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RX4 whine from front **Fixed**

2K views 10 replies 4 participants last post by  ours2012 
#1 ·
i have a whine which starts at about 30 mph, it is the same if under power,de-accelerating,
in neutral or with the clutch down. I have jacked up all the wheels and used a stephoscope
on all the wheels with no luck.
On the road it drives fine other than the whine,but with the front wheels off the ground
(prop shaft has been removed) and in first gear any think above a fast idle it judders and
sometimes stalls. (has it got a LSD?)
any suggestions would be much appreciated

cheers Steve
 
#2 ·
Don't know the RX4, except that it has a multiplate central diff so I wouldn't be running it jacked up in gear. The whine you mention is most "probably" a bearing somewhere along the driveline and these things can be difficult to trace - esp on a 4x4. If the noise is the same both on and off load, I would start with the wheel bearings and work back towards the engine. Does the noise change in volume or pitch as you increase speed? Can you hear roughly where it is coming from? It could also possibly be tyre noise - are they worn/feathered.
 
#3 ·
Thanks for your suggestions. The noise gets worse as the the speed increases up to about 45 ish, it seems to level out after that.(possibly drowned out by wind noise)
It makes no difference in turns, it stays the same.
I removed the prop shaft long ago because of a noisy centre bearing.
The tyre's are like new but are about 6 years old.
I have checked the gearbox and rear axle oil levels.
If the weather is dry this weekend I will swap the wheels around.


Cheers Steve
 
#4 ·
I too would plump for wheel bearings, for some reason the back ones fail before the front. Although I guess equally bad to do on a 4WD.
I got rid of a major whine, Divorced her :smile2:
 
#6 ·
Forgot to mention.
My whine sounded from the front, even after asking a rear passenger. Did the front bearing. :frown2:
Then did the rear, which cured it. :grin2:
Mine like yours only got noisy above 28 MPH :nerd:
 
#7 ·
Get someone sit in the back of the car, ask them to place their hand as close to the suspension strut top as possible, ( makes no difference if the strut is a foot away, as long as on the same level as the suspension top )
They will feel it vibrate, then tell them to go to the other side of the car, and do the same.
But the driver needs to get them to put their hand there, before he/she gets up to the speed that the noise/vibration occurs
 
#8 ·
It's starting to act more like a wheel bearing now,as you go round a left hand bend/corner the whine decreases then returns when you straighten up.Still sounds from the front, but will do the hand on the rear strut test when I get the hungover son out of bed.

Cheers for all your suggestions Steve
 
#9 ·
Finely got the n/s front bearing done, it made no difference. I have put the spare wheel on the n/s/f and moved all the wheels round one at a time, still no improvement.You can feel a resonance up though the steering wheel which goes along with the noise on tight left hand bends. Could it be the diff bearings? It has just had it's MOT and failed on ball joints, no mention of any wheel bearing problems.I have had people sit in all seat positions and all say it's coming from the front. I have tried putting my hand on the rear strut, but they are all boxed in.

Cheers Steve
 
#10 ·
Replaced the o/s/f bearing and got it right this time. (about time) The job took about 2.5 hours. The bearing was very tight to get out even with a press, and I had to grind off the centre race from the Hub. The Continental CDK 3615 bearing from E Bay fitted my 2lt petrol RX4 even though it was not listed to fit.
The hub nut is 30mm. Renault seem to use some odd sizes, strut bolts 21mm, caliper 18mm and ball joint 16mm. My track rod end was 17mm.(possibly replaced in the past?)

Thanks for all your help and suggestions Steve
 
#11 ·
Nightmare finding bearing noises, have changed all 4 on some cars.
Do one, then can hear another one , then work around the car..
Only time I like doing them, is when someone else has diagnosed it, and not me.:grin2:

Glad you sorted it,,, just the back to do now then
 
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