From: JonB55198 on
Ray,
Thanks! this is all good info. I think i will start by getting a
4wheel alignment. That seems simplest. Tires look good at this
point. My mechanic reported that the wheel bearings didnt' seem to
have play in them. But i was suspicious that noise may begin prior to
"play" or wobble.

More background:
After the accident the frame was pulled and aligned using a laser
system by a local body shop. So i'm thinking the drive train lines up
pretty well. When we put the engine/trans back in, it didn't seem to
have a problem fitting back on the mounts.

Also, this is a FWD vehicle (1993 toyota corolla) with 272kmiles.
Tires in the front are ~10kmiles old yokohama avid TRZ (80kmiles
tires).
From: Ray O on

"JonB55198" <jonb55198(a)gmail.com> wrote in message
news:01ee0050-47dd-450d-a873-cc86c2045ba5(a)j39g2000yqh.googlegroups.com...
>> Yes, and it could have damaged stuff in the transaxle.
>
> Jeff, damaged "stuff" in transaxle soudns difficult to diagnose and
> repair (ie costly)...right?

The transaxle is pretty robust, and unless the case shows signs of damage,
the likelihood that it is the source of the noise is pretty low. In my
experience chasing weird noises that dealers had problems with, a methodical
check in the order that I posted will reduce the chances that you will do
unnecessary parts replacement and as a side benefit, identify the source of
the noise.

I didn't mention this before, but a mechanic's stethoscope might help you
identify the source if you put the car securely on jack stands, put the car
in gear, and then place the tip of the stethoscope (or screwdriver with a
long shank) on the inboard side of the housing where the shaft enters the
hub and on the transmission case where the shafts exit. Do this after you
check the stuff that I posed before.
--

Ray O
(correct punctuation to reply)


From: JonB55198 on
Ray,
thanks again, i am going to try the things in the order you recommend
and then report back to the group with my findings. Thank you so much
-Jon
From: JonB55198 on
scott,
how many miles were on it when the bearing failed?
-jon
From: Ray O on

"JonB55198" <jonb55198(a)gmail.com> wrote in message
news:9625f0bb-7d05-4678-bf88-1bd2ff746177(a)e12g2000yqi.googlegroups.com...
> Ray,
> Thanks! this is all good info. I think i will start by getting a
> 4wheel alignment. That seems simplest. Tires look good at this
> point. My mechanic reported that the wheel bearings didnt' seem to
> have play in them. But i was suspicious that noise may begin prior to
> "play" or wobble.
>
> More background:
> After the accident the frame was pulled and aligned using a laser
> system by a local body shop. So i'm thinking the drive train lines up
> pretty well. When we put the engine/trans back in, it didn't seem to
> have a problem fitting back on the mounts.
>
> Also, this is a FWD vehicle (1993 toyota corolla) with 272kmiles.
> Tires in the front are ~10kmiles old yokohama avid TRZ (80kmiles
> tires).

The additional information is helpful. Laser systems have been around for a
while and are pretty much state of the art for getting the chassis realigned
properly.

Before you spend money on a 4 wheel alignment, a good body shop should have
done on after pulling the chassis so check to see if they did one.

With this additional information, I'm guessing that the wheel bearings are
the culprit but check the other stuff out because it only takes a few
minutes. Wheel bearings can make noise even if there is no perceptible
wobble. Does the noise change in loudness or pitch on a long sweeping left
turn where the car's body mass is shifted on to the right side of the
vehicle? If so, that is another indication of bad wheel bearings as is the
272,000 miles on the odometer.
--

Ray O
(correct punctuation to reply)