Bad Rotor?

370Dave

Hello all,

I recently had an incident where the drivers side of my car came in violent contact with a concrete curb. After $11K in insurance company money the car is repaired and pretty much back to normal. However, I am hearing a very light squeaking sound coming from the Front Drivers side wheel when I am driving slow. I only hear it if there is a nearby wall for the sound to reflect off of. The actual wheel was replaced as part of the repair process. This weekend I lifted the front, drivers side of the car and hand spun the wheel and was able to make the squeaking sound.

I also get audible humming/grinding noise/slight vibration when I turn the steering wheel to the right at any speed of 20+ mph. While I had the car up this weekend I turned the wheel very slowly and could feel the the brakes making contact with the rotor and then off and then back on. Feels like the rotor is ever so slightly warped. I also drove the car before doing this to make sure the rotors were clear of any "morning after" rust.

Clearly the rotor needs to be turned or replaced to eliminate the squeaking. My question is, would the drivers side rotor being warped cause the car to make the grinding noise/slight vibration when making a turn opposite the bad rotor. When I turn to the right, the cars weight would go to the left side, so this makes sense, but I thought I would toss this question at you guys to see what you think.

Dave

Liquid_G

I'm no expert but this honestly sounds like bad wheel bearings more than a warped rotor.

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370Dave

Perhaps. But I get no vibration when going straight or when turning Left. It's only when turning Right. Although the faint squeaking sound can be heard no matter what, even when driving perfectly straight. I'm also obviously no expert, but if it were the wheel bearing, wouldn't the vibration be more consistent?

370Dave

Actually, I think your right. Pulled the following from: Symptoms of Worn Wheel Hub Bearing | Wheel Bearing Warehouse

Here are some indicators of a worn wheel hub bearing or other wheel-end damage:

Grinding when the vehicle is in motion.
Typically, this means there is mechanical damage in a wheel-end system. Related to a bearing, it means a loss of integrity such as roller or raceway damage. The noise is normally heard when turning or when there is a shift in load.

Humming, rumbling or growling.
These noises are normally associated with tire, electrical or drivetrain components. If bearing-related, the noise or vibration is present when driving in a straight line, but intensifies when turning the steering wheel slightly to the left or right. Typically, the side opposite the rumbling is the defective side.

Liquid_G

Maybe, but do you feel a vibration in the pedal when you are braking? I'm just guessing here but maybe when you turn right you are putting more load on the outer side of the hub and that's what's causing the vibration. Do you know if they replaced the hub assembly after your accident?

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370Dave

I am not completely sure what was replaced in the front of the car. But I do not think so. I do not feel any vibration while braking, so your right, I don't think it is a warped rotor, I would feel it when breaking.

I think your right on with the bad wheel bearing. I just left a voice mail with my mechanic. I'm going to try to take it in on Wednesday.

erkthejerk73

on my 350z i had a bad bearing it did almost the same thing you are saying. With a sealed bearing i dont think you will get the wobble like an older style bearing. Its a very east DIY project if you have an afternood to kill.

370Dave

I could make it a weekend project for next week. Thanks for the info, I'll look into the the repair. I haven't done any of my own work on this car yet, but I tore the brakes apart on my old eclipse. So I am not opposed to getting dirty.

One final thing, how much further damage am I doing by driving on it?