1999 Subaru Outback Wagon-ringing rear wheel-STUMPED!

[sunking247]

I recently had my car serviced at Firestone, wear they repaired my parking brake which was not engaging, at the time they noticed a slight shimmy in my rear driver side wheel, where it would have a slight wobble when the top and bottom of it were pressed alternately, this was undetectable unless the car was on the lift. They advised me to return at a later date to have this repaired. About a week and a half later as I was driving on the highway i heard a metallic ringing noise from what sounded like my rear passenger side wheel. Almost like the sound when you wet your finger and run it around the rim of a wineglass. This ringing is not constant, it comes and goes at both highway speeds and while driving in town. It's volume changes the faster I go, and can get so loud it soundslike something is seriously wrong with the bearings or cv boot or the whole axle. It only makes this noise when i am driving straight. No matter how loud it is it goes away immediately the second I turn the wheel or hit the brakes, but sometimes comes back as soon as I am going straight or take my foot off the brake pedal...and sometimes it doesn't. I am completely stumped, and so are the people at Firestone.

I brought it back to them two weeks ago, thinking that something went wrong when they took the rear wheels off the repair the parking brake. They spent an hour and a half taking the rear passenger side wheel off and inspecting it for anything that would be making the noise. They announced that nothing was wrong with the wheel or its fitting and gave it a clean bill of health. A week later the ringing came back, and I am hesitant to bring it back to them again without a specific request or recommendation.

I am hoping someone on the message board has an idea, cause I am STUMPED.

[nipper]

Ok this sounds like a harmonics issue. Did firestone put the car on the lift and put it in gear up to 30mph (due to differntial desighn when in the air 30mph at the dash is 60mph at the wheels). The only thing i can think of there to cause that kind of harmonic is the backing plate for the disc brake or some sort of heat sheild or rock sheild. SInce you said the wheel was slightly out of round, it makes sense. When all the planets are aligned right, you get that ringing. The harmonics of the wheel, which you cant feel, but a peice of metal can, is probably causing the ringing. WHne they rebuilt your parking brake on that side, they upset something.

Thast my best guess. What did they do specifically to that brake?

 

Joe

[1 Lucky Texan]

I recently had my car serviced at Firestone, wear they repaired my parking brake which was not engaging, at the time they noticed a slight shimmy in my rear driver side wheel, where it would have a slight wobble when the top and bottom of it were pressed alternately, this was undetectable unless the car was on the lift. They advised me to return at a later date to have this repaired. About a week and a half later as I was driving on the highway i heard a metallic ringing noise from what sounded like my rear passenger side wheel. Almost like the sound when you wet your finger and run it around the rim of a wineglass. This ringing is not constant, it comes and goes at both highway speeds and while driving in town. It's volume changes the faster I go, and can get so loud it soundslike something is seriously wrong with the bearings or cv boot or the whole axle. It only makes this noise when i am driving straight. No matter how loud it is it goes away immediately the second I turn the wheel or hit the brakes, but sometimes comes back as soon as I am going straight or take my foot off the brake pedal...and sometimes it doesn't. I am completely stumped, and so are the people at Firestone.

I brought it back to them two weeks ago, thinking that something went wrong when they took the rear wheels off the repair the parking brake. They spent an hour and a half taking the rear passenger side wheel off and inspecting it for anything that would be making the noise. They announced that nothing was wrong with the wheel or its fitting and gave it a clean bill of health. A week later the ringing came back, and I am hesitant to bring it back to them again without a specific request or recommendation.

I am hoping someone on the message board has an idea, cause I am STUMPED.

 

Fascinating. If you want to fool around with it, instead of taking it to a different mechanic, the first thing I'd try is swapping LR, RR rotors. (I'd of course inspect them and the backing plates). See if the problem either goes away, stays on the right (possible wheel bearing issue) or travels with the rotor (then what?). My bet is on wheel bearing but a ringing noise does seem odd. I suppose a whistling noise could be a torn grease boot or something.

 

I dunno

[sunking247]

Sometimes at slow speeds, like crawling thru rush hour, i can hear the squeak. It's intermittent, and sounds like it's happening just as fast as the wheel is turning. You know...squeak squeak squeak and gets faster as I hit the gas. It still goes away when i hit the brakes or turn though. To asnwer One Lucky Texan's question. Apparently when they replaced the rear brakes, the mechanic did not re-connect the cable from the parking brake handle to the rear brakes. So all they did was take the rear wheels off and re-connect this cable.

[nipper]

Sounds like the backin plate is rubbing against the rotor ... just a thought

 

 

Joe

[camosuba]

check that the driveshaft is tightened correctly this was a problem on the older subis if the nut was loose they would sqeak like you described

 

camo