Omega Owners Forum

Omega Help Area => Omega General Help => Topic started by: Tonka. on 24 April 2009, 10:50:58

Title: Mystery noise. Not Wheelbearing.........
Post by: Tonka. on 24 April 2009, 10:50:58
Posted earlier about an odd noise from the rear. From my initial post I led people on OOF to point towards a wheel bearing fault. It seems this is not the case............

Just to recap, the rumbling grating only appears when turning left at slow speeds with the engine under load (i.e. not coasting).
During high speed left hand cornering and in a straight line the noise is not present.
It can make the noise when sat stationary in 'D' and I blip the throttle.
It also seems to come more from the centre/rear of the car. Sound does travel I know.

I have had the wheels laser aligned and balanced to put them out of the equation.

I am having trouble remembering when I first heard this noise but, to list what I have done may help.

I have replaced the rear springs which of course involved dropping the rear diff etc
I have replaced the gearbox which involved removing the cat sections
The gearbox has fresh Dex III in and the diff has fresh EP 90 in it.

I am quite confident though that it was fine before I changed the box and the springs. But it may have been there before and i just didn't notice.

I have now had it though three garages including Vx  ::) and they all give me different opinions leaving me rather confused  ::) ::)

If any one has come across this before could you point me in the right direction.  :y :y

Thanks in advance guys and gals  :y :y :y :y

Title: Re: Mystery noise. Not Wheelbearing.........
Post by: Mike Collins on 24 April 2009, 15:32:50
If it makes the noise when stationary, I would check the auxiliary and cam belt idler bearings very carefully before running it any more.
Title: Re: Mystery noise. Not Wheelbearing.........
Post by: mantahatch on 24 April 2009, 16:15:26
Mine makes a small whining noise when stationery sometimes, it is the exhaust heat shrouds.

May help a bit.

Mike
Title: Re: Mystery noise. Not Wheelbearing.........
Post by: Tonka. on 24 April 2009, 16:39:26
Quote
If it makes the noise when stationary, I would check the auxiliary and cam belt idler bearings very carefully before running it any more.

The noise is present when driven around left hand corners and comes from the rear of the car  :y

When idling it purrs like a kitten a V6 one at that  ;D
Title: Re: Mystery noise. Not Wheelbearing.........
Post by: Tonka. on 24 April 2009, 16:41:07
Quote
Mine makes a small whining noise when stationery sometimes, it is the exhaust heat shrouds.

May help a bit.

Mike

Doesn't make any untoward noises when stationary  :y Only when going around slow left handers  :y
Title: Re: Mystery noise. Not Wheelbearing.........
Post by: ians on 24 April 2009, 16:43:29
Could be the back box/heatshield coming into contact when under cornering load?   Worth giving the tail pipe a waggle by hand..
Title: Re: Mystery noise. Not Wheelbearing.........
Post by: Tonka. on 24 April 2009, 16:46:03
Quote
Could be the back box/heatshield coming into contact when under cornering load?   Worth giving the tail pipe a waggle by hand..

Wedged the exhaust with bits of rubber  :y Still does it  ;D :y

If I can get to the bottom of this I will have a fantastic car  :y :y :y ;)
Title: Re: Mystery noise. Not Wheelbearing.........
Post by: Tonka. on 24 April 2009, 21:16:47
I know bumping is against the rules but I really need help here.  :-[

I there are any more thoughts, please let me know. :y

Got our holiday coming up soon and I don't know if she will get us there  ::) ;)
Title: Re: Mystery noise. Not Wheelbearing.........
Post by: pscocoa on 24 April 2009, 21:20:07
I had droning noise on Signum cured when tyres changed as it is a known issue on Vectra/Signum. Is there a chance that there is a defect in one of tyres on cornering? When were tyres last inspected?
Title: Re: Mystery noise. Not Wheelbearing.........
Post by: Tonka. on 24 April 2009, 21:22:15
Quote
I had droning noise on Signum cured when tyres changed as it is a known issue on Vectra/Signum. Is there a chance that there is a defect in one of tyres on cornering? When were tyres last inspected?

