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sounds like classic wheel bearing but is it?


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My LSi which is my daily driver (along with my XT6) has a wub-wub-wub sound of wheel bearing. It is typically light but sometimes gets quite loud. No noticeable changes will make it get louder or go away, just random. Though it's most noticeable after driving some time and then slowly going through a parking lot.

 

I jacked up the drivers side and both wheel bearings seem fine:

 

No play.

No noises or feel by hand when turning, feels smooth.

No noises with stethoscope on hub or strut springs.

Last time I kept temp gun in car both sides were very close.

 

I'm going to keep the temp gun in the car again but am I missing anything?

 

It's had multiple wheel bearing issues on this side in the rear. Bad bearing when i got it, pressed in news ones that lasted 20,000 miles, then installed a used hub which is in there now.

 

I'd like to fix it but not sure where to go from here.

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It was making the sound before the new tires and still is. But I only replaced two - so it would have to be one of those two tires. I'll swap another set on to see, only makes sense to try that. Problem is all my other rims are 16" and this little EJ18 gets notably under-powered with 16" on! LOL

 

can a tire noise be there one day and not the next?

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Tire noise can be there one minute and go away the next. Has to do with sound cancellation. As the tread blocks wear they resonate differently than when they were brand new. And as the tires spin the noise created by one will mix with noise created by the others and certain frequencies can either be magnified or completely cancelled out.

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It was making the sound before the new tires and still is. But I only replaced two - so it would have to be one of those two tires. I'll swap another set on to see, only makes sense to try that. Problem is all my other rims are 16" and this little EJ18 gets notably under-powered with 16" on! LOL

 

can a tire noise be there one day and not the next?

 

 

You only replaced 2?

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i removed the rear diff. 26 as a daily driver in mountainous terrain. 26 on the highway because of the mountains. 32 in flat land. EGR light is on, TCU flashes because I think it still thinks it's a 4WD....so maybe it would do better without those issues?

 

keep in mind it's an automatic too. i had a FWD manual trans to put in it but wanted my wife to be able to drive it.

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i removed the rear diff. 26 as a daily driver in mountainous terrain. 26 on the highway because of the mountains. 32 in flat land. EGR light is on, TCU flashes because I think it still thinks it's a 4WD....so maybe it would do better without those issues?

 

keep in mind it's an automatic too. i had a FWD manual trans to put in it but wanted my wife to be able to drive it.

 

26 is great for a daily driver.

 

the only thing you might have done different would to have used an outback auto trans with a 4.44 final drive. it wouldn't have helped the MPG but it might have helped in the mountains.

 

so the next time you have nothing to do .........

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