Faulty Wheel Bearing? Symptoms & Repair.

Hello everyone!

Can a faulty wheel bearing cause a vibration in the steering wheel, similar to what you experience with unbalanced tires? The vibration is most pronounced at speeds of 50-70 km/h.
The tires and rims cannot be considered a potential source of error, as they have already been checked multiple times.
I'm currently troubleshooting a problem.

Best regards & have a nice weekend.

CHRiS

Have you ever tried swapping the tires from front to back just to test it? It could be a problem with the tire balance.
In my opinion, a wheel bearing doesn't usually produce a noise that rattles; it's more likely to make a rumbling or humming sound, depending on the speed and the curve.

Greetings!

We have already exchanged parts several times, and we have checked for imbalances using the balancing machine four times.
Can such a vibration be caused by an incorrect wheel alignment?

Is the imbalance only noticeable during acceleration, or also during constant speed?
Possible causes include:
Damaged wheel bearings or tie rod ends.
Rubber suspension of the axle.
"Or it could be a faulty drive shaft. With higher mileage, the internal bearings can also wear out, which was the case with mine."
Brake discs could also be a possibility.
Are the braking surfaces of the brake disc flat?

quite the opposite, actually.
"When I accelerate, you don't notice it at all. But you do notice it when decelerating or driving normally."
While accelerating, I just noticed that it suddenly pulls to the right.
It probably has something to do with that...

edit: Can a driveshaft fail after only 60,000 km (37,000 miles) under normal driving conditions? (Polo 9N 1.4 TDI)

Hello Chris,

if it's definitely not the tires (do you have a set of winter tires to try?), besides the driveshaft, the only other thing that comes to mind is the shock absorbers.
Let them get it tested by the ADAC or a reputable tire dealer.
By the way, you can forget about the fender bounce test (which was actually offered to me as a 'test' at A.T.U.). You can only detect completely worn-out shock absorbers (actually, they are vibration dampers) using that method.

Best regards,
K.O.

Hello,

We recently experienced this issue with an Audi 80 B4.
The front of the car, including the steering wheel, "vibrated." None of the typical signs of a defective wheel bearing were present. Only with a very large steering angle while driving straight (not recommended if there is no space ) could a running noise be provoked, and this only very rarely.

Changing the tires didn't help either.

I didn't see the bearing myself. It's probably partially mounted in rubber in that car, which makes it very difficult for running noises to be transmitted to the vehicle.
It was extremely difficult to turn by hand, and this was the cause of the problems described.

Greetings!
Sebastian.

P.S.: Since this is my first post in this forum, although I've been reading it for a very long time, I have to say: I've already learned a lot of things here and been able to solve my own problems. Unfortunately, I've always been too late to provide answers that I could have given. Thank you very much!!!

Schebich wrote:

I didn't see the bearing myself. It's probably partially mounted in rubber in that car, which makes it very difficult for running noises to be transmitted to the vehicle. It was extremely difficult to turn by hand, and this was the cause of the problems described.

Are the engine mounts on the Polo 9N also rubber-mounted?

Hi.
I'm now curious to know if you've ever had the tires replaced.
So, completely different tires.
If the tread separates from the carcass, it may not always be detectable using a balancing machine.
Best regards, Frank.

Unfortunately, I haven't had time to change the tires yet.

However, I was told today that the noise might also be related to the alignment, as the forces act differently with these dimensions.
(Changing from 185/60R14 to 195/45R16)

Could that be possible?

The vibration can come from one of your tires if there's a carcass damage. The funny thing is, you can balance those tires until the end of time, and they'll still have a non-measurable, barely visible runout that can't be detected during balancing. I've even had cases where I had to have wheels balanced while they were still on the vehicle because there was no other way to make them round.
And indeed, balancing the wheels while they are still attached to the vehicle eliminates further problems.

Since you also mentioned that the car pulls to one side during acceleration, I would first check all the bearings on the front axle (including the tie rods). If everything appears to be in order, I would then recommend a wheel alignment.

Hi!!!

Thank you for your tip. I'm getting the alignment adjusted next week because someone hit me from the side last Sunday. I'm also getting a new rim and tire.
Maybe it will have resolved itself by then.

I will definitely keep you updated.

Regards,

CHRiS

Okay, so I've now replaced the wheel rim after my accident, and the alignment has been adjusted, but the rattling hasn't gone away...
It now occurs at v = <40> 140 km/h. I had a somewhat longer highway drive today. However, if you take your foot off the gas, it stabilizes and becomes quieter.

Does anyone have any other guesses?


P.S.: Unfortunately, I haven't had time to put on the winter tires yet, but I do remember similar symptoms with winter tires before...

Hello.

Try using different tires first. In my older cars (Golf/Passat), I had a weight on one of the drive wheels. Those things tend to slip easily. Check to see if newer cars even still have that feature.

Best regards!

Yesterday, while driving, I noticed a rattling sound coming from the front right side of the car, especially when encountering potholes or bumps in the road. Sometimes it sounds like metal hitting metal. It also occurs when turning the steering wheel sharply.
Could it be that a rubber component has worn out, which is why the jolting occurs at the speeds mentioned?

Well, now we would need a crystal ball again, or we would have to read tea leaves.
Take a look and check everything you can. If necessary, you'll have to take it to a workshop. Even A-T-U can help with this; they're happy to identify worn or damaged parts, although you don't have to have them repaired there.

Best regards!