Fff-fff-fff-fff-fff - wheels
 

I have a weird problem - when I turn corners, I can hear a ff-fff-fff-fff-fff sound coming from the passenger wheel area. It varies with speed so is definitely linked to the turning of the wheel. After a few months of very light driving, the sound was been joined by a squeaking sound, which goes away when the brakes are applied.

Thinking it might be the brake discs/rotors (or specifically, a warped passenger side disc/rotor), I changed them both this weekend.

The squeaking sound may have subdued a little but the fff-fff-fff-fff sound remains.

I have checked the bearing, in as much as I have looked for any play in the wheels, but there's isn't any at all, not even a whisper of movement. They're rock solid.
And to add to that, unless Boxster bearings sound utterly different from other cars worn bearings, it doesn't sound like the bearings have gone either.

The tyres, whilst showing a little wear on the inside (which I believe is normal for Boxsters), are the right ones, and i can't see any contact marks where the wheel has touched the chassis/trim etc.

Any ideas? Thanks!

If it's on a jack can you get the noise to occur with a manual spin of the tire? This might help in isolation.

You may also want to check the rotor guards. I had a similar metallic noise and it was the guard touching the rotor, just lightly.

Is there any abrasion on your wheel liner from your tire?

Me, I am leaning to a wheel bearing problem...especially if you have ruled out everything else. :cheers:

I just replaced my wheel bearings because they were making a similar sound as yours. I also am going to venture a guess and say wheel bearings.

To answer a few Q's first;

- Noise doesn't happen when it's on a jack.
- I did check the rotor guards, couldn't see it touching anywhere.
- No wear anywhere from the tyre.

A friend of mine has asked me if I had the "anti-vibration shims" on my pads.
:o Well, when I changed the rotors/discs, of course i took the pads out, and put them back in again when putting back together, but I never noticed any shims.

He thinks that is what the issue might be, and that I might be able to fix it with some of these; http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Universal-Self-Adhesive-Anti-squeal-Brake-Shims-/250695039221?pt=UK_CarsParts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM& hash=item3a5e96b8f5

So I might give that a go. If that doesn't work, then I guess I need to look at the bearings...

Thanks for the replies!

Did you manually spin and inspect every wheel? I'm not thinking it's the pads, I'm jumping on the bearing bandwagon, it might be silent in the air because there is no load on the bearings.

I span each of the fronts, checked for movement of the hub etc, wasn't any noise apart from a very slight grainy sound (which I believe to be the brakes).

Is it possible to replace bearings DIY?

I've never looked at the bearing carriers on the Boxster in the Bentley. I'm sure there is an inner and outer bearing, each with an accompanying "race" which looks like a "specialized washer" the bearing rides in. The bearings and the races will need to be pressed out. A careful experienced mechanic could do it with a vise and a cheap bearing punch. If you are not experienced I do not recommend it, get the race in a bit crooked or mar up the carrier or parts and you will be inventing new cusses.

What you could do to save money is disassemble the entire carrier and bring it to a shop, have them do the inner and outers with a more suitable and accurate bench press, then you could do the reassembly. Good luck and one more thought. Don't forget to check the rear on the side you say you have determined is the noise side, just in case....

I just thought I'd post an update on this. This weekend I whipped a wheel off and put in the universal shim pads* on the brake pads. The noise has totally gone! :)

So it was definitely worth a try, for the £6.95 (approx $10) they cost.

Thanks for the help anyhow everyone!





* http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Universal-Sel...=item3a5e96b8f5

Willd, Good job guy, you have the satisfaction of fixing a problem yourself, the knowledge for the future if you ever hear it again and most important, more coin in your pocket as a result of your efforts.