2000 OBW front passenger wheel noise - Subaru Outback

PA OUTBACK · 11-20-2012, 07:02 PM

Hello All,

Car has 165,000 miles on it and has developed a noise in the front passenger wheel. It seems to happen at low speeds and it is when I'm going straight but, when I apply light pressure on the brakes it stop's. I replaced the CV axle about two years ago with a remanufactured one and thought it was going bad again so, I called my local salvage yard and got one off a 01 Forester with 46,000 miles on it and replaced it today but, no luck. Brakes were replaced in May at inspection.
Any ideas?? Wheel is tight, the bearing seems fine, if it was the bearing it should'nt make a difference applying the brakes??

Thanks

canubaru · 11-20-2012, 07:18 PM

wheel bearing.

these bearings usually do not show bad with the typical test.

does it make more nose swerving right at speed or swerving left?

rasterman · 11-20-2012, 07:20 PM

Yeah, sounds bout right for a wheel bearing. Brake application is temporarily trueing it up so it gets quiet, then it relaxes out and makes noise again. Try Canubaru's test.

PA OUTBACK · 11-20-2012, 08:24 PM

It sounds like it's making the noise once every complete revolution of the wheel, if it was a bearing would it do it almost constant??

canubaru · 11-20-2012, 09:15 PM

then you brakes are dragging.

depending on the car and tire size, the wheel makes about 800 revolutions per mile.

at 60 mph, that is about 800 revs per minute. at 30 mph it is about 400 revs per minute. at 10 mph, about 133 revs per minute or in the neighborhood of 2 revs per second. 5 mph, one rev per second..

cardoc · 11-20-2012, 09:28 PM

Has it been doing it since the brake repair?

The options here are bearing, backing plate rubbing on the rotor, hardware rubbing on the rotor, brake pad friction material rubbing on the lip of the rotor where the rust is (the lip created in normal wear) or you have a hydraulic issue with that brake assembly.

Jack up the car, put one hand on the spring and spin the wheel with the other and feel for a vibration. If you have a vibration that seems constant, you need a bearing.

No vibration, spin it and listen for the noise. If it occurs without a vibration in the spring, take the wheel off and check for something rubbing on the rotor as listed above. Also look at the inside and outside brake pad wear. Is it even? One pad wearing faster than the other? If one pad wears faster, here's the issue: Inside pad accelerated wear means the piston of the caliper is not retracting, outside pad means the guide pins of the caliper are sticking.

In a case where the inside pad is worn faster, it could also be a restricted brake hose.

Just options to look into. Post up what you find and we can go from there.

PA OUTBACK · 11-21-2012, 01:33 PM

No, it has'nt been doing this since the brakes were put on back in May.
Well, lucky i'm on vacation from work so, I have some spare time to work on the car.
This morning I jacked the passenger side front up and spun the wheel and did not notice any vibration in the spring. Next I removed the pads and did notice on the back pad there was a ridge on the bottom of the pad, I took my dremel tool and removed the ridge and lubed the pins real good and applied CRC disc brake quiet to the back of the pads. Then I thought lets rotate the front wheel to the back and the back to the front.
Then I had to run some errands and put a total of 40 some miles and I can't notice the sound anymore so, I believe one of these did the trick.
I do realize that with 165 K on the car the wheel bearing's are around the corner or can these last over 200K? Planning on keeping the car another 4 years. I do enjoy working on these myself

cardoc · 11-21-2012, 05:55 PM

Bearing life depends on several things. Water intrusion, dirt/debris, dry climate, wet climate, weight load, vibrations caused by other suspension or steering components, tire balance and alignment.

You have to think in chain of events and parts in series. Sound and vibration travels to the next component. Ex. A loose tire rod is not only annoying in the steering, handling and occasional noise, but it also puts extra pressure on the tire's contact patch, steering rack, bearing, ball joints, control arm bushings and strut mounts.

Just be aware of how your car reacts to what you want it to do.

11-20-2012, 07:02 PM	#1 (permalink)
PA OUTBACK Registered User Join Date: Aug 2012 Posts: 18 Feedback Score: 0 reviews	2000 OBW front passenger wheel noise Hello All, Car has 165,000 miles on it and has developed a noise in the front passenger wheel. It seems to happen at low speeds and it is when I'm going straight but, when I apply light pressure on the brakes it stop's. I replaced the CV axle about two years ago with a remanufactured one and thought it was going bad again so, I called my local salvage yard and got one off a 01 Forester with 46,000 miles on it and replaced it today but, no luck. Brakes were replaced in May at inspection. Any ideas?? Wheel is tight, the bearing seems fine, if it was the bearing it should'nt make a difference applying the brakes?? Thanks

