Whining noise from front/rear

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ryu
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Whining noise from front/rear

Post by ryu »

Hey all:

I recently picked up an '03 baja. It has 191k miles, but it seems like it was taken care of (single previous owner). I still have a lot to do (replace a busted rear tail light, replace missing hole cap things in bed, reupholster driver's seat, replace busted fog light) but for $3250, it's a hell of a car/truck/thing.

A few weeks ago, I was on the highway, going up an on-ramp at around 45mph. It's a tight curve, so I was definitely pushing it a bit. I think I was in 4th, and was braking. Through the entire curve, I heard a loud whine coming from the front. Then, today, I briefly heard the exact same sound from the back while just driving normally. Today, the sound happened when I was in 3rd gear, clutch in, and braking. I downshifted, and the sound went away and I couldn't make it come back.

I used to own a GM W-body, so I'm no stranger to bearing noise. This noise is similar, but more of a groaning/whining noise than a "whirr." The brakes have a different squeak to them, so I'm pretty sure it isn't brakes. I wouldn't have been so concerned about it, except now I've heard it coming from the back too. Has anyone had a similar experience?
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Guacamole
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Re: Whining noise from front/rear

Post by Guacamole »

Welcome to the forum and congrats on the purchase!
Sounds like your bearings are going bad to me. I just had my front drivers' side go bad 2 months ago and bought mine 5 years ago with all 4 being bad. I had a hell of a time getting the previous bearing to make the noise. Originally it only made it going around left turns, then after a few weeks was constant and felt like the whole hub was grinding itself into little pieces.
The front bearings are punch-in and the rear ones are the bolt-on kind if you decide to do them yourself. Otherwise, they run around $700/front and $400/rear individually from a Subie dealership.
Another possibility is the dust shields are interfering with the brakes, but this usually corrects itself from wear. :lol:
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ZUBAJA
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Re: Whining noise from front/rear

Post by ZUBAJA »

You (the O.P.) don't mention it, but is it a manual or automatic? Both have a separate dipstick for the front diff and the dipstick is on the right (passenger) side of the diff housing. I recently had to replace the front diff on a '98 Forester because I couldn't see the dipstick because of goo buildup. I figured (okay I ASSUMED) that because it was automatic that maybe it was a common sump - WRONG. Front diff went bone dry and wiped out the bearings.
Beyond front diff possibility, I also agree with Guacamole on the possibility of an axle end bearing (I currently have at least one on my 05 Forester and maybe one on my Baja making noise. The good news is they are DOUBLE row ball bearings and usually one row is making the noise (so it can last a while - if you're lucky). My 02 Forester went about a year with a howling bearing. When I finally replaced it, I was amazed how quiet the car drove. Dennis
ryu
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Re: Whining noise from front/rear

Post by ryu »

Thanks, guys! I'll probably have to get the bearings done at a shop, sadly that's gonna be $$$. I'll check the diff fluid too, just to be safe.
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Guacamole
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Re: Whining noise from front/rear

Post by Guacamole »

Given the mileage, it's not surprising. Also goes without saying, but definitely get it checked out FIRST before dropping that amount of money to confirm before you go off the advice of the internet since we can't actually experience exactly what you can and are going off our assumptions with our own experiences. :lol:
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ZUBAJA
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Re: Whining noise from front/rear

Post by ZUBAJA »

And it doesn't have to be a "stealership" that does the work. Often, a well equipped garage, a brake place, or even a Midas type place has the equipment to do the job and at a much lower labor rate. The important part is REPUTABLE. Find a place with good references. Dennis
HaHaBajAlcyone
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Re: Whining noise from front/rear

Post by HaHaBajAlcyone »

You didn't mention in your initial post anything about the condition and age of the tires. Mismatched or different size tires can cause all 3 differentials to work harder than normal and 'could' cause noise at both the front and the rear. THe fact that the noise became apparent during turning leads me to think your noises could be differential related... my two (Canadian) cents... what's that, like 1.5 cents US$?

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