, I've had a look today.

Checked the brake pad wear sensors, and the pads are fine. Have also previously checked & no sign of warm/hot hubs.

Jacked the rear of the car up and put it on stands. Started it up & went through the gears. The noise was definitely still there, it became more obvious once into 3rd and 4th. Almost sounded louder/more obvious from inside the car, but then I suppose that's the only way I've heard it before! Can rule out tyres anyway.

To be honest, my stands are OK-ish, but not the most heavy duty looking ones so I wasn't confident at getting underneath the car to try to pinpoint exactly where the noise was coming from using a screwdriver against my ear as suggested. But I think it may well have been from the offside driveshaft support bearing - it definitely sounded like that side & that area rather than the other side. But I think I'm going to need a more expert opinion!

If it does prove to be the bearing, how hard is it to change it? What's involved, and do I need any special tools etc if I attempt it myself? Or ............ how costly if I have to get a professional to do it?

Any thoughts/advice welcome!

[Joesson]

https://www.mr2roc.org/forum/index.php?topic=50037.msg723820#msg723820

The link above is about the leak I had from the inner drive shaft boot and the emulsified / runny fluid that the lubricating grease had become.
If the grease had not been replaced I could believe that the bearing would eventually be damaged.
I understand from what I've read on here that removal and replacement is doable with some ability and the right tools.
Two pairs of axle stands that you can trust would set you back about 1 hours labour cost from a garage employed to do the job for you.*
A trawl through "search" on here and some advice from those that have done it should help you decide if it's for you.

*amendment - axle stands are cheaper than I remembered them to be!

[MikeJD]

Apologies for the radio silence, but finally I have sorted out the awful noise from the MR2, and it turned out to be rear wheel bearings.

To cut a long story short, I found a small independent garage near where I work, Harrington Autos in Farlington (near Portsmouth). They are all Toyota trained. Took the car out for a quick test drive, and almost straight away the guy said it sounded like wheel bearings. They've done both of them, as both were bad.

I'd said that there didn't seem to be any play in them, but apparently it isn't unusual (confirmed by a bit of Googling) for worn bearings to become noisy without any obvious play in the wheel. A tip I was given to check them (I didn't try this) is to jack the car up, spin the wheel & hold the coil spring with one hand. You may feel the vibration through the spring from the rough bearing.

[Joesson]

I guess the same "vibration test" could also be used on the front bearings.