Tyres inspected yesterday, rebalanced, laser aligned and rotated. Pirelli P6000. All good  ;) :y
Title: Re: Mystery noise. Not Wheelbearing.........
Post by: pscocoa on 24 April 2009, 21:34:22
no problems on edges of tyres? Rears are difficult to check when on car. Can you swap wheels over?
Title: Re: Mystery noise. Not Wheelbearing.........
Post by: Tonka. on 24 April 2009, 21:40:46
Quote
no problems on edges of tyres? Rears are difficult to check when on car. Can you swap wheels over?

Tyres rotated and still the same.  ::) :y

Title: Re: Mystery noise. Not Wheelbearing.........
Post by: pscocoa on 24 April 2009, 21:48:38
When were brakes and handbrake shoes checked. I had an issue once with the handbrake shoes which created a noise but not the one you seem to be getting - but if cornering at speed it is not there I suppose some sort of binding on might be an answer.
Title: Re: Mystery noise. Not Wheelbearing.........
Post by: Tonka. on 24 April 2009, 21:59:04
Quote
When were brakes and handbrake shoes checked. I had an issue once with the handbrake shoes which created a noise but not the one you seem to be getting - but if cornering at speed it is not there I suppose some sort of binding on might be an answer.

That's a good point. I serviced the handbrake mechanism last weekend as per the OOF guide. :y
Now the handbrake works well but the noise was there before this.

However, the offside rear disk was a little pitted and both rear callipers are rusty.
When braking there is no noise. It is only when cornering left  :y
Title: Re: Mystery noise. Not Wheelbearing.........
Post by: Grumpy on 24 April 2009, 21:59:52
Quote
Posted earlier about an odd noise from the rear. From my initial post I led people on OOF to point towards a wheel bearing fault. It seems this is not the case............

Just to recap, the rumbling grating only appears when turning left at slow speeds with the engine under load (i.e. not coasting).
During high speed left hand cornering and in a straight line the noise is not present.
It can make the noise when sat stationary in 'D' and I blip the throttle.
It also seems to come more from the centre/rear of the car. Sound does travel I know.

I have had the wheels laser aligned and balanced to put them out of the equation.

I am having trouble remembering when I first heard this noise but, to list what I have done may help.

I have replaced the rear springs which of course involved dropping the rear diff etc
I have replaced the gearbox which involved removing the cat sections
The gearbox has fresh Dex III in and the diff has fresh EP 90 in it.

I am quite confident though that it was fine before I changed the box and the springs. But it may have been there before and i just didn't notice.

I have now had it though three garages including Vx  ::) and they all give me different opinions leaving me rather confused  ::) ::)

If any one has come across this before could you point me in the right direction.  :y :y

Thanks in advance guys and gals  :y :y :y :y


Check your Engine and Gearbox mounts for condition and security.
I had the same problem on my old Merc 190 and found that one of
mounting bolts had worked loose. This allowed the engine and
drivetrain to wind-up and twist out of line in reaction to the torque
delivered by the engine and grind and vibrate against the chassis.
On mine it happened when taking right hand bends under load
and rattled when blipping the throttle violently when stationary.

I alos had the same thing on a Singer Vogue (that takes me back
a bit) when one engine mount disbonded and caused light tramping
on the rear axle.

Just a few thoughts as you seem to have already checked the obvious
Title: Re: Mystery noise. Not Wheelbearing.........
Post by: p j morgan on 24 April 2009, 22:04:02
have you looked at your half shaft or back wheel bearings ?the grinding sounds like half shafts.have a look and see if you can slide your half shaft from side to side ? hope this helps :y
Title: Re: Mystery noise. Not Wheelbearing.........
Post by: Tonka. on 24 April 2009, 22:05:23
Quote
Quote
Posted earlier about an odd noise from the rear. From my initial post I led people on OOF to point towards a wheel bearing fault. It seems this is not the case............

Just to recap, the rumbling grating only appears when turning left at slow speeds with the engine under load (i.e. not coasting).
During high speed left hand cornering and in a straight line the noise is not present.
It can make the noise when sat stationary in 'D' and I blip the throttle.
It also seems to come more from the centre/rear of the car. Sound does travel I know.

I have had the wheels laser aligned and balanced to put them out of the equation.

I am having trouble remembering when I first heard this noise but, to list what I have done may help.

