Front end noise in 80 series

Submitted: Monday, Sep 12, 2005 at 10:13

ThreadID: 26369 Views:8940 Replies:6 FollowUps:1

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scottywiper

Hi all,
I posted on this a couple of months ago, with my 80 series making a loud grinding/vibrating noise from the front driver's side tyre at times.
General consensus was that it was a stone in the brake. I got my mechanic to check it and he agreed. I also tried reversing the car quickly as one poster said that would throw the stone out. Anyway, it did it on and off for a couple of days and then stopped.
I went bush on the weekend and it started doing it again.
Often just after you hit a reasonable bump, the loud grinding noise reappeared and you can feel the rubbing through the chassis. As I would brake and slow, the grinding noise would also slow. When I stopped, it stopped and I could take off again without the noise. THis happened quite a few times.
I was doing some driving on gravel tracks and the like, so it is quite possible little pebbles were getting into the brakes, I guess. It happened both on sealed roads and gravel roads.
However, it seems to be happening far too often and want to get my mechanic to look at it again.
Problem is that it probably won't do it when he drives it and because the noise stops when the car does, you can't get under it for a look to isolate the noise.
Perhaps I need to have the brakes looked at again?
I am no mechanical guru, but the fact that the noise slows as I slow seems to indicate something around the tyre. If it was a bearing, wouldn't the noise be there all the time?
The brakes were only done 6 months ago, I am wondering if something was done incorrectly.
Any more help appreciated.
Cheers,
Scotty

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Reply By: catfitter - Monday, Sep 12, 2005 at 12:25

Monday, Sep 12, 2005 at 12:25

Hey Scotty

Sounds like you need to have a close look at all the rotating parts in the front of your vehicle. Perhaps check that the stone guards are still fitted to the front swivel hubs. I had a mate with a Pajero who removed the front stone guards from his hubs in order to allow easier cleaning after getting muddy. Sure enough, the front brakes kept catching rocks.

Another thing you may want to check is the kingpin bearings. Had another mate in North Queensland with grinding noises being generated by his 80 Series front end. Turns out it was a stuffed, lower kingpin tapered roller bearing. This allowed the swivel hub to misalign while the (constantly turning) axle/CV joint continued to rotate, machining the inside of his axle housing ball as he drove!

Check your front drive shaft uni’s as well. Also look for chunks of metal stuck to your front diff, drain plug magnet.

Cheers
Catfitter

AnswerID: 129639

Reply By: BenSpoon - Monday, Sep 12, 2005 at 14:49

Monday, Sep 12, 2005 at 14:49

Have you tried recreating the noise when the wheel is off or the front axle is out?
If you go to the extent of changing your wheel bearings and races you will pretty much have to go through every component to the steering/braking/cv system that makes the front, so the chances of finding it are pretty good. Perhaps it is a bearing that gets knocked out of the comfortable groove it has worn in its race and it grinds away until it gets bumped back into its comfortable position. For the cost of the Terrain Tamer swivel hub and wheel bearing rebuild kit and a saturday in the garage, you will save yourself $600 compared to going to toyota to get it done in a service.

I'm getting something similar that only occurs when under heavy reverse loads though- ie engine braking down steep hills, towing in reverse etc but i think thats more the diff than anything. Apparently snatching nissans out in reverse isnt good...

AnswerID: 129673

Reply By: Drew - Karratha - Monday, Sep 12, 2005 at 16:15

Monday, Sep 12, 2005 at 16:15

I have just solved (well had solved for me) a similar noise coming from the front passenger side of my 80 series. The noise was an extremely loud grinding / vibrating noise that would make people walking near the road stop and look. I eventually worked out (after replacing the front brake calipers, and pads, and ripping the mud flap off) that when I locked in the hub it would go away (is yours part time 4wd?). It turns out that the last person who serviced the swivel hubs put a couple of things back together the wrong way (a circlip and a bush??). It took over a year for the noise to start - I presume because of grease gradually wearing away / moving around over time. The bush would take a while for it to heat up then would start carrying on, vibrating etc.
Hope this helps
Drew
ps I think the mechanic had to take the whole swivel hub apart to get to it - I havent paid him yet as he said to drive it around for a couple of weeks just to make sure it was the problem - so far so good, but I am thinking it will end up a few $$$$$$ - mainly just in time

AnswerID: 129691

Reply By: Member - Jack - Monday, Sep 12, 2005 at 21:17

Monday, Sep 12, 2005 at 21:17

I had a similar sounding problem in my 80 series earlier this year. It was intermittent, but when it started it growled and made a very loud noise. It went away for ages but reappeared (as you would expect) when I was on holidays in Tasmania. I took it to a front end mechanic and we drove around for about 30 minutes trying to get it to reappear, and just as we were pulling up out the front it did it.

The mechanic then put the car onto his hoist andd started running it off the ground, and the noise came up. Turns out that it was the brass bush in the front axle housing that was spinning around. He pulled it apart (showed me the brass filings that he took out), hit the bush with Loctite, a stack of grease, and it has not reappeared.

Jack

The hurrieder I go, the behinder I get. (Lewis Carroll-Alice In Wonderland)

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AnswerID: 129762

Reply By: scottywiper - Monday, Sep 12, 2005 at 21:41

Monday, Sep 12, 2005 at 21:41

Thanks guys.
I will print all these posts out and take it to my mechanic, booked it in for next week.
Drove the car all day today and it never happened again.
A couple of times when I was turning early today, I heard a little bit of a rubbing noise, but not to the same extent and only for a fraction of a second, and then nothing more after that.
I am very intrigued...

AnswerID: 129769