Omega Owners Forum
Omega Help Area => Omega General Help => Topic started by: amba on 01 May 2009, 21:21:39
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Thought it was exhaust baffles,but after driving home tonight I am convinced it is within the drive train as it starts about 30mph and does not increase in noise with revs from engine or even speed.I acn even get the noise when going down hill with foot off accelerater so engine barely reving beyond 1500rpm.
Had a look under rear today and have got signs of oil around diff but as very dirty it is impossible to identify where it could be leaking.
So firdtly how would I identify if it is
Rear wheel bearings starting to give up?
Diff giving up?
Prop shaft bearings(if it has any )
Would like to be able to identify as it is a real pain.
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I've got exactly the same thing on my Miggy, but from 65+mph - tends to be louder on the overrun (i.e. with foot off accellerator).
I've checked the wheelbearings etc, so I think it's my diff.
You say that your diff is very dirty - could it be dirty because it's leaking??
I'd check your diff oil level sharpish if I were you - filler plug is on the side of the diff, on the drivers side. The level should be right up to the bottom of the filler plug. My money is on that there ain't much diff oil left in it, especially with the noise starting at 30mph...
Hope that helps :y
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How do you "top-up" the diff oil ? is it like gaerbox,just keep filling until it appears at filler hole.
Assume needs to be done on level ground?
Worst case situation running with low oil,would that cause irrepairable damage resulting in new/recon diff.
Are they prone to leaking and rumbling.
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Yep, just keep filling it till it reaches the filler hole :y
And yep, ground level.
Running it with low oil would do it no favours whatsoever. You might be lucky. But if, once it's at the right level, the noise is still there, it might be worth draining the diff (there's a guide on here somewhere), adding some Lucas Diff Stop-Noise, and filling it up to the right level.
My missus has a BMW, and the diff on that was grumbling like a good-un. I drained it, put some of the Lucas stuff in, and filled it back up again, and the noise had gone. Still no sign of any noise from it over 12k later and counting :y
On Miggy's, the diffs are prone to leaking at the seals where the half-shafts (or driveshafts, which ever term you prefer! ;D) go into the diff. Or they can leak around the rear diff cover over time.
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So really it is a fairly simple job to satrt with.
Level ground....remove filler plug(any idea of socket size?)...then add diff oil(best type?)...replace plug and take for run and keep fingers crossed..thats about it then.
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mine was making a noise from the back, found out my handbrake shoes had come adrift on one side, might be worth a look ;)
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So really it is a fairly simple job to satrt with.
Level ground....remove filler plug(any idea of socket size?)...then add diff oil(best type?)...replace plug and take for run and keep fingers crossed..thats about it then.
Here's the guide for it matey, tells you everything you need to know:
http://www.omegaowners.com/forum/YaBB.pl?num=1161520937
:y
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mine was making a noise from the back, found out my handbrake shoes had come adrift on one side, might be worth a look ;)
Aye, if your diff oil is on the level, jack up each rear wheel one at a time (with the handbrake off, and the car in neutral - and front wheels chocked of course!). Check for play in the wheel-bearings by trying to move the wheel back and forth in the 12-6 and 3-9 positions. Any play would suggest wheelbearings.
Then try spinning the wheel and seeing if there's any obviously loud noise coming from the brake disk/hub area, which would suggest handbrake shoes.
But my money is still on the diff
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cheers for help damon80.
looks like I now have several jobs to do over weekend.
Think I will give the oil level a check first and take it from there.
If that doesn,t prove succesful will go the whole hog with Marks full drain down and refill.
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No problem at all bud - fingers crossed the simplest job does the trick! :y
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Well just for the record,I checked the rear diff oil this morning.To my horror it took 0.5ltrs to get it to level on the drain plug.
Now if the diff only hold 1.0ltrs that is not good.I have given the entire area a really good clean down with gunk and sprayed off so will keep an eye on it over the next few weeks to see if any leaks appear.
Going to work now ,so hoping the half empty diff,that is now up to level will have cured the droning that I was getting.
Think moral of the story is to check its level every so often as routine service.
Does anyone think I may have caused any lasting damage or have I caught it in time ?
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Any news on the droning bud? Has it disappeared?
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Hi damon 88...for the rocord the droning is still there,much to my dismay.
Unless I have done major damage to the diff I will need to look elsewhere,but with putting 0.5 litres in was really hoping that was the problem.
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Sorry to hear about that amba...
I think that running it with such a lack of oil wouldn't have done it any favours at all...
Might be worth draining it and re-filling it, adding some of that Lucas Stop-Noise in it too - worth a try?
If that doesn't do the trick, then it may be time to look for a replacement diff... :(
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Cant afford the time to take car off road at present so will continue with the noise.Atleast I know the diff has sufficient oil in it at the moment.
I will wait for a while and if no improvement and I can muster up energy to do full drain down will go that route next.
