96_xj

I am not sure if there is excessive wheel noise or the beginning of a bad wheel bearing.

Btw i have rotated my tires and the noise has not changed.

It is coming from the same front passenger side as before.

it is the pulsing sound. it will pulse, and when i turn it speeds up.

I tried to get the best audio that i could.

let me know what you think please

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=http:...?v=rDP4DLfedg8

XJeepWerks

The only thing I could hear in your video was what sounds like loud tires, but maybe i'm mistaken. Can you describe the noise? Is it a grinding? Popping? Squeeling? High pitched? Low pitched? Does it change with speed or remain constant once you get up to a decent speed?

96_xj

like i posted above. It will go from a steady tire noise and then it will pulse.

(listen to the tire noise as that is what is pulsing)

The tighter the turn the faster the pulse.

so it will go from(excuse me trying to type it out):

wwwwwwaaaaaaaahhhhhh-wwwwwaaaaaahhhhh-wwwwwwaaaaaahhhhh (slow)


to


wwwaaahh-wwwaahh-wwwaaahhh (faster)

again i have rotated my tires and the noise is still in the front passenger side of the jeep

XJeepWerks

Just watched your video again with the volume up louder and I hear the pulsing you are talking about now. Sounds like a bad wheel bearing to me, as you mentioned. Easiest way to test a wheel bearing is to try and rock the wheel/tire both on the ground and in the air. There shouldn't be any play in the wheel at all. If you are looking for a good replacement wheel bearing, I would recommend a Timken wheel bearing/hub assembly. I am running them on both sides of my front axle and they appear to be well built with quality parts both out of the box and after being installed. They are also very good with honoring their warranty. (Ask me how I know)

96_xj

i should have included this information.


there is ZERO play in the wheel bearing when doing the "clock and rock" method.

so maybe my bearings are pitted??

either way its a sealed unit so i guess pitted or play in the bearing it still needs to be replaced.... UH!


anyone else feel free to chime in please


and thank you kopecki

XJeepWerks

Glad to help.


Have you been through any mud or water crossings in the last couple of months? I've had bearings get a little bit of water in them and rust up inside. A rusty wheel bearing will howl like a lost puppy. The rusty ones usually grind aswell as howl though, but every one of them is different.

96_xj

you mean like this?

btw i was towing the TJ out in the first pic i was not the one stuck


i never go mudding. maybe once a year

XJeepWerks

Yea, that'll do it. Depending on how deep you got, you might also want to check your differential pressure valve things to make sure their not clogged, the diff fluid, and the condition of the fluids in your transmission and transfer case. Better to check them now before the water that's possibly in there can do any more damage. And a word of advise... Buy two wheel bearings because the drivers side will most likely soon follow the passenger sides' failure. Again, better to replace it now then have it break at the most inconvenient time physically possible.

I love mudding, it's an absolute blast to do, but unless you're set up for it, it will destroy every part it can. Any type of seal, rubber, or bushing is bound to eventually fail due to frequent mud exposure. Not to mention the water that will seep into all the places you don't want it (Like your wheel bearings.) I'm not saying don't go mudding, but atleast be prepared to replace parts when you do. But look on the bright side, the more you replace, the less that will fail in the future.

96_xj

all of my fluids are fine. I am **** about that aspect of my jeep. btw that was 3000 miles of highway driving ago

And i put all new vent lines going to the engine bay when i first bought my jeep.

good advice tho.

XJeepWerks

Mud also does a good number on wiper blades which people often look over. That is why I buy the cheap $4.99 valucraft deals at Autozone =) They work just as well as your average mid-grade wiper blade, but don't last as long. The lifespan of wiper blades isn't really long enough for the mud to really effect the rubber on the windshield wipers, but the mud is very coarse and puts small nicks in the blade which will grow into pretty large nicks within a fairly short amount of time. I can go mudding with cheap blades on it and not feel as if I threw away $12 a blade. They are only $5, if I get 2 months out of them I am satisfied, anything more than that and I am happy with them. I put $32/blade gel blade on the Jeep once which were absolutely amazing, but I felt like an idiot the first time I went wheeling with them. I would never remember to change my wiper blades every time I went mudding, but maybe that would be a good option for other people.

XJeepWerks

Good thing you did that. I want to do that mod with mine but the valves themselves on my differentials are clogged and I can't find them anywhere. Probably because I have no idea what they are called, I just know what they are there for. I took the Jeep mudding a lot in the past and wasn't aware of that being a problem. I have since learned and have blown both of my diff seals because of it building heat pressure. Oh well, you live and you learn.

CAEMI

Wheel bearings. I just read a blurb yesterday on this forum that a guy did the round the clock wiggle and found NO play, pulled the wheel bearing and it fell apart in his hands.

TrekkerJmm

Could be wheel or pinion bearing. I just did my wheel bearings and now have another wowowowowo noise so it must be my pinion bearing...Tj

CAEMI

Good one - pinion bearing. I've heard that exact sound from one before. With all the mud he's into, that could be it. Sand, rubber seal, grinding gears. Oh yeah. And driveshaft angles could change the pitch and frequency.

96_xj

well to test whether or not it is the pinion bearing i am going to pull the front DS off and drive it around.

The fact that it is on the right passenger side and not the driver side has me leaning towards wheel bearings....

you can hear it while in the car that its the passenger side, and the camera i used have 2 mic's and the right mike was the one picking up majority of the noise. I noticed that when i uploaded the video in my editor