I am having a problem with a rumble in the front of my car ( 2000 xj8 vp). When I turn right the rumble goes away. It seemed like the right front bearing might be bad. I installed a spindle from the auto wrecker but the noise remained. Still suspecting the bearing I installed a new wheel bearing. The rumble remained I then thought it might be the steering pump. Replaced that without a change. Now what do I try?

 

wheel or tire, try switching sides...

 

I put the spare tire on and there was no difference. I may put a new bearing in on the left side. It seems like it is okay and my logic suggests it was the right side but I am running out of things to try.

 

Yep, it sounds like you are on the right track... unless you want to convince yourself the scrapper spindle bearing had the exact same problem and sound, but that would be my last guess!

 

I have a 1999 Jaguar Vanden Plas with the same un-diagnosed problem. I had the left hub and bearing replaced and NO CHANGE! I turned but sides by hand when the car was on the hoist, holding on the hub, they both felt solid and smooth but we went ahead and replaced the drivers side as per the technicians recommendation as determined from the road test. I am baffled!

 

So you have done both bearings and no change. That saved me a bit of time. I have a new bearing and was going to install it this week. I think I will look for something else to change. I even changed the steering pump. I think I will check the universals next. Did you car get quiet when you turned the wheel like when turning a big curve?

 

When turning a right hand curve the car is perfect Too bad I cant drive simply turning in a constant right hand circle

 

We did the alignment today and set it for max toe in according to the machine I think it was 19 degrees The noise is almost 100 gone when driving straight ahead I can still hear some noise but it is 10 percent of what it was. The car pulls very slightly to the left, as it did prior to the alignment. Now it is quiet until I turn to the left. I am thinking that a toe in a few degrees past spec on the drivers side would fix the problem Any one have any experience with this?

 

I am reaching here, but tire pressure is a approach too. I had some issues myself after changing wheels and tires. Had to adjust tire pressure. I am not as smart as other members. Worked for me though. Just saying. Good luck.

 

I'll try the alignment next week.

 

Iceman. It seems we have the exact same problem. Sometimes it feels like there is a lot of slop in the universals. Have you noticed this? We can't be the only 2 people to have experienced this rumble. The truth is out there somewhere.

 

After replacing both bearings redoing the alignment and then replacing the top shock mount bushings/rubber washers the car is finally quiet. The condition of the bearings is not easily detectable. However on my car, originally, the noise would go away on a 40 mph right turn that had a curve approximately that of a freeway exit. Upon examining the bearings once they were out of the car, it was the right bearing that was beyond spec. I hope you find your noise, as now the vdp is once again a pleasure to drive.

 

Do you think the shock mounts were the main cause of the rumble?

 

I think that the main noise ORIGINATED at the right front bearing. As a recap. The left front bearing was identified as a source of a problem by the mechanic. It was replaced and the right front bearing inspected and found to be serviceable and tight.

A subsequent wheel alignment with maximum toe in REDUCED the noise and rumble by 90 percent. Still it was evident that not everything was right. The alignment, in hind sight, simply reduced the pressure on the NOISY right bearing and therefore seemed to be a huge positive step. We then replaced the shock mounts and the car was relatively quiet UNLESS I was turning left! Noisy while turning left is obviously not the way Jaguar built the car so we replaced the right front bearing as well since EVERYTHING else had been checked. Sure enough, the right bearing was creating noise and a rumble, although when the tire was off and the bearing was turned by hand it felt PERFECT. The was not even a hint of a problem, no roughness, no play. We replaced it anyhow, and the car now feels like new.

 

Same problem. Same solution for me too.

 

Fixed it. After spending $300 on parts I fixed my rumble for free. It was the alignment after all. I was able to adjust it with a piece of string and a tape measure. Seems to be running smooth now.

 

It is worth remembering that sometimes old methods of diagnosis do not apply.
The bearings in our cars are a pair of ball bearings sharing a common race, not the tapered roller bearings of the old days which when loaded to one side would call out the noisy offender.
The best method is to remove the wheel and to turn the wheel by hand if a front or run in gear for the back while listening at the hub. This will also help eliminate a tire problem.

 

Ross I feel it is important to respond and to let you know that your method of diagnosis is exactly what we did and yet found no problem with the bearing. Initially most of the noise in my car went away with the alignment. HOWEVER, it remained noisy on a left hand turn ran at a low noise level while driving, straight, and became completely quiet on a right hand turn. As the left hand bearing had already been replaced, we then replaced the right hand bearing, and ALL the noise went away.

 

On my car I had the quiet right turn symptom too. The bearings felt good even when I pulled the disks off the rotor. I diagnosed it as the right bearing and first changed the spindle for one purchased from the scrapper and when that didn't change anything I installed a new bearing. Still no change. I bought a new bearing for the left side but before I installed it I did a home alignment and the noise went away. I might still change the left bearing but it is not an issue anymore. I was going to change the top shock mounts but the $350 price tag for each changed my mind

 

In case anyone else is thinking about shock mounts, this from EBAY

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