Wheels/Tyres: - Droning noise - wheel bearings?

Arianne · Aug 24th, 2013, 22:03

Hi guys,

We've just returned from a 3,000 mile round trip to Italy but, for most of that journey, we've endured a droning noise from one (or more) of our wheels.

We know it's not the gearbox as, when we depress the clutch, the droning continues (manual gearbox).

We can't work out which wheel(s) are making the sound. Just before we left for our holiday the Volvo dealer completed £400 repairs to strip down and replace rear brake cables, calipers and parts which they said had siezed / jammed on the rear brakes (we asked them to investigate why the parking brake was not holding the car).

We wonder if the heat build up from that problem has caused a wheel bearing failure on one / both of the rear wheels?

Anyway.....

do you think wheel bearings are the problem?
how can we best ascertain which wheel(s) are at fault?
how expensive would it be to fix?
is it better to use our dealer or the family's independent garage (that we use for our Vectra / Peugeot)?

Any help and advice would be much appreciated. Really...

NCS XC90 · Aug 25th, 2013, 12:21

Not much help but I too have the same problem. Oddly I too had a stuck calliper a few months ago and I'm fairly certain the noise is coming from the same side. I was initially worried that the noise was the diff but I'm now certain it’s a wheel bearing. I think its coming from the one that was stuck but there is a little bit of a leap of faith with this. I'll be changing (or trying to change mine next weekend). Will let you know how I get on. Does the drone have a rotational sound to it which speeds up the faster you go?
Neil

galloot633 · Aug 25th, 2013, 15:09

I had a droning wheel bearing last year, as soon as the car was on the lift and the wheels spun it was obvious , os rear, local garage charged £200
dave

Arianne · Aug 25th, 2013, 17:27

Thanks for the replies. Yes, the sound is speed sensitive and builds up the faster we go. It is most intrusive at about 50mph.

£200 is bearable (excuse the pun) but I suspect my Volvo dealer would be way more expensive. I am tempted to use the Indy for this repair. Surely a wheel bearing is the kind of repair that a non-dealer would be able to fix without any problems?

Any thoughts?

raife · Aug 25th, 2013, 18:34

Im in exactly the same position. Sometimes droning can be from "stepped" wear on tyres, especially the rear. You can tell by running your flat palm around the edge of the inner tyre.

Bearings are on ebay for around £80 or £130 for the complete kit.

Im sure there is a thread on here that explains how to do it.

GJB · Aug 25th, 2013, 19:17

Very easy DIY job a how to do is on here somewhere get them from FRF Swansea don't forget to mention web site to get discount if you know if it is front or rear sound travels very well through the chassis so hard to pinpoint which bearing, but once stripped out easy to do.

Arianne · Aug 25th, 2013, 20:14

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?

NCS XC90 · Aug 26th, 2013, 18:41

I waited for fresh tyres and made no difference. Noise getting louder now to the extent I'm pretty sure which side it is. As per the post above when I lift the car and spin the wheel I can here a rub (although it does have a sound of the disk backing plate touching the disk).
If you think its the tyres try swapping the front with the back - I tried this and made no difference either. From a point of view of who should change it, for me its a DIY job (famous last words - can see that drive shaft being welded into the bearing especially sinse it got very hot with a stuck caliper). I don't see a need for it to be completed by Volvo as there's not codes etc to reset - an right up an indy's street if you don't fancy it yourself.
Neil

NCS XC90 · Aug 31st, 2013, 13:59

Well, just changed the drivers side at the back. Took around 2 and a half hours but no real problems. Niose no different. Bit miffed. Looks like it will have to go to a garage as I cannot identify were the niose is coming from.
Neil

raife · Aug 31st, 2013, 18:55

i read online that the nearside rear is a common culprit.

Pretty sure thats where mine is from.