11-20-2012, 07:20 PM	#3 (permalink)
rasterman Registered User Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: PA Car: 2006 Outback XT Limited Posts: 2,408 Feedback Score: 0 reviews	Yeah, sounds bout right for a wheel bearing. Brake application is temporarily trueing it up so it gets quiet, then it relaxes out and makes noise again. Try Canubaru's test. __________________ Wilwood Superlite front calipers DBA slotted Legacy GT front rotors w/Carbotech 1541 front pads; Hawk HPS rear pads and SS hoses Grimmspeed Master Cylinder Brace KYB GR-2 struts (2000-2004 version on rear) Rallitek sway bars F&R + AVO rear sway bar reinforcement brackets JDM divorced stereo/HVAC controller, JVC DD stereo

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11-20-2012, 07:18 PM	#2 (permalink)
canubaru Registered User Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: Virginia Car: 01 Outback H6 VDC, 97 GT wgn w/ ej22, 98 OBW w/ej22 Posts: 978 Feedback Score: 0 reviews	wheel bearing. these bearings usually do not show bad with the typical test. does it make more nose swerving right at speed or swerving left?

11-20-2012, 08:24 PM	#4 (permalink)
PA OUTBACK Registered User Join Date: Aug 2012 Posts: 18 Feedback Score: 0 reviews	It sounds like it's making the noise once every complete revolution of the wheel, if it was a bearing would it do it almost constant??

11-20-2012, 09:15 PM	#5 (permalink)
canubaru Registered User Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: Virginia Car: 01 Outback H6 VDC, 97 GT wgn w/ ej22, 98 OBW w/ej22 Posts: 978 Feedback Score: 0 reviews	then you brakes are dragging. depending on the car and tire size, the wheel makes about 800 revolutions per mile. at 60 mph, that is about 800 revs per minute. at 30 mph it is about 400 revs per minute. at 10 mph, about 133 revs per minute or in the neighborhood of 2 revs per second. 5 mph, one rev per second..

11-20-2012, 09:28 PM	#6 (permalink)
cardoc Registered User Join Date: Aug 2012 Location: Austin Car: 2001 VDC, 2000 Outback 5MT (on the cheap) Posts: 3,099 Feedback Score: 0 reviews	Has it been doing it since the brake repair? The options here are bearing, backing plate rubbing on the rotor, hardware rubbing on the rotor, brake pad friction material rubbing on the lip of the rotor where the rust is (the lip created in normal wear) or you have a hydraulic issue with that brake assembly. Jack up the car, put one hand on the spring and spin the wheel with the other and feel for a vibration. If you have a vibration that seems constant, you need a bearing. No vibration, spin it and listen for the noise. If it occurs without a vibration in the spring, take the wheel off and check for something rubbing on the rotor as listed above. Also look at the inside and outside brake pad wear. Is it even? One pad wearing faster than the other? If one pad wears faster, here's the issue: Inside pad accelerated wear means the piston of the caliper is not retracting, outside pad means the guide pins of the caliper are sticking. In a case where the inside pad is worn faster, it could also be a restricted brake hose. Just options to look into. Post up what you find and we can go from there.

11-21-2012, 01:33 PM	#7 (permalink)
PA OUTBACK Registered User Join Date: Aug 2012 Posts: 18 Feedback Score: 0 reviews	No, it has'nt been doing this since the brakes were put on back in May. Well, lucky i'm on vacation from work so, I have some spare time to work on the car. This morning I jacked the passenger side front up and spun the wheel and did not notice any vibration in the spring. Next I removed the pads and did notice on the back pad there was a ridge on the bottom of the pad, I took my dremel tool and removed the ridge and lubed the pins real good and applied CRC disc brake quiet to the back of the pads. Then I thought lets rotate the front wheel to the back and the back to the front. Then I had to run some errands and put a total of 40 some miles and I can't notice the sound anymore so, I believe one of these did the trick. I do realize that with 165 K on the car the wheel bearing's are around the corner or can these last over 200K? Planning on keeping the car another 4 years. I do enjoy working on these myself

11-21-2012, 05:55 PM	#8 (permalink)
cardoc Registered User Join Date: Aug 2012 Location: Austin Car: 2001 VDC, 2000 Outback 5MT (on the cheap) Posts: 3,099 Feedback Score: 0 reviews	Bearing life depends on several things. Water intrusion, dirt/debris, dry climate, wet climate, weight load, vibrations caused by other suspension or steering components, tire balance and alignment. You have to think in chain of events and parts in series. Sound and vibration travels to the next component. Ex. A loose tire rod is not only annoying in the steering, handling and occasional noise, but it also puts extra pressure on the tire's contact patch, steering rack, bearing, ball joints, control arm bushings and strut mounts. Just be aware of how your car reacts to what you want it to do.

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