'Wha Wha Wha' What do you think it is?

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B

BlaydonDisco

Member
Posts
10
Location
London
Hi Folks.
I have noticed a 'Wha Wha Wha' noise in time with the wheels are turning. It seems a little louder when the steering is turned but can be heard in a straight line. It is most noticeable at slower speeds, but that could just be the absence of wind noise. The old girl has done 150,000 miles.
I am thinking front diff, as there was no sign of wheel bearing problems when it went for MOT. It seems in time with the wheels turning 1:1 rather than faster, so perhaps not prop shaft - though of course I am open to suggestions.

Thanks for looking, and hopefully thanks for your ideas.
D
 
Start at the easy points first ie wheel bearings and move on from there, ignore the mot certificate as that only applies on the day it was done.

Are all the oil levels correct? is there any silvering of the oils?

What model/year disco?
 
Probably Wheel bearings, but could be diff bearings , as you drive straight does the noise increase and decrease when you go lock to lock ? If it does it’s most likely wheel bearings if not more likely diff bearings,
Check oil in diff and hubs for contamination first,
Lynall beat me too it:)
 
Hi there - it is a 2003, TD5. The noise increases when you put lock on, more to the left than right.
I will get under it and check oil levels and gunge levels. Is the hub oil the same as the final drive?
I had to change the rear diff a while back when the centre pinion snapped - now that was a fun noise!
 
BlaydonDisco said:
Hi there - it is a 2003, TD5. The noise increases when you put lock on, more to the left than right.
I will get under it and check oil levels and gunge levels. Is the hub oil the same as the final drive?
I had to change the rear diff a while back when the centre pinion snapped - now that was a fun noise!
Click to expand...


I think td5 front hubs are a grease hub pretty much like any other car, the diff is standard 75/80/90 oil and probably exactly the same as the rear unit?
Wheel bearings can be funny buggers, they can have no play yet make a noise!
 
If the noise increase when you put a left lock on it usually means a wheel bearing on the offside needs looking at,
Quite simply one wheel is going slower than the other in a turn so is quieter than the other going faster with more load on it,
 
On a TD5 wheel bearings going dodgy often set off the 3 amigos, have you checked simple stuff like brake discs being out of true? Tyres all OK? CV joints? (They usually make more noise on full lock.)
Oil is in the diff and goes up the axle to the hub seal, no special hub oil.
+1 to all the above.
Best of luck.
 
Hi There, No sign of the three friends - I haven't had them for ages - touch wood. A few years ago I ended up changing hubs to get rid of them.
There is not difference with braking but it could be the CV joint. It doesn't seem to get worse on full lock, but I will check.
When I mess about with it this weekend I will swap the wheels front to back to see if that changes anything.
Thanks
D
 
BlaydonDisco said:
Hi There, No sign of the three friends - I haven't had them for ages - touch wood. A few years ago I ended up changing hubs to get rid of them. We've been there!
There is not difference with braking but it could be the CV joint. It doesn't seem to get worse on full lock, but I will check.
When I mess about with it this weekend I will swap the wheels front to back to see if that changes anything.
Thanks
D
Click to expand...
I have had a seized CV joint which gave a weird noise. On a Vauxhall Corsa. God that's going back a bit.
anyway, easy enough to check.
Best of luck with it all.
But the front prop shafts are prone to problems.
 
BlaydonDisco said:
Hi There, No sign of the three friends - I haven't had them for ages - touch wood. A few years ago I ended up changing hubs to get rid of them.
There is not difference with braking but it could be the CV joint. It doesn't seem to get worse on full lock, but I will check.
When I mess about with it this weekend I will swap the wheels front to back to see if that changes anything.
Thanks
D
Click to expand...


Maybe the new hubs were not the best quality? I had a front one on my D3 fail after 15k, it was a cheapie!
 
BlaydonDisco said:
Could be - running the car on a teacher's wage while keeping the family going, in London, I have lived off Ebay for years.
Click to expand...
Teaching in Lunnen?
I take my hat and...well... other stuff... off to you.
Having taught in Dorset for 34 years.
Don't know how you do it mate even if you are in one of them posh skools!:):):):)
 
BlaydonDisco said:
No not a posh one - my hair has all fallen out so I couldn't pull my forelock.
I work in Special Schools, so have been in work all of this last year.
Click to expand...
Special Schools?
Still take my hat off to you.
I could never do that, despite that fact that 25% of our kids were statemented in one way or another. Walking along a passage was "dodge the wheelchair".
Any further on with the problem?:):):)
 
Hi there, I looked yesterday - dodging the rain.
I could not check the oil as the filler plug is plastic and would not shift - I have ordered a replacement in brass.
Jacking up the OSF wheel, there is a rumble as it turns. This could be either the hub bearing or the diff. Looking through the 'I really should have chucked this out but it seems too good to go' shelf in the garage, I found an old hub. The seal is poor which is why I changed it. I will pop that on over the weekend and see if the noise changes. Then it will be new hub, or second hand diff. I checked the rear diff too, there is a lot of whiplash on it, so maybe I might be brave and get a pair.
D
 
BlaydonDisco said:
Hi there, I looked yesterday - dodging the rain.
I could not check the oil as the filler plug is plastic and would not shift - I have ordered a replacement in brass.
Jacking up the OSF wheel, there is a rumble as it turns. This could be either the hub bearing or the diff. Looking through the 'I really should have chucked this out but it seems too good to go' shelf in the garage, I found an old hub. The seal is poor which is why I changed it. I will pop that on over the weekend and see if the noise changes. Then it will be new hub, or second hand diff. I checked the rear diff too, there is a lot of whiplash on it, so maybe I might be brave and get a pair.
D
Click to expand...
Those plastic plugs are an abomination aren't they? When I took mine out I found that you had to sort of twist them a bit then relax, then do it again. At first I saw no discernible movement but eventually they did move. But totally unnatural, not sure but think I did them with a spanner not a screwdriver. Maybe a combination of both?
Best of luck, mate!:)
 
Get someone to spin wheels by hand and you have a listen through long screwdriver this should allow you to pinpoint where the noise is coming from. Did this on my freelander 2 when garage said it was rear diff.. turned out to be rear passenger wheel bearing.
 
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