[al foretta]

Had new axles installed on an '83 automatic in June '04 at 80k miles. As the last few months have passed, a speed-related groaning has evolved. Almost like some older tires with too much road noise feedback, only worse. No clunking, no thunking, no apparent problem when turning or anything, just a groaning that picks up with wheel RPM (totally unrelated to engine speed). What are the possibilities- improper lube at installation? Out of alignment?What else?

I'm not a front-wheel drive user, so it's all new to me. The car is just a commuter- other than some outside edge tire wear (fronts, mostly on the left), and the noise, no real noticeable issues. But I hate to run the thing into the ground needlessly.

Thanks for any ideas :cheers:

 

[astreamk1]

Sounds like a wheel bearing. Does the sound shift/change as you take turns in the road ?

 

[al foretta]

could be a wheel bearing... it would just be one of those coincidences, unless something was reinstalled poorly by the mechanic(shocking!) :loser:
But yes, that is the sort of sound it's making.

But no, there is no real difference when cornering or anything similar. The sound is not so much of a grinding noise (like I've heard from bearings in the past)... more of a moan. (What is this, Spectravision?)

If I change the oil this weekend, then I'll do some looking around for bearing possibilities.

Thanks.... anyone/ anything else?

 

[astreamk1]

Those axles are on splined shafts and pretty much a no brainer to put in. If not lined up, they are not going in. That job doesn't really leave much opportunity for error as it is pretty straight forward. Only other thing I might check is the oil level in the tranny itself. I have never heard bearing noise like I did in the 90 Integra my brother bought for a winter ride. I really thought it might have been the tranny, but turned out to be just a bearing.

Also a wheel bearing is kinda progressive and will get louder with time.