Hello everyone, new forum member here, I thought I’d make this post so that it might help fellow boxster owners in the future. Essentially, I had a bad wheel bearing that was making a really annoying noise, but it didn’t sound or act like your usual bad wheel bearing (which made it hard to diagnose). I finally got the wheel bearing replaced and the sound has seemingly disappeared for good. If someone with the same issue reads this hopefully it will help them solve it quicker than I did.
For context, ever since I bought my 2003 boxster 2.7L manual it was plagued by this high pitch whining/squealing sound coming from the rear passenger corner. The sound only occurred when the car was moving above 20-25 mph, and was independent of engine rpm. If you slowed down below 20-25 mph the sound would fizzle out and disappear. The sound was most noticeable when there was a curb or wall next to the car for the sound to bounce off. It did
NOT sound like the usual growling hum of a bad wheel bearing, and didn’t change turning left or right. There was no play in the wheel when shaking it on jack stands.
Here’s a video I recorded of the sound. Any time the sound disappears in the video it’s because I slowed down below 20-25 mph. In the video I also put it in neutral and coast down the road while revving to show it’s not related to engine speed:
https://youtu.be/_T0zpe1Yh1w?si=nWWJsRZ8ZHg75fsM
Here’s a list of things I tried sorted by increasing effort/cost:
- Hose down/power wash brakes, especially between rotor and caliper
- Check to see if the wheel has any play in it
- Check that the brake dust shield isn’t touching the rotor
- Check that the brake caliper pistons are working properly and not dragging the pads on the rotor
- Check for any debris lodged between spinning and stationary parts
- Try using an air gun wand to blow out anything caught in the crevices near the bearing
- Try squirting a bit of oil onto the bearing from where the CV axle meets the hub carrier, and behind where the brake rotor mounts
- Fully take apart and deep clean the entire brake assembly
- Replace rotors and pads if they look warped or uneven
- Replace wheel bearing
Some of the steps I listed reduced the noise for a few days or a week, but it’d still come back later. It wasn’t until I replaced the wheel bearing that the noise stayed gone. It still hasn’t come back as of writing this.
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