Gearbox or Wheel Bearing???

[LeeHabbers]

Good morning.

I've been getting all sorts of types of whining, grinding noises coming from what I reckon is the front of the car. I have a mapped Diesel Corsa D which are known to have a terrible gearbox (I've already repaired it three times). For the last few weeks I've had it down that the pinion bearing on the output shaft has gone again as the whining noises I'm hearing are constant, get more noticeable the faster I go, in or out of gear, engine on or off, the noise is always there. I have bought a replacement Gen2 gearbox (better design) which I am gonna get overhauled and put in with a new clutch, flywheel etc. But earlier on the noise was louder than normal and I noticed that when swaying in the road the noise practically vanished when I was swaying right and got louder swaying to the left. Could this actually be the wheel bearing misleading me. I totally disregarded the wheel bearings as I replaced both front wheel bearings last August and both rear in November, surely they can't have fked up in less than a year.

Ta

Edited by LeeHabbers on Wednesday 24th June 03:19

Edited by LeeHabbers on Wednesday 24th June 03:29

[hb_fash]

Wheel bearings making noise like that would have noticeable play when rocking the wheel back and forth.
As they are pretty young I would doubt they have failed this early on. Could be the disc contacting with the pads when cornering as even new bearings have some amount of play.

If you've overhauled the g'box multiple times it wouldn't be a stretch to imagine it going bang again. You say its remapped yet the boxes are known for being weak even with a standard tune? Could be your issue as the parts will be like-for-like replacements no doubt. A weak design will always be weak.

Best of luck with the fix!

[Zener]

Failure that rapid is not that unusual for example ....... if you fitted white box/generic/ste quality bearings (Ebay,Amazon etc) fitted them ham- fistedly or didnt tighten the hub nuts correctly

[paintman]

I believe these are ball bearings.

Jackup & spin the wheel. You are looking for any roughness.

Grip the wheel at 12 & 6 o'clock & rock the wheel. If you feel any play - no matter how slight - get someone to apply the footbrake & repeat the rocking.
The second is to eliminate it being a suspension component. If you can still feel the play with the brake applied then the play is in a suspension item. If the play is eliminated it's the wheel bearing.

Had a wheel bearing issue with one of our Pugs, the play was barely perceptible but a new wheel bearing cured the noise.

[Zener]

A worn WB in many cases dont guarantee play or rock at the wheel especially with dual race units be it ball or taper pin style , you may be able to simulate the noise whilst the wheels are off the ground using secure stands etc using a stethoscope or long screwdriver to ear with engine running at idle in 2nd gear for example I say May purely because its sometimes hard to simulate load on the bearing like when the vehicle weight is on that corner , you can use the same method to identify worn g/box bearings holding to g/box case

Edited by Zener on Wednesday 24th June 10:55

[m-a-PP-e]

Lift up the front of the car. Spin the wheel by your hand, and put your other hand to the spring. If wheel bearing is worn you will feel the spring vibrating.

[LeeHabbers]

m-a-PP-e said:

Lift up the front of the car. Spin the wheel by your hand, and put your other hand to the spring. If wheel bearing is worn you will feel the spring vibrating.

Saw a test like this mentioned online and checked this morning. I spun the right wheel and held the spring and it felt rough, slight vibrations, I checked the N/S wheel to see if its normal but that one was smooth smooth smooth. So to me that says failed wheel bearing. My guess is my mate who fitted it used an impact gun and possibly damaged the casing. Thought I'd get it done by Vauxhall as they'll do things by the book but they want £205 for the privilege. Could just by the hydraulic press, tools etc and do it myself for not that much more.

[Zener]

If a wheel bearing is worn enough to resonate through the suspension leg it must be absolutely fked especially unladen looks like you found your issue dont take it to a dealer an independent can carry out bearing replacement no problem this is bread and butter for garages purely because its such a straight forward operation , look for a local outfit with good reviews and book it and the saved money from the dealer quote can go on fuel , and fit branded SKF, FAG, or even GM OE etc

Edited by Zener on Wednesday 24th June 16:51

[LeeHabbers]

Zener said:

If a wheel bearing is worn enough to resonate through the suspension leg it must be absolutely fked especially unladen looks like you found your issue dont take it to a dealer an independent can carry out bearing replacement no problem this is bread and butter for garages purely because its such a straight forward operation , look for a local outfit with good reviews and book it and the saved money from the dealer quote can go on fuel , and fit branded SKF, FAG, or even GM OE etc

Edited by Zener on Wednesday 24th June 16:51

The front bearings I replaced last August were SKF bearings, so won't be using them again. I'll go with SNR this time round. I have a couple of garages who tend to do my big jobs. So I'll have a chat with him tomorrow, need the cambelt done so might get it all done in one hit. Get the bearing confirmed by him first.

[Zener]

SNR SKF no difference in quality they will both package OE quality bearings , fitting damage more likely the culprit

[LeeHabbers]

Zener said:

SNR SKF no difference in quality they will both package OE quality bearings , fitting damage more likely the culprit

I do reckon it was damaged cause you're not suppose to use an impact gun, most mechanics use them for everything as its quick. That's why I was thinking of going to Vauxhall as they'll do it properly..... I'd like to think so anyway.

[paintman]

Fitting damage is usually caused by hammering the new bearing in instead of using a press.

[LeeHabbers]

What force hydraulic press would get out a wheel bearing? Would rather a 20T press but they're sold out from most places or overpriced than the shops that are sold out. I have found a 12T press but unsure if its up to the job. What do you reckon?

Ta

[Perseverant]

I've changed lots of bearings over the years and usually knocked out the old ones with a drift and a hammer, the either pressed the new ones in with a big bit of stud and various spacers, or tapped them in using the outer part of the old bearing. The post about using a stethoscope is a good one - a dud bearing that you can't hear otherwise or feel any roughness will make a hellish racket if you listen with a stick or something.