Now I'm stumped!!

Just finished swapping the rear diff on my vehicle for a new item. Filled with oil and taken for a test drive and still I have the original noise.

What else could it be?? Wheel bearings??

Anybody got any ideas?? I know its hard to distuingiush without having a look, but I have a droning noise that appears at about 30MPH and gets quite noisey at 50+. It can be felt resonating through the body panels.

Any ideas folks??

sounds like tyres to me

Sounds like tyres . . . .same all round, not more than 20%wear difference tween all the set,have er good look

ming said:

Sounds like tyres . . . .same all round, not more than 20%wear difference tween all the set,have er good look

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I have changed the tyres round and the noise is better. (im running 2wd and all tyres are the same make and 9mm rear and 8mm front)

I do still have a noise from the rear, but its a lot quieter than before.

I'm using Michelin XPC's (block tread)

Anyone got any further ideas?? Do the rear bearings or rear driveshafts wear??

I'm looking at the high milers here - what have you replaced / experienced??

Regards,

Steve

G13SJC said:

Just finished swapping the rear diff on my vehicle for a new item. Filled with oil and taken for a test drive and still I have the original noise.

What else could it be?? Wheel bearings??

Anybody got any ideas?? I know its hard to distuingiush without having a look, but I have a droning noise that appears at about 30MPH and gets quite noisey at 50+. It can be felt resonating through the body panels.

Any ideas folks??

Click to expand...

droning noise does sound like wheel bearings, you need to jack it up and spin the wheels up and hopefully you'll be able to hear the noise. Diff's tend to whine rather than drone.

Riggaz

G13SJC said:

I have changed the tyres round and the noise is better. (im running 2wd and all tyres are the same make and 9mm rear and 8mm front)

I do still have a noise from the rear, but its a lot quieter than before.

I'm using Michelin XPC's (block tread)

Anyone got any further ideas?? Do the rear bearings or rear driveshafts wear??

I'm looking at the high milers here - what have you replaced / experienced??

Regards,

Steve

Click to expand...

Wheel bearings do wear pal and so do cv joints in driveshafts but cv joints click or knock when they're worn whereas bearings make a similar noise to what you have, jack it up and spin the wheels and check them for play

Riggaz

riggaz said:

Wheel bearings do wear pal and so do cv joints in driveshafts but cv joints click or knock when they're worn whereas bearings make a similar noise to what you have, jack it up and spin the wheels and check them for play

Riggaz

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Thanks Fella, get paid in 2 days, so will have another look and get some parts ordered

Regards,

Steve

Its your tyres without a doubt, just because tyres are the same type they can be made a different times, sometimes months/years apart and this can make a difference to how each tyre performs.
Tyres should be matched the build date of the tyres is printed on the side in a code, this web page should help you work out when your tyres where made.
Car Bibles : The Wheel and Tyre Bible Page 1 of 2

I have seen this on several Freelanders and Saabs in particular. Rumbling at speeds above 50 MPH or the car pulling in either direction have all been down to poor tyres.

My wifes TD4 roared at speeds over 60mph and i thought soemthing major was wrong, i swapped all 4 tyres for another brand and the car was perfect again, i couldnt believe the tyres would cause such problems.
There where also a block tread pattern which is what you are running.

i had similar problems with mine at one point, i found you needed to put the tyres with more tread on the front.

You could feel it slipping in and out of 4wd all the time, and ofcourse the noise, so it obviously assumed because the front wheels were turning more that the rears that you were in trouble.

ffs how can it be the tyres when its in 2wd?

In my experience nothing is definate until the part or repair has been done, there is a known problem of prop shaft centre bearings, rear wheel bearing and transfer box all giving noise and/or excessive rear tyre wear. Dont go buying new tyres just yet, do some checks first.

Riggaz

Thanks for all the suggestions folks,

Took it to a main dealer yesterday evening and they have diagnosed rear wheel bearings. (1 side)

It was noticable (just) when on a ramp and the back wheels were spun, there was a slight noise similar to then brake shoes are just coming into contact with the hub.

Dealer price £246 per side, hence i'm looking for a cheaper alternative.

Did I read £160 on these forums??

Regards,

Steve

Boxer said:

ffs how can it be the tyres when its in 2wd?

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So all 4 tyres dont come into contact with the road then if its only 2WD ?

Being 2WD or 4WD will have nothing to do with the noise generated from tyres. Unless you know something we dont. Maybe his front tyres float

I used a spare set of wheels and tyres to prove my problem with the rumbling at speed before replacing all 4 tyres.

Hi
My rear is rumbling a lot on tight bends ... several comments point to the tyres and it being a design fault (1999 L Series diesel). Has anybody got another suggestion, cause it must be something worn... has anybody replaced rear diff mounts?
J

yup - thousands - do a search.

Are the tyres featherd , ie wareing the wrong way round. swap the wheels left to right on the same axle.
this cured my noise.
Worth a try mate

mick

clearrock said:

Hi
My rear is rumbling a lot on tight bends ... several comments point to the tyres and it being a design fault (1999 L Series diesel). Has anybody got another suggestion, cause it must be something worn... has anybody replaced rear diff mounts?
J

Click to expand...

Check that your diff is not moving and fouling the fuel tank metal protector. This can cause a grinding noise and wear through the plate.

My front mount had disintegrated, so I replaced. (actually ordered all three, but didnt need too.)

My rumbling was solved with new rear wheel bearings -avoid the dealer as they charge £246 per side. An independent garage will do both sides for £160 - £180.

Hope this is useful, not sure about the inherent design fault - seems like a wear and tear issue to me.

Block tread tyres always make a drumming sound (as the blocks hit the road ) ask anybody using aggresive offroad tyres. Series and defender owners forum will probably have info about it. Try and borrow a set of road wheel and tyres to try before buying anything.