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noise...rear wheel bearing???

103K views 58 replies 39 participants last post by  prensen 
#1 ·
i have a noise that is just starting. its a slight humming sound between 60-70mph and i cant tell if its coming from the rear. also i have a set of dunlop wintersport m3's that are on there last season. im wondering what sort of noise the rear wheel bearings make when they start to go. im also wondering if it could be the worn winter tires
 
#2 ·
As a owner of a 2000 that has the wheel bearings on their way out, I would suspect, from the symptoms you've described, that it is indeed your wheel bearings. Mine started with a hum that I mistakenly attributed to my studded snow tires...it's not the tires. If it is the bearings it will get noiser and NOISER, until keeping the radio loud enough to drain out the noise no longer works. My local stealership will charge me 550 bucks plus tax to fix the problem. Hopefully others that are WAY more experienced than I at subie's (basically everyone else on here) will put their thoughts to this as well for you. But in my own experience, the light humming was the start of it. I also had a little bit of squealing as if my brakes needed replacing, which they didn't. Hope this helps.
 
#3 ·
yeah i had my front wheel bearing go and it was a different sound but it seems like its been getting louder everyday. i guess i cant complain i have a 131k miles and have yet to replace one. my radiator also started leaking too. looks like im gonna have to take out a loan
 
#4 ·
Could also be the rear diff if it's mostly occuring between 60-70 mph. Wheel bearing hum is pretty much constant regardless of speed. Do you tend to hear it most loudly while coasting or under very light accel?
 
#30 ·
This is exactly the symptoms I currently have on my 05MY XT, a hum/whine on the motorway and rougher sound between 35 & 40mph with light throttle.

Since it is unusual for wheel bearings to fail both sides at exactly the same time, generally a failing wheel bearing will be louder when cornering in one direction and quieter, or inaudible, the other. It will be noisest when the most load is on it (when it is on the outside of the curve) and quietest when the load is off it (on the inside of the curve).

If it makes no difference which way you are turning, it probably isn't a wheel bearing.
Accelerating while cornering a left hand bend at around 35mph gives me the biggest problem. I have a sneaky suspicion this might be a right hand rear wheel bearing from what I am reading.
I'm so glad that others are getting the same problems and it's not just me.

Rob.
 
#7 · (Edited)
ok well its gotten worse. it was a humming and now its almost like a grinding sound and i can hear it at all speeds now. the boots look good in a rear so im still thinking bearing. any other ideas. also if it is a rear wheel bearing how long can i get away with riding on it? i have next week off from work and would like to get it done then when i have time.
 
#9 ·
I just recently (November '06) had my left rear wheel bearing replaced on my '98...it was a costly repair ($530) and I went about a month before having it repaired. It started out just as it has been described in previous posts. Although I was not happy to have to spend that much money, I was fairly impressed since it was the only one I've had to replace...*knocks on wood*

Good luck with your repairs :)
 
#10 ·
Since it is unusual for wheel bearings to fail both sides at exactly the same time, generally a failing wheel bearing will be louder when cornering in one direction and quieter, or inaudible, the other. It will be noisest when the most load is on it (when it is on the outside of the curve) and quietest when the load is off it (on the inside of the curve).

If it makes no difference which way you are turning, it probably isn't a wheel bearing.
 
#13 ·
right rear on my 04 just started humming w/i the last two weeks. What are we looking at, $500?

Anyone know if this can be a D.I.Y project?, have never done a bearing on a Subaru, but more than my fair share of brakes, timing belts, exhaust systems, tune-ups, etc...

Saw the sticky for the repair, but it only goes to the 2003 models, is it different for this model?
 
#14 ·
Definitely a DIY job, especially if you have a Hub Tamer set or similar tools -- better than standard procedure with use of a press. The Hub Tamer set will pay for itself after one use.

The most difficult and frustrating part can be removing the lateral link bolt, which tends to become corrosion welded inside collars of the lateral link bushings. I had to cut mine off and replace both bushings. In any case, put anti-seize is your friend when reassembling parts.
 
#16 ·
Are you getting this service from a dealer? I would get a second opinion.

Rear differential failures are very rare on Subarus -- usually happens when there's a leak, and the car is run without gear lube. But if, in fact, you need it replaced, it's best to get a used one and have a private shop install it.

Tracking down these noises can be somewhat difficult -- could be the tires, brakes, wheel bearings, or differential.

You could try rotating the tires to see if the noise dissipates or emanates from a different location.

Here's a good way to check the wheel bearings:

Rotate the wheel while placing your other hand on the suspension coil. Any roughness in the bearing will be transmitted and, therefore, felt through the coil spring. All four tires will must be off the ground and the car in neutral. I had a rear wheel bearing making noise for over 45K miles without ever any play in the affected wheel.
 
