Rear end growl on my '02 SS
06-02-2018, 01:16 PM
#1
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Rear end growl on my '02 SS Hello all. Looking to access some of the collective experience of other LS1 owners. I have a 2002 Camaro SS that has developed a growl coming from the rear end. There is no associated abnormal vibration. The car is completely stock and has never been raced and does not get abused. I'm not a stop light champion and am not prone to killing the traction control and launching the car at 5000 rpm! Now I sound boring as hell! The car only has 42000 kms and is in exceptional condition. It only gets summer driven and sits most of the year inside. The growl seems to be coming from the left side axle. While having the car up on jack stands and running it, I listening to the axle tubes with a scope and the growl was strongest on the driver's side and much less so on the passenger's side. The diff was very quiet. At first I suspected a wheel bearing, and as such replace the Torringtons on both sides. This changed nothing - the growl was still present (most notable at low speed/rpm). I'm confident the replacement bearings were fine and installed properly. While having the differential apart I inspected the rear end guts and the fluid. The fluid, although darker than I expected was clear of any metallic sheen or shavings. In short, all looked well by my eye. The drive shaft u-joints are tight and look good - no play and no vibration. By process of elimination, this has lead me to conclude that it might be a bent axle. This is hard to imagine given I don't wail on the car or bounce it off curbs - or loan it out to jackass friends! Are Generation 4 Camaros/Firebirds prone to weak axles? I'd get this being an issue if I was turning out 550+ HP on stock running gear. Any advice or suggestions on my issue would be greatly appreciated before I go to the expense of an axle replacement. Thanks
06-02-2018, 04:06 PM
#2
Typically a 'whine' is gears,a 'growl' is bearing(s). Since you seemingly determined the it's on the drivers' side,only thing left on the driers side is drivers side carrier bearing. Since you had the axles out,how were their bearing surfaces where the bearings ride/rotate ?
Axles are not weak. A bent axle will show up as a rear wheel wobble. Were the axle splines straight or 'twisted' where they go into the carrier ?
Axles are not weak. A bent axle will show up as a rear wheel wobble. Were the axle splines straight or 'twisted' where they go into the carrier ?
06-07-2018, 01:07 PM
#3
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Not meaning to hijack Macker11's thread, but I also have some related questions.
A couple of years ago, or maybe 15,000 miles or so ago, I had some exhaust work done at what passes at the local hot-rod shop. The guy said "you know you have a rear wheel bearing going out?" And he pointed out the noise to me. I said, what do we do about it? He said wait until it gets a little worse. Well it didn't get much worse but it has been bothering me. Growling noise, passenger side, more noticeable at slow speeds and when turning. Whub, whub, whub, type of noise. So on my upcoming July vacation I intend to replace the rear wheel bearings. I also have a vibration on that side at higher speeds, like a wheel wobble. A millwright friend of mine said it might be play from the worn bearing and not a bent axle that I was suspecting.
How often is the axle shaft damaged when a wheel bearing goes bad? How often would a daily driver, mostly stock, never raced, A4 get a bent axle? I have launched hard a few times and got a small torque dimple in the rear fenders, but I think that is common. 122,000 miles on the car.
It's my daily driver so it can be down for a few days while I'm on vacation but I like to be prepared when I tear into something new. I am sort of torn between buying a new axle I may not need and finding it really is bad and sitting for a couple days waiting for a new one. I changed the rear fluid last summer and there was no particulate matter in it at all, minor fine stuff on the magnet as expected. I think I should just pull the axle and if I need a new one just put the old one back on the old bearing and wait for a new axle, but I like to be prepared.
I would just like an opinion. How likely to you guys think it is that I will need a new axle?
A couple of years ago, or maybe 15,000 miles or so ago, I had some exhaust work done at what passes at the local hot-rod shop. The guy said "you know you have a rear wheel bearing going out?" And he pointed out the noise to me. I said, what do we do about it? He said wait until it gets a little worse. Well it didn't get much worse but it has been bothering me. Growling noise, passenger side, more noticeable at slow speeds and when turning. Whub, whub, whub, type of noise. So on my upcoming July vacation I intend to replace the rear wheel bearings. I also have a vibration on that side at higher speeds, like a wheel wobble. A millwright friend of mine said it might be play from the worn bearing and not a bent axle that I was suspecting.
How often is the axle shaft damaged when a wheel bearing goes bad? How often would a daily driver, mostly stock, never raced, A4 get a bent axle? I have launched hard a few times and got a small torque dimple in the rear fenders, but I think that is common. 122,000 miles on the car.
It's my daily driver so it can be down for a few days while I'm on vacation but I like to be prepared when I tear into something new. I am sort of torn between buying a new axle I may not need and finding it really is bad and sitting for a couple days waiting for a new one. I changed the rear fluid last summer and there was no particulate matter in it at all, minor fine stuff on the magnet as expected. I think I should just pull the axle and if I need a new one just put the old one back on the old bearing and wait for a new axle, but I like to be prepared.
I would just like an opinion. How likely to you guys think it is that I will need a new axle?
06-07-2018, 06:22 PM
#5
TECH Resident
