I meant to say misaligned - thought one thing typed another - story of my life....and he has 2WD
I dont know about it being mismatched but its a remote possibility that the steering knuckle is damaged somehow
Disclaimer: Links on this page pointing to Amazon, eBay and other sites may include affiliate code. If you click them and make a purchase, we may earn a small commission.
I meant to say misaligned - thought one thing typed another - story of my life....and he has 2WD
I dont know about it being mismatched but its a remote possibility that the steering knuckle is damaged somehow
correct setting the toe wont change the caster / camber. Camber can affect toe, thats why first you adjust caster/camber and toe last
what you got we called a "set the toe and let it go"
the only thing alignment wise that could cause the noise is if the camber and or toe was WAY off the caster isnt a tire wearing angle, just for directional control only
the easiest way to explain caster is think of a bicycle front wheel. the steering tube pivot is your upper ball joint, the wheel axle is the lower ball joint.
The axle is always in front the upper pivot, thats how you are able to ride a bike no handed
same principle for a auto
I highly highly doubt your noise has anything to do with the alignment
The OP said that he already replaced several different bad bearings on that wheel. He doesn't understand why it's happening. The original post said the bearings only last a short time, then they start making noise and the rear seals go out on them. It almost sounds like the hub assembly is mismatched.
to check for a noisy bearing
jack up and take off the offending side wheel
take the caliper off (recommended)or at least push the piston back so that the rotor can spin freely with no pads rubbing it
then spin the hub and check for noise. Sometimes a stethoscope can help isolate. Then do the other side to compare the noise emitted. You should be able to tell if there is a noisy bearing. Sometimes it will only show up when the bearing is loaded but you can usually tell
You don't have a 4x4 do You? A bad c/v joint could cause noise and vibration if it is bad enough but surely any tech would pick up on that.
...and he has 2WD
I dont know about it being mismatched but its a remote possibility that the steering knuckle is damaged somehow
That problem is just so weird. Well if you switch the hub to the other side and the problem moves that that might indicate hub but if it stays on the the left then maybe that indicates that the knuckle is bent warped, drilled wrong or something. It just shouldn't be that hard to solve.I also considered what you said, about the hub assembly being misaligned somehow. But, I torqued it proper and true each time. I am thinking, I will swap the hub assembly from passenger side and see if noise goes with the hub....if so, then by golly, it IS the bearing. If not, then my issue is something else. Yes, I think I will do this.
That problem is just so weird. Well if you switch the hub to the other side and the problem moves that that might indicate hub but if it stays on the the left then maybe that indicates that the knuckle is bent warped, drilled wrong or something. It just shouldn't be that hard to solve.
The other thing that it sounds like is you have a harmonic vibration of some sort, which is why it is worse at certain speeds. The other thing that you said is when you turn left the noise goes away and that makes me think that you are unloading the bearing by de compressing it takes some of the slop out of it. Maybe the bearing isn't fitting correctly in the raceway and it's a little tight?
Good bearing should roll very smoothly and have absolutely no roughness to them. They are supposed to be precision made.
Again, just something else to think about.
to check for a bent steering knuckle, have the alignment shop check for SAI
this means steering axis inclination, they measure the geometry of the front wheels as they are turned lock-to-lock.