Well, I went to head out of town to pick up a friend that was stranded. And right before I got onto the highway, I heard this weird noise coming from the front right of the car... This is the best that I can describe it:

-Rumbly/wobbly/rubbing noise

It only occurs under these conditions:

-Letting off the gas, while in gear. (Coasting in gear)
-Going into neutral/engaging the clutch while coasting.
-Only VERY noticable from 30MPH+ (Noticable at lower speeds, but you have to listen VERRRRRY closely)

And it goes away under these conditions:

-Accelerating
-Braking
-Sharp turns (i.e I would be coasting, the noise would be there, I would jerk the wheel sharply and it would go away while the wheel was jerked. And come right back when I started going straight again)

What's weird is, it sounds really burly... But the car rides straight as can be, and is vibration free. If I were def, I wouldn't know anything was wrong.

Anyway, as I got back into town, I closed the windows, turned the music off, and started listening closely. When I'm at a dead stop, and I get going (Turning right), I hear almost a clunk/thud noise for the first wheel rotation or so.

So what do you guys think? Wheel bearing? Something with the braking system?

I'm really at a loss of what it could be... This sucks, the Prelude's down, and I'm not driving the Integra. Sweet, I'm driving the delivery van for the next few days.

 

Check the front pads.

 

Was it coming from only one side; drivers or passenger. Mileage?

I really don't know but it might help knowing those things.

As zygspeed said check your pads, also maybe check to make sure your calipers are still torqued down and have no play.

Ali

 

Front right, so that would be passenger side. Sorry, mileage is right under 93,000 miles.

I'm checking the pads tomorrow morning... I'm taking it all apart to install my camber kit anyway, so I may as well.

I'll report back in the morning.

What do you guys think the likelyhood is of it being the wheel bearing? I really hope that's not the case... I don't feel like messing with that.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by GO-FIGHT-KILL &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">What do you guys think the likelyhood is of it being the wheel bearing? I really hope that's not the case... I don't feel like messing with that.</TD></TR></TABLE>

Its possible, but I've noticed some noises similar to what you've mentioned when my pads up front were really thin (and moving around easily when the piston retracted).

One way to check that might be to tap the brakes (or apply some slight pressure) when its noisy and see if it has an effect (on quieting it down).

 

i was kinda thinking wheel bearing as well, esp. from the noise you hear

 

^ Why would the noise stop when I break then? That's what confuses me so much. If the car was vibrating, and the noise was constant, I'd definately think wheel bearing. But it's not. Strange.

 

Just a data point, I was getting similar noises from the front d-side of my wagon at highway speeds. If I whaled on the brakes, it would go away for a while. I thought for sure it was the wheel bearing.

Turns out my outboard pad was just about gone. I swapped pads, and the noise came back after a few weeks. Turns out a piston on that side is sticky/frozen, and has already worn out the replacement pad.

I'll be swapping some turbo brakes on this weekend.

 

... Christ, that sounds about right. I had the same problem with my rear driver side brake caliper. The Damn piston is frozen, and will only retract in about 50%.

I bet that's what it is... That could also explain why it's so hard to get moving in my car. I always feel like I'm driving with the E-Brake partially up.

Going to check that now.

 

I'm thinking wheel bearing, but check your pads, calipers and axle nut...

 

Guys... If the car's on jackstands, in first gear, with the engine off. The wheels shouldn't spin freely... Should they.

I'm starting to think that bad third gear miss when I first had the car that gave me all those problems, is starting to bring **** back up.

 

The wheels will spin freely on jackstands in any gear... are they going in the opposite directions?9

 

No, first gear, the wheels should not spin forward. And when I say freely, I mean freely.

 

I'm saying that the wheels WILL spin freely in any gear. To make sure your LSD is working correctly, if you spin one wheel clockwise, the other should be spinning the opposite directionl....

 

Well maybe that's the problem then... My car's on jackstands right now, it was in first gear, and I couldn't spin the passenger side wheel. Where as the driver side spins freely. (Engine NOT running)

In neutral, with the engine running, the wheels don't spin. In second gear with the engine running, both wheels spin forward.

... Might make sense. When I missed third really hard when I first got the car (Two weeks after I had it), I've had a whining ever since. I had all the bearings replaced (Differential, countershafts, mainshaft) when it happened, and the whining remained. The reputable mechanic that did the work, said he checked the gears, the shafts, and everything looked great.