I have replaced the rear springs which of course involved dropping the rear diff etc
I have replaced the gearbox which involved removing the cat sections
The gearbox has fresh Dex III in and the diff has fresh EP 90 in it.

I am quite confident though that it was fine before I changed the box and the springs. But it may have been there before and i just didn't notice.

I have now had it though three garages including Vx  ::) and they all give me different opinions leaving me rather confused  ::) ::)

If any one has come across this before could you point me in the right direction.  :y :y

Thanks in advance guys and gals  :y :y :y :y


Check your Engine and Gearbox mounts for condition and security.
I had the same problem on my old Merc 190 and found that one of
mounting bolts had worked loose. This allowed the engine and
drivetrain to wind-up and twist out of line in reaction to the torque
delivered by the engine and grind and vibrate against the chassis.
On mine it happened when taking right hand bends under load
and rattled when blipping the throttle violently when stationary.

I alos had the same thing on a Singer Vogue (that takes me back
a bit) when one engine mount disbonded and caused light tramping
on the rear axle.

Just a few thoughts as you seem to have already checked the obvious

Good idea. As I have had the gearbox out and dropped the diff you may have something.

I tightened the bolts etc to the specified torque value. I will remove them, reloctite them then retorque them. With an extra little grunt after the click  ;) ;) :y
Title: Re: Mystery noise. Not Wheelbearing.........
Post by: Tonka. on 24 April 2009, 22:08:54
Quote
have you looked at your half shaft or back wheel bearings ?the grinding sounds like half shafts.have a look and see if you can slide your half shaft from side to side ? hope this helps :y

Wheel bearings have no play and run freely. It is not a constant rumble :y

The half shafts do move in and out of the hub and the diff. They surely need this play to alow the suspension to move  :-/ :y

Title: Re: Mystery noise. Not Wheelbearing.........
Post by: p j morgan on 24 April 2009, 22:09:20
sounds like that is your problem you have to push them in with a lot of force you should hear a click and then try moving it from side to side you should have a bit of play  :y
Title: Re: Mystery noise. Not Wheelbearing.........
Post by: iainb on 24 April 2009, 22:10:43
Do you tow a caravan or has it in the past ?
Title: Re: Mystery noise. Not Wheelbearing.........
Post by: Tonka. on 24 April 2009, 22:15:10
Quote
Do you tow a caravan or has it in the past ?

The car came without a towbar and no sign of one being fitted. I fitted a towbar with the intention of pulling our five berth. I picked the van up to bring it home for the summer and that is when I noticed the noise.

The car has towed for ten miles. That is it !!!   ;D :y
Title: Re: Mystery noise. Not Wheelbearing.........
Post by: Tonka. on 24 April 2009, 22:18:58
Quote
sounds like that is your problem you have to push them in with a lot of force you should hear a click and then try moving it from side to side you should have a bit of play  :y

Okay, I'm listening  ;)  :y

It doesn't take a lot of effort to move them in and out. How much play should I have ?
Title: Re: Mystery noise. Not Wheelbearing.........
Post by: p j morgan on 24 April 2009, 22:21:48
do you no if its a heavy grinding noise like metal to metal
Title: Re: Mystery noise. Not Wheelbearing.........
Post by: iainb on 24 April 2009, 22:22:19
I personaly check the exhaust and make sure its not bumping when turning a corner and whilst under the car I would check the drive shaft for lateral movement (thats orbiting) as it maybe a joint is gone dry.
Its not impossible that changing the diff oil high lighted the issue.
Title: Re: Mystery noise. Not Wheelbearing.........
Post by: Tonka. on 24 April 2009, 22:25:44
Quote
do you no if its a heavy grinding noise like metal to metal

Got me there, but yes, I think it is but more of a rumbling  :y
Title: Re: Mystery noise. Not Wheelbearing.........
Post by: Tonka. on 24 April 2009, 22:31:28
Quote
I personaly check the exhaust and make sure its not bumping when turning a corner and whilst under the car I would check the drive shaft for lateral movement (thats orbiting) as it maybe a joint is gone dry.
Its not impossible that changing the diff oil high lighted the issue.