#17 ·
my sub is making a weird quiet high pitch whining noise that comes from the rear (almost like a surge noise or very fine grinding)... but its only when accelerating hard and around 30-40 miles per hour.. mainly in 2nd gear and around 3k-4k RPM's...

i'm thinking it maybe time to do a MT fluid change aswell as the rear diff change?
 
#18 ·
So the noise goes away when you step on the brakes? I know you said it happens only upon acceleration.

Hopefully, it's just the wear indicator tabs rubbing up against your brake discs. If so, you have a few thousand miles before the pad backplates trash your rotors.
 
#20 ·
Rear bearing work needed north of Boston

I'm trying to shop around right now to have the bearing and hub in my rear passenger side wheel replaced. I can see from those of you that have replaced rear bearings that it's about a $500 job??

I took it to Sears and they said they could do it, but they told me more like $750. The local Subaru dealership told me about the same price. Then I brought it to Pep Boys, who at first said they could do it for less, but then called me and said they can't do it at all..!!??

The story from the guy at pep boys is that all of the bolts and linkage that attaches the hub and everything back there to the sway arm and trailing arm and knuckle all has to be taken off with a torch and replaced. He said he called the local Subaru place to ask them about it and they told HIM that it was around $900 in parts alone!

Has anyone else had this nightmare happen to them when having a rear bearing replaced??

Also, I'm in MA on the North Shore, anyone else from the area got any recommendations for places to have Subaru work done? I've only had my Forester since July so I don't have a place yet.
 
#21 ·
I'm trying to shop around right now to have the bearing and hub in my rear passenger side wheel replaced. I can see from those of you that have replaced rear bearings that it's about a $500 job??

I took it to Sears and they said they could do it, but they told me more like $750. The local Subaru dealership told me about the same price. Then I brought it to Pep Boys, who at first said they could do it for less, but then called me and said they can't do it at all..!!??

The story from the guy at pep boys is that all of the bolts and linkage that attaches the hub and everything back there to the sway arm and trailing arm and knuckle all has to be taken off with a torch and replaced. He said he called the local Subaru place to ask them about it and they told HIM that it was around $900 in parts alone!

Has anyone else had this nightmare happen to them when having a rear bearing replaced??\




Also, I'm in MA on the North Shore, anyone else from the area got any recommendations for places to have Subaru work done? I've only had my Forester since July so I don't have a place yet.

That bearing must be $$, since it only took my Subaru dealership 1-1/2 hrs to do one side.............Why so expensive??

Motoretro
 
#24 ·
Rear wheel bearing

As I type I am having my right rear wheel bearing replaced at the dealers. Cost they said was $700 but would cut me a deal. I have around 121K on my Forester and this is the first time I am replacing a bearing. It started of as a low hum with a rotational sound - more noticeable at low speeds. Over time the sound kept getting louder till I reached the point I could not drown it out with the radio.
 
#25 ·
ok, i think i definitely need to get my rear wheel bearing replaced. i get the hum (although it's a bit louder than that now) when i make right hand turns, that means i should replace the left one since it seems like that's where most of the pressure would go?

oh, and for the curious, from motoretro's post:

(1) 28044AA001 Nut Axle - $7.24
(1) 28015AA090 Oil Seal - $15.15
(1) 28015AA100 Oil Seal - $14.69
(1) 28015AA110 Oil Seal - $17.33
(1) 2806AA0300 PT180303 Bearing AY R - $103.88

and my dealership also recommended the Snap Ring (28035AA040) at $8.63

-Jeff
 
#26 ·
Just Replaced a 2001 LR wheel bearing

When my left rear wheel bearing was going out last month, I started hearing a whump, whump sound, which got progressively worse. Thought at first it was a separating tire since the sound has been more of a squeaking in all previous occasions. Cost about $530 to replace, but I was doing rear breaks at the same time. Good luck.
 
#27 ·
I had both rear wheel bearings replaced at my dealer for $550 plus tax. Now after less than 10,000 miles they are replacing them again, this time under warranty. They claim the bearings were defective.

Anybody here ever got brand new defective bearings? How about improper installation?

I have a friend who works at a parts distributor. He looked up the parts for me in case I wanted to do it myself. The bearing kit cost $26.48 each side. If you get the hub, the bearings are already installed and the dealer cost is $100 each. Installing the hub is MUCH easier because the bearings don't have to be pressed into the hub, they come already installed. Installing a rear hub should be a 30 minute job.

Now, if the axle bearing is bad that's a different story altogether. But the dealer cost for an axle is around $200. Lots of labor though. And I believe the dealer seems to be marking up the parts about 2 to 4 times their cost.
 
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