Just Me

Hard to answer those questions - noises can be so subjective, especially when described in writing.

the real test for a Wheel Bearing is to drive moderately and swerve back and forth significantly. This will alternately load and unload the two (mostly front) wheel bearings. Does it go away or greatly reduce in one direction? If so you have found it. If it is louder when turning right, it would be the left front bearing.

I am either remembering or assuming it is a noise from the front.

G

2.7Lturbo

the only problem is its hard to do that at 70+ mph where the noise starts

Just Me

Hard but not impossible - you swerve less and let the speed generate the require lateral acceleration. dont **** off cops or others :-)

but if you have no noise below 70 mph i don't think its a WB. In fact i might think tires.

Or a really early WB - at which point simply wait until you can hear it at lower speeds, or if you think not, discount that possibility.

2.7Lturbo

to be honest, as long as its not the turbos i dont mind the sound, its the clunking and vibrations that were driving me up the wall,

taking the car in today to get the wheels balanced.

2.7Lturbo

ok took the front wheels off, cleaned them and noticed they are missing several weights so its off to get them balanced whenever i have some time and the shop isnt swamped.


whats killing me is the rattleing/clicking/clunking over bumps. checked out the trans axle and only the outer left needs to be fixed as the boot is pretty much gone and it faintly clicks when doing a hard left turn or u-turn (im going to order just the join from blau unless someone has a better source for joints)

the big problem i have is with the right. it literally makes the jingling, clunking noises going straight over rough roads and bumps but goes away when the road is smooth. i cant tell if its a clicking noise or if the transaxle is binding or if something is loose. taping the breaks i noticed stops the noise. i have had the car in the air multiple times and cant find anything loose!

i am at my witts end and i know it cant be good for the car, like its going to damage the suspension or tranmission or something.

the only thing i can think of is when i reassembled the right cvjoint i either A; put it together wrong, yet i was assured if it was together wrong it would have popped apart by now, or B: didnt pack enough grease and its just binding or clicking, or C: something else entirely.

dandunham

I have noticed the same noise with my 2000 A6 2.8 Avant. I noticed it before and after full suspension replacement. I have redone the brakes and not noticed anything out of the ordinary. the only thing I can think of is that something in that brake caliper is flopping around a bit causing the sound as it wont do it while applying the brakes. The brakes work very well and I have 60K on this set of rotors and pads so I have decided to ignore it for the moment. Not saying thats what you should do but unless somebody tells me otherwise they are going to continue to rattle on bumps .

2.7Lturbo

i would be fine with it if it was just a noise but it physically feels like the right side is hitting bumps that i know are not there because the left side has no movement/noise, but yes i though about breaks being the culpriate as the sound goes away when applying the breaks

GTA_Driver

You aren't reading these posts accurately... It's your brake pads clunking within the caliper. The fact that tapping the brakes makes the sound go away is a telling sign.

2.7Lturbo

the only thing that may make this right is that the new pads didnt have the retention clip for the spring and so i junked it.

HOWEVER; im am noticing physical clunking on that side that is not present on the left side leading to the ride being bumpy clunky on one side and not the other, the noise may be the pads, but that may just be a small issue that the clunking is exacerbating?

GTA_Driver

Could have unseated itself, not sure i did have the same problem in my father's A4 only on one side