I have wedged the exhaust with rubber and it has had no effect  ;)

I don't know how to check the drive shafts or orbiting but as I have said they do have sideways movement. :-/

The noise was there before I changed the diff oil  ;) :y :y
Title: Re: Mystery noise. Not Wheelbearing.........
Post by: p j morgan on 24 April 2009, 22:32:31
i was wondering could it be your cv joint on the prop? but the it would be there all the time you did say that you could get the noise in drive whilst you was still which led me to the cv jouint?
Title: Re: Mystery noise. Not Wheelbearing.........
Post by: Tonka. on 24 April 2009, 22:35:05
Quote
i was wondering could it be your cv joint on the prop? but the it would be there all the time you did say that you could get the noise in drive whilst you was still which led me to the cv jouint?

Yes thats right. Sat in traffic in drive, a blip of the throttle produces the sound and the car travels around one meter  :y
Title: Re: Mystery noise. Not Wheelbearing.........
Post by: iainb on 24 April 2009, 22:40:02
The joint in the prop shaft and drive shaft should be the same and suspect that one or both drive shaft joint could need some attention.
It may be cheaper to change the drive shaft than to repair it as there are some car breakers who are members of this site.

A decent mechanic should be able to diagnose this problem ........
Title: Re: Mystery noise. Not Wheelbearing.........
Post by: p j morgan on 24 April 2009, 22:48:39
i can not seem to put my finger on it if mark dtm was online he would tell you straight away .have a look at your cv joint towing the caravan might have caused it to  start to  :ysplit .sorry i could not be of any more help .
Title: Re: Mystery noise. Not Wheelbearing.........
Post by: Tonka. on 24 April 2009, 22:55:11
Quote
i can not seem to put my finger on it if mark dtm was online he would tell you straight away .have a look at your cv joint towing the caravan might have caused it to  start to  :ysplit .sorry i could not be of any more help .

Yes, it is very frustrating. After three good garages looked at it, one an independent Vx, another my local Vx dealer and the third a general mechanic couldn't find a fault (they all drove the car and heard the grating noise) it makes it even more insane.

Thanks or your advise guys. Plenty of food for thought  ;) :y :y
Title: Re: Mystery noise. Not Wheelbearing.........
Post by: Tonka. on 27 April 2009, 19:56:13
Had it through another garage today. The fourth  ::)

They drove it and acknowledged the noise. 'Bloody awful innit mate'

Up on the lift. Levered everything. Nothing has any play. Exhaust is positioned correctly.............nothing wrong  :y :o

I think it's cursed.................. ;)

Title: Re: Mystery noise. Not Wheelbearing.........
Post by: Omegatoy on 27 April 2009, 20:53:54
you seem to have covered most things in you search but im wondering if a cat or a baffle isnt slightly loose inside the exhaust  system,
thinking about it it would resonate with a blip from the throttle
could conceivably be pushed over on cornering and again rumble or
vibrate against the tube and the noise would appear out of the backbox?  thats my lateral thinking for the day!! :y
Title: Re: Mystery noise. Not Wheelbearing.........
Post by: iainb on 27 April 2009, 22:13:21
mmmmmmmmmm I suggest going to the York meet and I bet someone will find the source of your noise !
Title: Re: Mystery noise. Not Wheelbearing.........
Post by: neilr on 28 April 2009, 15:00:47
Have you checked nsr roadspring mine snapped and the spring was rubbing on the body.
Title: Re: Mystery noise. Not Wheelbearing.........
Post by: Tonka. on 28 April 2009, 16:53:11
Quote
Have you checked nsr roadspring mine snapped and the spring was rubbing on the body.

Springs okay mate, thanks all for trying. I do appreciate it  :y

Mechanic is going to take it away on Thursday and go over it with a fine tooth comb.

I hope he finds something simply and quickly. Don't want to start replacing things on a 'it might be this' basis. Throwing good money after bad if you know what I mean  ::)  :y
Title: SORTED
Post by: Tonka. on 30 April 2009, 14:29:43
Well, found the culprit.

Had the exhaust rehung and the noise has gone  :D :D

Seemed the rubbers holding the pipes were too long. Changed these and it is now sorted.

Thanks for all of your help and advice guys. Sorry if I went on a bit but these things are sent to try us and try us they do  ;) ;) :y :y