hey everyone, so my new(ish) 1987 camry has a grinding sound coming from the front of the car. it seems to start around 25 mph and goes to as fast as ive ever had the car, maybe 85? the grind is loud and paternized. ie: grind, smooth, grind, smooth, grind, smooth etc. it does get faster as vehicle speed increases. also, when turning left, it no longer grinds, at all.

so i jacked the front up and rocked the wheels from top and bottom. both sides feel pretty tight. there is no audible noise when doing this. side to side is another story. definite click and too much play.

the cv joints and axles has a small bit of in and out play. twisting them makes a loud poping sound which i believe to be normal? and twisting forward seems to make a clunk sound coming from the transaxle.

 

CV joint in and out play is normal, when twisted the clunk in the case noise is normal, popping is not.

Make a few LH and RH 90 and 180 degree turns at lower speeds. Listen for popping and clicking from the front tire area. If so, this is a sign of a bad CV joint.

Is the suspected bearing noise still present if the trans is placed in Neutral when driving? When experiencing this noise move the steering wheel rapidly left and right (maintain control of course) to shift the cars weight and tire loading from side to side. A bad bearing will tend to make more noise when the tire loading on that the bad bearing is increased.

Check the front rotors, make sure the pads are not grinding on the rotors or the brake backing plate is not hitting the rotor.

 

i think the poping sound i refered to is in the slight rotation before it engages? sounds like tthe joints may be bad but there is no clicking or poping on turns either way.

the noise is still present in neutral and goes away when turning left. i raised the car and there is no play or sounds when rocking the tire at 12 and 6 oclock.

so can a bearing can be bad without having any play?

i also raise the rear and checked the play on both sides and there is none. the rear wheels roll smoothly and quiet.

 

Make sure the noise is from the front.

The bearing can be bad and not have excess play. Most likely the left bearing. Maximum axle bearing play (in and out play of hub) is something like 0.002 inch.

Grinding is a symptom of a bad bearing. Changing a bearing is time consuming so first make sure there is nothing wrong with the brake system. On the off chance make sure the diff is still filled with fluid as grinding is also symptom of low or no fluid.

 

good advice i hadnt thought of the diff oil...i will do that first. i am having problems with the brakes, the pedal goes most of the way to the floor, subsequent applications, as many as 4 were needed to come to a stop safely. i put a new master cylinder which now on the first press it could stop halfway decent, the second press feels good. i also put new pads in the front. the ones that were in were still half alive. i pulled the passenger side drum and everything was coated in brake fluid including the pads and drum surface. so thats gonna be taken care of tomorow.

im wondering though, if it were the bearings grinding wouldn't it grind at all times? what im hearing is more like cycling. maybe it could be the planetary gear carrier scrapping? money is really tight so i need to make sure to repair the right things.

one other question i have is concerning wheel separation. if the bearing is tight enough to have no play then it is my understanding the wheel separation is not yet a risk. am i in the ball park?

 

Typically a failing bearing makes a moan or roar that blends into the road noise at around 30 MPH. A grinding noise that does not blend into the road noise is worse.

Given the grinding noise cycles is a reason to look at the brakes, diff and anything else that rotates in time with the grinding. A rotor hitting something on every revolution, less likely a failing diff. Are the pads OK, not worn out and grinding on the rotor. If you had break issues perhaps the pad is not retracting.

Failing CV joints do not typically grind but pop and click. Their construction would seem to preclude grinding when failing but never know. They would most likely make more noise when under load, less or none when the trans in neutral.

The wheel bearing is a double ball bearing. The outer race is one piece and pressed into the knuckle, the inner race is two piece.

The hub shaft is pressed into the bearing. A holding fixture (or the right diameter of pipe) keeps the inner inboard race from being pushed out when the hub is pressed in and forces it to mate with the hub.

Once the hub is pressed in, the splined portion of the axle goes through the center of the hub and a nut bolted torqued to over 100 lb-ft.

The bearing is retained by the nut on one side and the CV body on the other. Not going any where. It might fall apart or seize up if bad enough. If the hub spins freely and is still tight with the knuckle, this is not going to happen soon.

Sometimes the slightest damage to a bearing can make a great deal of noise. Still grinding of a bearing, if it is the bearing is not good.

 

do you think the leaking wheel cylinder in the rear passenger drum could be related? im not sure how it would make any grinds though as the brake fluid has effectively lubed the entire brake lol

i should also mention that the front rotors were remarkably smooth for the age of the car.

back to the cv's, the passenger boot is split in 2 pieces. i was just going through the paperwork the previous owner had. on 6-14-11 the car was in a local midas shop and the tech there indicated the boot was torn and the joint was "worn/binding joint". also, it would seem the wheel cylinder is not a new thing. the p.o. has declined this repair twice since 6-14 as well as the tie rods that are begging to be replaced. according to the mileage they have on the paperwork, she has driven less than 200 miles in, what, 4 months? hmmmm.....

 

If you are sure the noise is from the front then no. If you think it is in the rear, when the car is making the noise slightly engage the emergency brake and determine if the effects the noise.

A split boot will lead to a failed joint over time. The grease gets thrown out and the debris can enter.

Is the noise on the same side as the split boot?

It is not uncommon for a shop to state this and that is bad and needs replacing in order to make more money. Suggest you confirm if the items listed are actually bad and need replacing.

If a bad wheel bearing it will make more noise over time as it wears more.

 

yea the split boot is on the same side as the noise. at least i believe it to be the passenger side. when i make a left turn, the noise stops. so the weight is pushed to the passenger side.

 

If my car unless short on cash would replace the axle with the split boot and when the steering knuckle if off replace the bearing. You can do much of this with basic tools. You will need a press for the bearing thus find an auto or mechanic shop that will do this job. Take the knuckle to the shop.

You can try to pack grease into the CV joint via the slit and determine if the noise changes.