When I get to above 53 mph I am hearing a sound like a bad bearing in the back,it goes away if I transfer weight through the curves left and right.

I am also getting a vibration not a bearing rumble on light acceleration through second and third gears of the auto transmission.

I see posts where others have mostly changed the right rear hub bearings,and a couple that seem to have replaced the output shaft bearings.

The output shaft bearings are for sale on eBay as a specific one as if it is a popular one to change.

I am sure I probably will have to pull everything to inspect but any thoughts as to the least amount of pulling or maybe a more pointed direction,wishful thinking?

 

A rumble such as you describe that goes away with a weight transfer sounds awfully like a wheel bearing to me. If you jack up the car at the rear and try to rock the wheel back and forth and up and down, holding it at a quarter to three and six o clock respectively, you might find some movement. Check both sides for a comparison.

Spinning the wheel might produce a slight rumble also. I've replaced front wheel bearings, which is a simple enough DIY job, with basic tools, but I think the rears are a slightly different job, but still do-able.

You might want to see if there is any adjustment/tightening possible on the bearings themselves, just by tightening the castellated hub nut, but don't bind the bearing. Basically, the nut should be tightened up just enough so that the wheel starts to bind, then slacken the nut as little as possible to allow the wheel to spin freely.

There may be other causes, as in suspension, bushes etc. but start with the bearings first.

Others will no doubt chime in.

 

Basically, the nut should be tightened up just enough so that the wheel starts to bind, then slacken the nut as little as possible to allow the wheel to spin freely.


No, No. Please don't do that. That is for front bearings. The rear is very different and adjusted with spacers when the hub is assembled.

The rear hub nut needs to be torqued to spec. Can't remember what the figure is but it's very tight (300NM ?).

 

And the rear nuts are single-use and cost about $25 each. Once you loosen them, they're done!

 

Thank you for that clarification and I bow to your superior knowledge. As mentioned, I knew there was something "different" about the rear bearings, but didn't realise the difference was quite so marked.

Thanks again!

 

Thanks for all that information,because of the cost of the replacement nut it seems to be better just to order new bearings and seals and just replace everything.

I had pulled the front bearings and they had zero grease on them,so i repacked and reassembled them so it would be my guess that the rears have never been serviced as well,they did use very good quality in their front bearings there was no scoring or burn marks on the races considering there was no grease in them unless they are a grease less sort.

 

A trick I was shown a couple of years ago, which I have found reliable on the couple of occasions I have had cause to use it since, is to jack the car up and turn the wheel by hand while resting a finger on the spring coil. Failed bearings were immediately obvious in a situation where I couldn't tell from sound or free play which wheel it was.

 

Update

I finally got around to addressing this issue and it turned out to be the driveshaft carrier bearing.

I did all of the checks on the wheel bearings without pulling them,the nagging thing was that when ever I let up on the accelerator the rumble would go away.

So accelerating over 53 and up then letting it coast the noise would go away because the torque from the engine was no longer there.

It became really confusing when the car was on flat pavement I could rock it back and forth a couple of inches and the torque shafts would not move.

Looking at diagrams are they not splines into the hubs and should move with the wheel instead of a floating hub assembly?

I still have a vibration/rumble that may appear between the 90 and 100 mph range,I am thinking that I may need to position adjust the carrier bearing.

 

There is a specific process for aligning the carrier, and rather counter intuitively, it is not intended for the driveline to be straight. There is a thread in here ( I think) or elsewhere on line which shows how to do it. No special tools required from memory, just patience and string!

 

Searching posts by Don B for "driveshaft" should divulge it.