Rumble noise and sharp metallic sound

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Rumble noise and sharp metallic sound

Post by SeanScot »

Hi folks

There’s a rumbling noise on our 87 19RD that I wonder is wheel bearings but sounds a metallic clatter coming from rear passenger side that can’t fathom at all. Any ideas?
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Jaba
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Re: Rumble noise and sharp metallic sound

Post by Jaba »

Difficult to say from here but the things that get noisy are the wheel bearings and rear arm bearings. But yours does not describe a typical bearing noise. Has the roll bar or something else come loose at the back end. Is the subframe securely attached to solid fixings. What about the exhaust.
Have a good look around if you haven't already.
Clues might be does it happen turning left and/or right, negotiating a speed bump, is it speed related.
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Re: Rumble noise and sharp metallic sound

Post by rutter123 »

Is the exhaust secure? If the rear hanger has come adrift-as they all so often do, the exhaust box can hit against the rear axle but usually heard more when taking a right turn. Try bouncing the car to see if you can hear anything
A clicking or clonking would usually denote rear arm bearings failing and the wheels sitting a bit thus /~\
A rumbling could be wheel bearings, Jack each corner up and spin the wheel, tho it can be deceiving it could be a front wheel bearing or if yours is a mk1 subframe bushes/bearings.
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Re: Rumble noise and sharp metallic sound

Post by Dave_16v »

Is it road surface dependent? I find clatter noises often show up on surfaces where the tarmac needs repair and causes the suspension to bounce quickly repetitively. For example, brake pads can clatter in the calipers if the retaining springs are worn but it doesn't necessarily reveal anything on smooth but uneven road. I am not saying it's that but it may help if you can identify when it happens the most.

If it's constant on any surface simply from forward movement, then I could understand you wondering if it's a bearing but that's usually a whine, often coming and going with speed or a grind if really bad. Unless it is bad, it's not always easy to tell just by jacking up because there is no load on the wheel and parts are held in place by eachother so even wheel wobble is not evident. Sometimes, you can identify a bearing issue on bends with more or less load on the offending side, the sound comes and goes, not always but often.

Check all the above suggestions but knowing when it happens most might help.

Just a thought, check the spare wheel area, cage and jack.
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Re: Rumble noise and sharp metallic sound

Post by thorter »

Check the tin brake backplates still have all three attachments, and are not free to vibrate against other metal.
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Re: Rumble noise and sharp metallic sound

Post by David »

It's difficult to say without seeing the car, but from your description, I think that it could be the wheel bearing. It's possible that the bearing is wobbling about & the wheel is hitting the brake back plate too.

Bear in mind that it could be a defective wheel bearing and something else failing too; which could also be causing noises separately from a bearing.

Also, something that's often overlooked, check your tyres. I've seen it before now when the tyre has been out of shape, and it's sounded like a worn bearing when it's simply a tyre. Run your hand across it & make sure that it's smooth.

Jack the car up, have a look underneath & let us know what you find. It might be worth depressurising the hydraulics and checking the rear arm bearings too, just for peace of mind.

Hope that helps.
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