Aug 24th, 2013, 22:03	#1
Arianne Premier Member Last Online: Jan 29th, 2021 20:23 Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Scotland	Droning noise - wheel bearings? Hi guys, We've just returned from a 3,000 mile round trip to Italy but, for most of that journey, we've endured a droning noise from one (or more) of our wheels. We know it's not the gearbox as, when we depress the clutch, the droning continues (manual gearbox). We can't work out which wheel(s) are making the sound. Just before we left for our holiday the Volvo dealer completed £400 repairs to strip down and replace rear brake cables, calipers and parts which they said had siezed / jammed on the rear brakes (we asked them to investigate why the parking brake was not holding the car). We wonder if the heat build up from that problem has caused a wheel bearing failure on one / both of the rear wheels? Anyway..... do you think wheel bearings are the problem? how can we best ascertain which wheel(s) are at fault? how expensive would it be to fix? is it better to use our dealer or the family's independent garage (that we use for our Vectra / Peugeot)? Any help and advice would be much appreciated. Really...

Aug 25th, 2013, 20:14	#7
Arianne Premier Member Last Online: Jan 29th, 2021 20:23 Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Scotland	Perhaps the worn tyres? 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?

Aug 25th, 2013, 12:21	#2
NCS XC90 Member Last Online: Oct 15th, 2018 21:19 Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Warrington	Not much help but I too have the same problem. Oddly I too had a stuck calliper a few months ago and I'm fairly certain the noise is coming from the same side. I was initially worried that the noise was the diff but I'm now certain it’s a wheel bearing. I think its coming from the one that was stuck but there is a little bit of a leap of faith with this. I'll be changing (or trying to change mine next weekend). Will let you know how I get on. Does the drone have a rotational sound to it which speeds up the faster you go? Neil

Aug 25th, 2013, 15:09	#3
galloot633 xc90, volvo number five Last Online: May 1st, 2024 19:49 Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Grappenhall	I had a droning wheel bearing last year, as soon as the car was on the lift and the wheels spun it was obvious , os rear, local garage charged £200 dave

Aug 25th, 2013, 17:27	#4
Arianne Premier Member Last Online: Jan 29th, 2021 20:23 Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Scotland	Thanks for the replies. Yes, the sound is speed sensitive and builds up the faster we go. It is most intrusive at about 50mph. £200 is bearable (excuse the pun) but I suspect my Volvo dealer would be way more expensive. I am tempted to use the Indy for this repair. Surely a wheel bearing is the kind of repair that a non-dealer would be able to fix without any problems? Any thoughts?

Aug 25th, 2013, 18:34	#5
raife Senior Member Last Online: Mar 14th, 2017 17:30 Join Date: May 2011 Location: Devon	Im in exactly the same position. Sometimes droning can be from "stepped" wear on tyres, especially the rear. You can tell by running your flat palm around the edge of the inner tyre. Bearings are on ebay for around £80 or £130 for the complete kit. Im sure there is a thread on here that explains how to do it.

Aug 25th, 2013, 19:17	#6
GJB Premier Member Last Online: May 14th, 2024 09:06 Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Cromer Norfolk	Very easy DIY job a how to do is on here somewhere get them from FRF Swansea don't forget to mention web site to get discount if you know if it is front or rear sound travels very well through the chassis so hard to pinpoint which bearing, but once stripped out easy to do.

Aug 26th, 2013, 18:41	#8
NCS XC90 Member Last Online: Oct 15th, 2018 21:19 Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Warrington	I waited for fresh tyres and made no difference. Noise getting louder now to the extent I'm pretty sure which side it is. As per the post above when I lift the car and spin the wheel I can here a rub (although it does have a sound of the disk backing plate touching the disk). If you think its the tyres try swapping the front with the back - I tried this and made no difference either. From a point of view of who should change it, for me its a DIY job (famous last words - can see that drive shaft being welded into the bearing especially sinse it got very hot with a stuck caliper). I don't see a need for it to be completed by Volvo as there's not codes etc to reset - an right up an indy's street if you don't fancy it yourself. Neil

Aug 31st, 2013, 13:59	#9
NCS XC90 Member Last Online: Oct 15th, 2018 21:19 Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Warrington	Well, just changed the drivers side at the back. Took around 2 and a half hours but no real problems. Niose no different. Bit miffed. Looks like it will have to go to a garage as I cannot identify were the niose is coming from. Neil

Aug 31st, 2013, 18:55	#10
raife Senior Member Last Online: Mar 14th, 2017 17:30 Join Date: May 2011 Location: Devon	i read online that the nearside rear is a common culprit. Pretty sure thats where mine is from.

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