BMW E30 Getting Noisy ... Wheel Bearings???

[chomowitz]

I have a 1990 BMW E30 325i 4 door sedan. Recently, it seems to be getting noisier at speeds over 45 mph.

Initially, I suspected a left front wheel bearing because when I turned left it seemed noisier than when I turned right. I replaced the left front wheel hub (with bearing). When I exposed the old one, it indeed was bad as it separated when I pulled it.

After the replacement, I expected that the noise at around 50 mph would have vanished, but it did not. I'm now wondering about the rear wheel bearings. I recently traveled about 250 miles at highway speeds (up to 70mph), and it was really noisy.

Is there some way I can test my rear bearings to see if they are bad without totally removing them? The car still seems to be noisier when I turn left and quieter when I turn right. Is there something else I should consider?

Any and all advice on this issue will be appreciated.

[hakentt]

front bearing will separate when pulling so that does not indicate bad bearing. To test the front it is easy, just spin the tire with hand and listen to any noise, if all smooth, then it is good. for the rear you would have to disconnect the CV shaft and do the same. Low quality tires can make noise even if they are brand new

[Clio320i]

What kind of noise are we talking about? Is there any vibration to go with it? If so, where do you feel the vibration? (your feet, the steering wheel, the seat?)

[chomowitz]

Thanks for your inputs ... Much appreciated.

I'm going to disconnect the CV Shaft and rotate the wheel hub to see if things "sound bad". I'll provide an update after doing that. Right now I have something else I need to do, so it will be a week or so before I can do that test.

[mbonder]

This could also be the differential. If the bearing is going bad inside the differential you will get a whining/humming noise from the rear

[dworthy]

The diff will make noise under load, and tends to get quiet when you let off the gas. The other place rotational noise can come from is the tires, more so old and dry rotted ones.

[jamespaleo]

It could also be the rear axles. I replaced all my bearings, still had a noise, was obvious when I removed the rear axles what is was. Vibration can also be the drive shaft and/or qiubo.

[chomowitz]

OK ... I'm back and trying to figure out the noise I am hearing. I have done some research on the internet, but I'm still confused on how to interpret what I hear.

In my case, when I drive at 45+mph, the noise is apparent. At that speed, if I turn right, the noise reduces significantly. If I turn left the noise gets louder. When I drive straight, the noise is there, but not as loud as when I turn left.

In diagnosing if it's wheel bearings, how do I interpret the above? Is the analysis the same if I have a front bearing issue versus a rear bearing issue?

I read one web posting that said if you sway (turn ???) right and the noise is less then the left wheel is bad. It goes on to say if you sway (turn???) left and the noise is less then the right wheel is bad. Can someone confirm this and that it applies to both front bearing issues and rear bearing issues?

Thank you in advance for help ...

[jamespaleo]

I have generally found that wheel bearing noise correlates directly to the direction turned - hard left turn noise = left wheel bearing, hard right turn noise = right wheel bearing. The fronts are relatively easy to diagnose. Take the tire off, remove the brake caliper and hang it with wire/rope so it has no stress on the rubber hose. Put the tire back on and with the tire lifted clear of the ground, put one hand at the top of the tire, other at the bottom, or one hand right and left sides of tire, try to rock the tire and see if you can feel wobble. If so the bearing is bad. Rears require removing the cv axle. If they are really bad just spinning the tire will produce noise (fronts anyway, harder to do on the rears).

But here is my attitude towards this, my car is now 34 years old, and my daily driver. At the first sign of noise, I replaced all my bearings. It helped, but some noise was still there. Replaced rear axles noise gone. I don't regret doing any of that on a 34 year old car that I expect to rely on, and I commute 90 miles a day round trip. I'd rather have it reliable. Wheel bearings are really not that expensive for the job we expect them to do, and how long they last.

Rear bearings can be either not that bad or a giant pain in the butt, depending on whether the rear axle splines are galled and stuck, and I've experienced cars where one wheel the axle almost fell out and the other I broke a 2 1/2 puller trying to get it to move. That was fixed with a 4 ton rated puller and a big hammer.

[chomowitz]

To Jamespaleo ...
Thanks for your inputs.

I think your turn analysis versus problem location is consistent with what I read. In my case, the noise is greatest when I turn left, so by your analysis, my problem is on the left side. I just put in a new bearing hub on the left front wheel and the noise is still there ... Does that imply, my problem could be my left rear wheel bearing?

[jamespaleo]

Could be. If it was me that's where I would start. I'll cross my fingers for you that you get one of the easy ones and not one of the hard ones. It really is impossible to know before hand which ones will be problems. You might take the time while that rear axle is out to play with the cv joint to see if it needs replacing too.

And on that note, when I did my axles about 4 years ago it was impossible to find a rebuilt axle without it either being 1) Not actually rebuilt, but rather someone else's used one with the grease wiped off 2) Not made in China, regardless of brand. I went so far as to look up every manufacturer and even the German companies have their plants in China, so the quality of the metallurgy is unpredictable. I finally found a place in Texas that rebuilds them, and bought some from them through a friend who has a BMW parts store.

