E36 Rear left creaking / grinding noise - Any ideas?
Discussion
Hi,
I've got an E36 316 and it has developed, over time, a creaking / grinding noise from the rear left wheel.
It is in time with the wheel rpm, it makes the noise once per revolution.
This noise appears only when the car is not being accelerated, in other words coasting in gear, but braking doesn't make it any worse. The handbrake doesn't exacerbate it either.
My local (very good) garage has had a look at it on the ramp, but the noise can't be replicated without the load on the suspension. They reckon it may be a wheel bearing but agree it is a strange noise for that type of fault.
The wheels are all virtually brand new original BMW steel items so they can be ruled out.
The fact that the noise starts on a trailing throttle but is not affected by brakes would suggest to me that it is a diff' issue, maybe an internal bearing or possibly a halfshaft.
Has anyone had anything similar, can you suggest some possibilities?
Thanks for your help guys.
I've got an E36 316 and it has developed, over time, a creaking / grinding noise from the rear left wheel.
It is in time with the wheel rpm, it makes the noise once per revolution.
This noise appears only when the car is not being accelerated, in other words coasting in gear, but braking doesn't make it any worse. The handbrake doesn't exacerbate it either.
My local (very good) garage has had a look at it on the ramp, but the noise can't be replicated without the load on the suspension. They reckon it may be a wheel bearing but agree it is a strange noise for that type of fault.
The wheels are all virtually brand new original BMW steel items so they can be ruled out.
The fact that the noise starts on a trailing throttle but is not affected by brakes would suggest to me that it is a diff' issue, maybe an internal bearing or possibly a halfshaft.
Has anyone had anything similar, can you suggest some possibilities?
Thanks for your help guys.
Doesn't sound to different from my old mans problem....
http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...
Let us know if you get it sorted.....
http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...
Let us know if you get it sorted.....
Latest update...
It turns out that one of the wheel bearings was slightly mis-aligned and was rubbing on a flange, presumably of the stub axle. The bearings were also very dry, the mechanic said that the bearing wasn't worn in such a way that it required changing but the rubbing had caused a slight groove. Anyway, he greased the bearings and put them back as they should be, a test drive reveals the sound to have now disappeared. He also said that the car might now be OK for 50 miles or a considerable time longer...
About 50 miles later...
The sound is back, albeit a lot quieter. It looks like I will have to have a new bearing fitted after all. I am hoping that the flange is not worn in such a way that anything else will need changing.
I'll let you know what happens.
It turns out that one of the wheel bearings was slightly mis-aligned and was rubbing on a flange, presumably of the stub axle. The bearings were also very dry, the mechanic said that the bearing wasn't worn in such a way that it required changing but the rubbing had caused a slight groove. Anyway, he greased the bearings and put them back as they should be, a test drive reveals the sound to have now disappeared. He also said that the car might now be OK for 50 miles or a considerable time longer...
About 50 miles later...
The sound is back, albeit a lot quieter. It looks like I will have to have a new bearing fitted after all. I am hoping that the flange is not worn in such a way that anything else will need changing.
I'll let you know what happens.
I realise this is an old post, but the OP describes this difficult to diagnose fault really well. My car is a BMW E36 Touring with rear discs.
The noise starts as a very quiet squeak when cornering slowly. After a couple of hundred miles, you hear a 'dry-sounding' creak/creaking noise which increases in synch with the frequency of an accelerating rear wheel.
The following should enable you to pinpoint that you problem is the one that I am on about:
It gets progressively worse over the next few hundred miles.
It only happens at low speeds and swerving the car doesn't seem to have much, if any effect.
There is no free-play at the wheel or bearing roughness.
Running the car with the rear wheel off the ground (do not run the car up to silly wheel rpm, or if you have LSD, it's not safe) will not replicate the noise. It seems to need the car's weight to produce the noise.
It is a dry-sounding creak that quietens above about 10mph.
The culprit, against intuition or logic suggesting otherwise, is definitely the rear wheel bearing. You will dismantle the car only to find a perfect bearing. The grease will be clean and no dry rust particles or any evidence of the rubbing creaky noise. You will fit the new bearing you bought and the noise will be 100% cured.
Having been a motor mechanic for 43 years, I have experienced this fault only twice.
I bought an E36 Touring two years ago and after only a short while, I had the dry creak/rubbing sound. When I removed the bearing, it was in perfect condition and a decent OEM part. It had obviously been replaced in the last couple of years and was a credit to the last owner who fitted it. He even painted the rear suspension arms.
So I got two new bearings in genuine BMW boxes for exactly £6 inc. P&P the pair. They cost the seller close to £170, but were poorly-listed on eBay. They even had new circlips!
Many BMWs have the same bearing, just endless part numbers to stop people buying an SKF one. I bet if you guessed and bought the cheapest BMW RWB it would have a good chance of being the correct part...
So, problem solved. It took a long time to diagnose. I am still non the wiser as to why a perfect bearing would do that. Especially why the man had done such a meticulous job when he fitted it. But that is 100% the cause of a mysterious bearing noise :-)
English is not my first language so sorry if this reads bad.
The noise starts as a very quiet squeak when cornering slowly. After a couple of hundred miles, you hear a 'dry-sounding' creak/creaking noise which increases in synch with the frequency of an accelerating rear wheel.
The following should enable you to pinpoint that you problem is the one that I am on about:
It gets progressively worse over the next few hundred miles.
It only happens at low speeds and swerving the car doesn't seem to have much, if any effect.
There is no free-play at the wheel or bearing roughness.
Running the car with the rear wheel off the ground (do not run the car up to silly wheel rpm, or if you have LSD, it's not safe) will not replicate the noise. It seems to need the car's weight to produce the noise.
It is a dry-sounding creak that quietens above about 10mph.
The culprit, against intuition or logic suggesting otherwise, is definitely the rear wheel bearing. You will dismantle the car only to find a perfect bearing. The grease will be clean and no dry rust particles or any evidence of the rubbing creaky noise. You will fit the new bearing you bought and the noise will be 100% cured.
Having been a motor mechanic for 43 years, I have experienced this fault only twice.
I bought an E36 Touring two years ago and after only a short while, I had the dry creak/rubbing sound. When I removed the bearing, it was in perfect condition and a decent OEM part. It had obviously been replaced in the last couple of years and was a credit to the last owner who fitted it. He even painted the rear suspension arms.
So I got two new bearings in genuine BMW boxes for exactly £6 inc. P&P the pair. They cost the seller close to £170, but were poorly-listed on eBay. They even had new circlips!
Many BMWs have the same bearing, just endless part numbers to stop people buying an SKF one. I bet if you guessed and bought the cheapest BMW RWB it would have a good chance of being the correct part...
So, problem solved. It took a long time to diagnose. I am still non the wiser as to why a perfect bearing would do that. Especially why the man had done such a meticulous job when he fitted it. But that is 100% the cause of a mysterious bearing noise :-)
English is not my first language so sorry if this reads bad.
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