Wheels/Tyres: Droning noise - wheel bearings?

[dr90]

Originally Posted by timh30

Bearings don't need to be replaced in pairs. They are somewhat different in that respect to brake and suspension components, which will alter the characteristics/cause an imbalance if only one side is replaced - that is not the case with wheel bearings.

While it may not be necessary to change the bearings in pairs its is very wise to do so. If one bearing has worn then the bearing on the other side will have done more or less the same mileage (unless it was changed); so it's likely to have significant wear.

So while you're working on the car you might as well as both - think of it as preventative maintenance.

[raife]

Originally Posted by dr90

While it may not be necessary to change the bearings in pairs its is very wise to do so. If one bearing has worn then the bearing on the other side will have done more or less the same mileage (unless it was changed); so it's likely to have significant wear.

So while you're working on the car you might as well as both - think of it as preventative maintenance.

Whilst i agree with you in the main, while your dirty and have the tools out you might as well do them BUT bearings can fail due to water ingress not just wear and tear. Its £100 in your pocket if you think ones ok..... for a few more months anyway!

EDIT....... but if you are not doing them yourself I am sure there is time/money beefits of getting the pair done at the same time in the stealers!

[timh30]

Originally Posted by raife

Whilst i agree with you in the main, while your dirty and have the tools out you might as well do them BUT bearings can fail due to water ingress not just wear and tear. Its £100 in your pocket if you think ones ok..... for a few more months anyway!

EDIT....... but if you are not doing them yourself I am sure there is time/money beefits of getting the pair done at the same time in the stealers!

That's the point here, these bearings are not cheap (especially so if you have a main dealer replacing them). The fact one has failed in my experience has no bearing (pardon the pun) on the other bearings. I've not had many bearings changed over the years, but the ones I have done were all on the near side (kerb side) which I put down to to pot holes etc being more prevalent on that side. If you have money to splash then by all means replace the pair - or even all four as preventative maintenance! But the reality is, you don't need to do this.

[derek 3024]

i to have a strange rotational niose from the back end started a few days ago while doing 70mph suddenly a loud ticking /rattleling niose could be heard was quite
loud so i pulled over to investigate but couldent see anything obvious.
ticking/rotational niose continues now but not as loud as in the first instance.
i thought it was the heat shield above the back box but niose still there after i removed heat shield.
doesent seem to make the niose in reverse but can only drive slow in reverse
it does get louder with speed
the nios sound like this; tick tick tick tick as a rotational sound.
any help would great its really annoying.
could it be propshaft/diff /drive shaft?
thanks in advance derek

[TruckbusUK]

Originally Posted by derek 3024

i to have a strange rotational niose from the back end started a few days ago while doing 70mph suddenly a loud ticking /rattleling niose could be heard was quite
loud so i pulled over to investigate but couldent see anything obvious.
ticking/rotational niose continues now but not as loud as in the first instance.
i thought it was the heat shield above the back box but niose still there after i removed heat shield.
doesent seem to make the niose in reverse but can only drive slow in reverse
it does get louder with speed
the nios sound like this; tick tick tick tick as a rotational sound.
any help would great its really annoying.
could it be propshaft/diff /drive shaft?
thanks in advance derek

Any vibration? ... check you tyre carcass ... could be worn tyre, a steel core braid touching the tarmac road surface can cause a clicking sound .... dont run your hand round the tyre, if it is a steel braid, it will slash your hand open .. worth a check, or it could be a nail etc

Hope it helps

[Arianne]

Hi guys,

I'm swithering on whether to have a go at replacing the wheel bearing myself......

On the plus side:

• there's a great step-by-step generic video on YouTube but it's not an XC90
• it doesn't look too hard
• you guys have done it and you seem to be suggesting it's feasible if you'rre patient and have some decent tools

On the downside:

• there's only one step-by-step guide I've found on this site and it's pretty basic
• there's no photo step-by-step guide on this site
• some folk have experienced real problems gaining access to some of the bolts
• some folk have stripped the bolts trying to release them due to the corrosion and/or tightness of previous fitting
• the earlier step-by-step guide doesn't cover the other elements that need to be removed in order to gain sufficient access for torque bars etc. So it looks like that guide was oversimplistic

I've done some basic repairs following the guide on this site (BestGear stuff was 10/10), I am prepared to be patient, take my time and invest some modest cash in acquiring some necessary extra tools that I can use again & again to save money in the future.

But I don't want to bite off more than I can chew and screw up with a wheel in the air, the car on stands and unable to get it along to a dealer if I've done some irreversable damage to the bolts / bearings of drive shaft etc.

Any thoughts or opinions?

Can you direct me to any step-by-step guide that is quality assured in the real world?

David

[RoyMacDonald]

Originally Posted by Arianne

Folks,

Thanks for the replies, really.

I read Raife's post about tyre stepping. I popped out to run my hand across the rear tyres and I can't detect anything odd. The wear is uniform in a linear direction (length ways) but the outside edges are noticibly more worn than the inner edges - not crazy but noticable.

But all four are now well worn. They're Nokian NRVi. The rears are worn to between 2-3mm so are nearly finished. I was hoping to nurse them through to October and then get a complete new set of winters.

I am now thinking that I should change the tyres first, before tackling the wheel bearing. Maybe the 'god of motoring' will smile on us and it'll be the droning of the worn tyres rather than the bearings? We will need to change the tyres anyway so nothing will be lost.

Any thoughts?

As I can't wear out my Vredstien Wintrac 4 Extremes I'm eBaying them, so they might suit you as you do a lot more miles than me. Photos here. http://www.volvoforums.org.uk/showpo...&postcount=547

All the best.

Roy

[Arianne]

Roy,

Four Bridgestone Blizzaks LM-80 'appeared' in my garage late last week from a DPD van with best wishes from LoveTyres.com

But thanks for the suggestion.

David

[RoyMacDonald]

Originally Posted by Arianne

Roy,

Four Bridgestone Blizzaks LM-80 'appeared' in my garage late last week from a DPD van with best wishes from LoveTyres.com

But thanks for the suggestion.

David

Be interesting to see how they compare with the 75,000 + miles the Vredstiens are capable of.

It's notoriously difficult to diagnose which wheel bearing is making a noise. I'm guessing if it's a droning noise that it's one of the rears. It was in my case. The front one made a screeching noise. Make sure they use the complete bearing kit. i.e. with the new seals.

All the best.

Roy

[Arianne]

Roy,

On the basis that I have approx. 112k on our XC90 and we were on the second set of Pirelli Scorpion Snow & Ice fronts / first set of rears, I think I can safely say that your record with the Wintracs should be safe! Bearing in mind that about half of the mileage we've done would have been on summer tyres.

OUr Volvo dealer is doing the tyre swap on Thursday and I've asked them to have a listen to the wheel bearings while they've got the car jacked up and all four wheels off. Hopefully, they'll be well placed to confirm if it's a wheel bearing(s) and which one.

Best wishes, David