Then it might be a recon diff as you suggest...just for the life of me I cant think what else it could be...but then suppose running on half oil level for a good few 100 miles at speed has done the old one no favours.
Thanks for you interest and I will keep you posted on final solution ,one way or the other.
Andrew
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How many miles has it done BTW?
Running with low oil could have damaged the gear tooth faces, and possibly the bearings, so it will be noisy.
The Lucas additive is worth a try, but the damage is likely to be permanent. Fingers crossed for you.
In the old days second-hand car dealers used to put sawdust into gearboxes and diffs to keep them quiet, but I don't know how long it would have lasted. ;)
NN
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How many miles has it done BTW?
Running with low oil could have damaged the gear tooth faces, and possibly the bearings, so it will be noisy.
The Lucas additive is worth a try, but the damage is likely to be permanent. Fingers crossed for you.
In the old days second-hand car dealers used to put sawdust into gearboxes and diffs to keep them quiet, but I don't know how long it would have lasted. ;)
NN
Long enough to cash the Buyer's cheque! :D
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Sorry to drag this up again ,but have been to locla VX dealers today,as this noise is really getting me down.
Must say the mechanic they sent out was really helpfull and actually a pleasure to talk to.
It transpires that the drivers side wheel bearing is on its way out,and they require £350=00 to replace plus extra if they need to send bit to outside engineering shop for pressing in/out bearing,so expect £400.
Now there is now ay on earth I will be paying that sort of money,but question is,if I can find cheaper price would it be wise getting both sides done?,as then the extra cost at a later date might be reduced now with parts already srtipped down.
Also I assume it would be better to buy the parts on TC and then get repairs done.
Any body an idea of VX part number, saloon 1998..and are both sides the same.
Thanks alot
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Sorry to drag this up again ,but have been to locla VX dealers today,as this noise is really getting me down.
Must say the mechanic they sent out was really helpfull and actually a pleasure to talk to.
It transpires that the drivers side wheel bearing is on its way out,and they require £350=00 to replace plus extra if they need to send bit to outside engineering shop for pressing in/out bearing,so expect £400.
Now there is now ay on earth I will be paying that sort of money,but question is,if I can find cheaper price would it be wise getting both sides done?,as then the extra cost at a later date might be reduced now with parts already srtipped down.
Also I assume it would be better to buy the parts on TC and then get repairs done.
Any body an idea of VX part number, saloon 1998..and are both sides the same.
Thanks alot
Both sides totally separate, so I would only do the bad side
Can be one hell of a job!
Does the noise ease when you remove the load.....ie going around a corner (opposite to noisy bearing)
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Hi Jimbob....I read your thread about replacing with Mark and hence why I got price from VX first as it looked a "job from hell".
It eases when I turn left so transferring load to nearside and I am able to play about with the noise when driving straight just by twitching the streering to the left,so think the VX guys diagnosis is correct now.
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was reading this topic as my beast started showing the same symptoms
have just replaced the diff so thought it must be the bearing and as i am driving up to wales next week was a tad alarmed at the posibility of having to sort a bearing this weekend (i am really bloody lazy)
untill i remembered an earlier post on another topic
now it sounds stupid and simple
and yes i really am that simple and stupid.......have you checked your wheel nuts?
turns out i had failed to tighten em properly after replacing rear pads and H/B shoes
bastards were only hand tight
and yes i am a muppet
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hi just reading this and mine is doing pretty much the same but my wheels dont move but someone said on these when wheel bearings go you dont always feel them being loose, i done a wheel bearing on my old 2.5 v6 and it is a easy job NOT its possibly the worst job i done on a car didnt help it was peeing down, id rather pay someone next time but not £400, oh and yes they do need pressing because i didnt and it took me 3 new wheel bearing to fix it as i kepy knackering the new ones. :-[
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Well 2 weeks in and I get no more noise from the rear of the car so I think it was money well spent(most of the week I seem to live in the car so strange car noises are important to me) and am pleased to say normal servise is resumed.
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so was it wheel bearing then
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Yes..skippy_22..the existing bearing was really rough when you spun it so that was the problem,just a nasty job to do and ideally you require a very large press to get the old bearing out and then the new one back in...not a job for the faint hearted.
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tell me about it i done one on my old 2.5 had to take complete rear arm off, it just mine feels fine its just the sound
thanks though :'(
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It can be either side wheel bearing, as they come as inner and outer the noise doesnt always stop when you expect it to, ie on a right bend for a left bearing. Had this on mine and cause I only check 1 side and it sounded fine I assumed it was the diff. MOT told me otherwise.
There was no movement in the wheel, just noise.
I changed it myself by making up a bar of the right diameter and knocked it out in situ.
You need an assistant to help put the new one in. They act as a reaction on the inside (much like riveting) to stop the bearing coming apart.
Hope this helps.
Al