loud noise from rear end somewhere

[magno]

hi all, ive acquired a legnum st-r that makes a worn/dry bearing sorta sound its noticeable from around 20kms & gets louder the faster you go, the rear hubs dont seem to have any play or noise (when on hoist), hanger bearing may need replacing, diff has fluid, tyres arent an issue, the noise is terrible & i dont know where to start, has anyone else had similar problems? any help appreciated, thanks.

[bradc]

Have you changed both the diff and the transfer case oil? Is it a manual or auto?

[magno]

it is an auto 4 speed tiptronic, diff hasnt been changed to my knowledge and havent yet checked transfer case ive only had the car for a week and ive got this weekend off but am really stumped as to where to start first. i got the car cheap enough and am keen to get it back into shape asap.

[Dom B]

Sounds a bit like a diff output bearing. Does is seem loud when sitting on the back seat?

[bradc]

You can also jack the car up completely in the air, select 2nd gear and let it drive at about 20kmh or so, then nosey around the car and see where the noise is coming from. You need 4 axle stands to do it though!

[magno]

cool thanks guys, i got the front end up on stands tonight & saw that the trans is leaking & has orange gasket goo between engine/trans, no leaks anywhere else. the engine goes fine trans changes smooth & kicks down like it should, tiptronic shifts sweet, previous owner says its been noisy for over 8 months just never bothered to sort it so up to me now. the cars done under 140,000kms & 1 nz owner from 70,000 till now, its not just a little tinkly noise it gets louder than the stereo & im keen to find out what is and is it a common problem or has anyone else come across this before. ive owned many cars before this but never had this problem im hoping to get it into a workshop & onto a hoist saturday morn no appointment fingers crossed.

[bradc]

if the gearbox is leaking oil then your torque converter seal is leaking and needs to be replaced.

The noise may not be from there though.

[magno]

all sorted it was just the wheel bearing & sorted the leak aswell, 2 new tyres, the repairs have cost more than the car so far.

[Wodjno]

Easyway to decide if it's diff or bearings !!

Sit at a constant speed when u can hear the noise. Slip it into neutral. (Carefully for Auto owners) If the noise stops then it's diff.

Also if the noise goes up and down with gear changes whilst accelerating then it's diff also.

[magno]

thanks for all the help, this noise was that bad it had the whole rear end vibrating so even on a hoist in gear it wasnt definite where the noise was coming from, cheap fix anyways.

[Ryan]

all sorted it was just the wheel bearing & sorted the leak aswell, 2 new tyres, the repairs have cost more than the car so far.

Must have got the car pretty cheap then - in which case one may expect these sort of repairs would be required :)