The one thing he didn't check, was the differential... I wonder if that's what's been giving me my noise problems?

 

would a bad differential make any noise though? or would you just feel it not working correctly while cornering?

you cant spin the wheels at all when the car is in N?

I hate these kinds of problems. too many factors involved and impossible to diagnose because usually you have to be driving to duplicate the problem

 

^ When the car's in neutral, I can spin both wheels freely. But when the car's in gear (Engine off), I can't spin the passenger side, but the driver side spins free as can be.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by GO-FIGHT-KILL &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">^ When the car's in neutral, I can spin both wheels freely. But when the car's in gear (Engine off), I can't spin the passenger side, but the driver side spins free as can be.

</TD></TR></TABLE>

that makes me think clapper/pad problem, and possible diff problem. maybe 2 issues occuring here?

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by RTW DC2R &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">would a bad differential make any noise though? or would you just feel it not working correctly while cornering?

you cant spin the wheels at all when the car is in N?

I hate these kinds of problems. too many factors involved and impossible to diagnose because usually you have to be driving to duplicate the problem </TD></TR></TABLE>

It all depends how the lsd failed..

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by GO-FIGHT-KILL &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Well maybe that's the problem then... My car's on jackstands right now, it was in first gear, and I couldn't spin the passenger side wheel. Where as the driver side spins freely. (Engine NOT running)

In neutral, with the engine running, the wheels don't spin. In second gear with the engine running, both wheels spin forward.

... Might make sense. When I missed third really hard when I first got the car (Two weeks after I had it), I've had a whining ever since. I had all the bearings replaced (Differential, countershafts, mainshaft) when it happened, and the whining remained. The reputable mechanic that did the work, said he checked the gears, the shafts, and everything looked great.

The one thing he didn't check, was the differential... I wonder if that's what's been giving me my noise problems?</TD></TR></TABLE>

When your car is on jackstands, unless the brakes are applied the wheels should spin with little to no effort. Check the axle on the passenger side, with that type of problem, it will be bovious if the axle is the problem. You might be looking at a bigger problem though.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by walker111 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

It all depends how the lsd failed..

</TD></TR></TABLE>

See Jim, this is where I keep getting conflicting info regarding the diff. People say the diff either fails or it works. that there is no in between, its either broke or works. how much truth is there to that? can it break in more ways than one? my diff and FD are coming out soon.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by walker111 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">When your car is on jackstands, unless the brakes are applied the wheels should spin with little to no effort. Check the axle on the passenger side, with that type of problem, it will be bovious if the axle is the problem. You might be looking at a bigger problem though.</TD></TR></TABLE>

^ We are talking IN GEAR, right? I noticed while spinning the axle by hand, that it did seem quite a bit off axis... Could that be the problem? How in God's name did I bend an axle?

 

The front driveshafts are the same right?
Could you swap them side-to-side and see if the problem follows the axle?

You should be able to test if its the wheel bearing, and you should be able to test if the diff is working.

I have had quite a few suspension noise issues, and it was quite a few different problems.
Bad motor mount on one side caused some noise and vibration, and caused the axle on that side to make noise too. I've also noticed its real hard to tell where the noise is actually coming from.
I would swear I had a noise in the same spot as you but someone outside the car listening found it in a different spot (on the other side of the car!)

 

Ryan, I'm still working on your response.... I am however a believer in "it either works or it doesnt...

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by GO-FIGHT-KILL &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

^ We are talking IN GEAR, right? I noticed while spinning the axle by hand, that it did seem quite a bit off axis... Could that be the problem? How in God's name did I bend an axle? </TD></TR></TABLE>

It probably wouldnt be bent, I've never seen that happen. But the joints might be fubar'd. Try spinning the wheel and listen/feel/think whats causing it not to spin...

I'm talking about whatever you do to get on wheel not to turn and the other to turn freely.. The side that isnt spinning has the bigger problem.

 

Front axles are not the same. The drivers side has a female connection to the half shaft, correct? That passenger side has the male that bones the trans.

&lt;been a while since I've looked at the axles...

 

I have some video coming in the next few minutes... Might help to have some visual aid.