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Guessing I'm writing in the right section - sorry if not!
I have just bought a 2002 WRX. When I am travelling along there is a rumble noise coming from the rear of the car. It is most noticable between 45 - 70mph but you can still hear it at 30mph. Above 70 the noise almost completely disappears.
I have had wheel bearings go on other cars and it does sound similar, although before it has always been more of a "roar" rather than this quieter "rumble"
I have tested the sound accellerating, braking, steering etc and nothing changes the volume / tone of the sound. Only speed changes the volume. As I have only just bought the car (last weekend) I'm not sure if this is a new sound or not, and wondered if this was a "Subaru" sound (due to the 4 wheel drive). I've never ridden in one before.
However the other thing which makes me suspect wheel bearing is that after a drive (20 mins or so) the rear-right hub is very hot (too hot to touch). The other 3 are much cooler. It isn't the brake rubbing as I have jacked up the car and it spins fine. Also with the car jacked up I have held the wheel at 3 and 9 o'clock, and 6 & 12 and there is no play at all which I would expect with a worn wheel bearing.
Would a hot hub seem like a wheel bearing?? Also any idea's what kind of money I'm talking to get it replaced.
Cheers for the reply. Well I've had both wheel bearings done and the noise still hasn't gone away. It sounds like a whine noise, which I have now found out gets louder depending on how long I've driven. When cold and after 10 miles (my journey to work) the whine is very quiet. Last weekend I went 150 miles, and after about 40 miles or so the whine is very loud and noticable.
As I have now had both wheel bearings done I can rule that out, however the rear right hub is still getting very hot (too hot to touch). All the other three are cooler. I was thinking a rubbing hand brake (I beleive they are built into the hub on these cars and don't use the disc???) but that wouldn't create the whine.
Any ideas would be great before I take it to a garage to diagnose (and a huge bill!)
hope you are not confusing tyre noise with a rumble, as some tyres can be noisy. When I test drove mine at a Subaru dealer I noticed a slight noise, they checked everything out, conclusion was tyre noise I can honestly say that 2 years down the line nothing else has happened and have got through 3 MOTs and services and nothing has been mentioned. I would have thought any brake sticking either pads or handbrake shoes would be noticeable if you jack it up as any resistance should be felt when trying to rotate the offending wheel.
If this was me I'd take it straight back to the garage and ask for a refund on the bearings. It should be obvious to a professional mechanic whether they really needed doing (roughness and/or play in the hub), and since it obviously hasn't fixed your problem, they were probably fine.
As to the real problem, if it's not the bearings or the handbrake pinching, the only other things it could be is the caliper seizing or something else fouling the hub.
Are you sure this isn't the 63mph rumble that newage impreza's suffer from..?
Try searching 'diff whine' as many have tried to get to the bottom of it without success. Subaru are also aware of it, claiming it was to do with diff harmonics. IIRC, there was a technical update circulated to main dealers, which suggested the fitting of 'harmonic dampers' (rubber rings) to the rear diff carrier of unhappy customers. Suffice to say I don't think it worked..!
IMHO once you know it's nothing untoward and just one of those things, then you tend to forget about it. Lol, I can't recall hearing mine for some time, but I've no doubt that it's still there..!
However, just reading your post again about the one hub getting very hot that IMHO needs looking at as it's not right. The two things are probably unrelated, but get the car to an subaru specialist- ie not a dealer..! Where abouts are you based..?
One other thought, the rear brake (disc or parking brake- drum) could still be the cause of the heat build up- ie dragging. Jacking the car up can actually change the brake pressure to the rear and therefore allow the wheel to rotate freely. Rear brake bias is controlled/adjusted according to ride height/weight at the rear axle..?
Best get it to someone reliable to help identify the cause,
Wheel Bearing?