[OMGE30]

I finally found a place in Texas that rebuilds them, and bought some from them through a friend who has a BMW parts store.

James,

could I get the deets on that source please?

[jamespaleo]

Sure. But it was my friend who owns an old bmw parts place/junkyard that knew about it. I'll look and see if I can find any paperwork, but I'll probably have to call him tomorrow to find it.

[dworthy]

So if the noise get louder when you are pushing that side/corner then it's a tire, not a bearing. A bearing will get quitter when you load it up, a tire will get louder if it's bad when loaded.

[OMGE30]

Sure. But it was my friend who owns an old bmw parts place/junkyard that knew about it. I'll look and see if I can find any paperwork, but I'll probably have to call him tomorrow to find it.

That's kind of you! But don't worry about it if it's too much trouble.

I was seizing the opportunity due to some axle noise that's developed in my driverside rear. Investigations were leading me to other Chinesium or a used OEM, so a third option sounds stellar.

[chomowitz]

UPDATE: OKAY ... I just finished replacing the left rear wheel bearing and it did not change the noise I hear.

Let me recap ...
1) I had just returned from a 200 mile trip (400 miles roundtrip) in early Jan. 2023 at highway speeds. When I was on the last few miles going about 45 mph, I sensed an increase noise (whirring-like). It was clearly louder when going straight or turning hard left and quieter (sometimes almost silent) when I turn hard right. The noise is almost quiet below 40 mph. The noise seems to come from the front section of the car, but it's hard to be sure.
2) I suspected the left front wheel bearing, so I replaced the left front wheel bearing hub (around 1/10/2023). Upon completion of that replacement, the noise had not changed at all, no worse nor no better.
3) After discussions on this Thread, I decided it could be the left rear wheel bearing. Though I thought the noise was from the front. I replaced the left rear wheel bearing and completed that on 02/01/2023.
4) Unfortunately the left rear wheel bearing change did not change the noise (no better nor no worse) ... Still occurs above 40 mph, still noisier when going straight and hard turn left and noticeably quieter when turn hard right.

I am struggling to figure out why this noise is happening. Here is a list of things I wonder about on this issue ...
A) Could I have done something wrong on the left front bearing install. How can I verify that the install was okay?
B) What else could cause the noise and exhibit the hard left and hard right behavior I describe above? If something else could cause it, how can I test or verify it?
C) Could these areas possible be the culprit ...
C-1) Disc Brake Assembly (Rotors or Pads)?
C-2) Something in the steering?
C-3) Something in the Control Arm or Control Arm Bushings?
C-4) Tires ... If so, how can I run a test to verify?

Everyone has been helpful, but I'm still unable to identify what is going on.

NOTE: I had a bad front bearing experience years ago. At that time I recall the noise being more offensive than the current noise and much louder. Further, I recall that the noise got noticeably worse in a short period of time. My current noise issue has not been as offensively loud and it has not gotten significantly louder since I first sensed it in early January. As a further background note, I am a low miles driver doing only 3000 to 4000 on average per year.

Contributors to this thread have been helpful, but I am hoping someone will suggest something that will allow me to have a breakthrough.

Again thank you in advance for reviewing this situation ...

[chomowitz]

I just received a suggestion on another Bimmer Community ... The individual said that he knows that the whirring noise that changes with speed is a bad bearing from experience. That person suggested I change the other front bearing.

I understand the suggestion, but I thought that if you turn right and the noise is reduced (which is what I experience), then the bad bearing is on the left. Is it possible that this left/right turn test is not always accurate at predicting where the problem is???

I hope someone who has experienced what I am experiencing can tell me that this individual could be right.

[Slippery]

Not much to add, but I just did my two front bearings about 5k miles ago and now I am hearing a noise like yours. Bought two rear ones and two axles. Hopefully that takes care of it.

Why not change yours in pairs? I always think that if one went, the other might not be far behind.

[chomowitz]

UPDATE ... I replaced the right front wheel bearing hub on Friday (2/10/2023) and now the noise is gone. The guidance I received on another BMW forum pointed me in the right direction. That posting discussed personal experience that when turning left the noise increased and turning right the noise decreased and when the RIGHT bearing hub was replaced, the noise went away, just like I experienced on Friday. Right now I am good ... No more noise.

[dworthy]

Glad to hear it's fixed. This is why I fill the parts cannon and just do all 4 to be done with chasing anything.

[YoungSensei]

For the future, these types of maintenance tasks are usually recommended to be done in pairs. Similar to when changing brakes, control arms, bushings, tie rod ends etc. This thread has been helpful though as I am experiencing a similar noise currently as well. Planning on doing the front wheel bearings (both sides, even though I only hear it coming from the passenger side) to see if that remedies it.