Help Groaning During Slow Turns

[NVERL8]

Guys I need a little help. My wife recently got a 92 LX 5.0 SE, the red one with the white wheels and white top with only 4,000 miles on it. It has sat in a barn for the last 20 years with an occasional around the block drive. Everything on the car is perfect except for when I take low speed parking lot turns it growls from what appears to be the drivers rear. I pulled the drums off and cleaned them as best I could (I barely got the drivers side off) and the noise got a little better but is still there. Any ideas? It does not sound like a rear end issue (I know what bad clutches sound like), it is more like a dragging sound.

 

[RangerJoe]

It's always kinda hard to diagnose sounds over the Internet with audio, but, my first thought is a bad axle bearing on the driver's side.

Joe

 

[02 281 GT]

The way you describe it makes it sound very similar to the sounds my car has been making for a while now. I'm waiting on a set of axles to arrive in the mail that I'm going to throw in along with new bearings. I've already changed everything else back there except for the rear end itself. I would recommend getting some new bearings/seals and maybe some slightly used axles as well. Jack it up, remove the axles and take a look at the bearings themselves and the bearing surfaces of the axle.

 

[NVERL8]

So..... how will I know the bearing is bad?

 

[mikestang63]

when you make a turn- the bad wheel bearing on the opposite side of the turn will make a sound. Turn left and hear it from the rear right or turn right and hear it from the driver rear. It will sound like a moan or humming. If it sat for 20 years there are a lot of parts that probable need attention

 

[MFE92]

If it's low-speed gronking from the diff, put 1/2 a bottle of friction modifier in it and drive it more often.

Wheel bearings will wub-wub-wub-wub-wub when you change lanes on the highway or turn an off-ramp.

 

[NVERL8]

Definitely a low speed groan when turning but it seems to me that it is coming from the outer most point of the axle. The wheels basically. I don't know if the noise transfers there or what. I am going to Service the rear fluid as my next step and see what happens

 

[7991LXnSHO]

You can have some flat spots in the bearings by now, and they often make low speed noises too. Change the lube and check them out. Putting it up on jsck stands and turning a wheel might allow you to figure out better where the noise is coming from. Happened to my A body after being parked for 8 years.

 

[NVERL8]

Jacked up if I spin the wheels it is silent. Sounds just fine. I'm going to get the the gear oil and friction modifier tomorrow and see if a lube change helps

 

[7991LXnSHO]

Sometimes rolling it slowly with weight on will help too, but I hope it is just the clutches. Thanks for listening!

 

[NVERL8]

So I changed the fluid and added the friction modifier and did some figure eights but so far no change. Seems like more of a rubbing sound bit can't find anything rubbing. Definitely coming from both sides though. 7991LX, what kind of sound did you have on your bearings? We're they quiet in a straight line?

 

[89oem]

could it be a brake shoe?

 

[7991LXnSHO]

The bearings that went bad from extended parking growled most loudly when turning faster like the guys have said. But the mechanic who put on my tires (who was not just a tire jockey I bet) could hear them pulling straight in and out of the shop and had me listen. And a rubbing sound might not be so far off from the low speed sound. But a rubbing, dragging and a low grumble sound description are close enough that after making sure it is not a cable or exhaust part rubbing, I am afraid tearing in and inspection might be needed. A recording might help us but nothing beats ears in the car.

 

[NVERL8]

I had the cover off and everything in the pumpkin looks new. Next stop is pulling the axles I guess.

What would go bad on a brake shoe and cause a sounds like that?

 

[7991LXnSHO]

Fluid on the shoe material, rust on the drum, metal to metal if no shoe material left could cause some noise. Stretched rubber hangers could let exhaust parts rub in a figure 8.

 

[89oem]

if they arent seated right, loose/broken springs, missing clips etc. you said you had trouble pulling a drum so Id recheck that side for sure. clicking, rubbing, humming are all sounds that can come out of the brake area.... easy to check too...

 

[NVERL8]

Springs are definitely there. I know how to adjust drum brakes but that's about it so I'm just basically looking for anything obvious wrong. Everything I have worked on has had disc and I have never had a need to pull the drums on my other fox body so I'm figuring this out as I go

 

[Vertistang93]

Pull the axles and check the axle surfaces. It's a pretty easy process. Sounds like a bearing. As easy as they are, might as well change the seals and bearings.

 

[NVERL8]

So the bearing would stay silent in a straight line and be quiet until they warmed up? I'm just going to have to replace them and see, I'm out of ideas so I think the axles are coming out.