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Ticking and Creaking Noises

PostPosted: Sun May 06, 2012 6:49 pm
by david.g.chapman
Just a quick heads up on noises from my +2 over the last few weeks.

No noises when the car was cold, but after a 30 min run there would be a ticking noise from the o/s rear of the car as I pulled away from rest. Three or four ticks, then silence (sounded a bit like a cooling exhaust).

When I stopped I tried rocking the wheel with the handbrake off, but no noise. However this Friday when I tried the same rocking test I heard a creaking noise which seemed to come from the wheel itself - weird. After two or three times it stopped.

After a period of head scratching I wondered about the stub axle nut - it can't hurt to check it.

My lucky day - when I tried to tighten it there was more ticking and groaning as the nut went through a good third of a turn to get to 110 lbs ft - :D

After that the noises stopped.

So as others have written - it pays to check your nuts regularly - and I don't mean pocket billiards :D

Dave Chapman.

Re: Ticking and Creaking Noises

PostPosted: Mon May 07, 2012 11:02 am
by ardee_selby
david.g.chapman wrote:...After that the noises stopped. So as others have written - it pays to check your nuts regularly - and I don't mean pocket billiards :D Dave Chapman.


Hello David,

I don't want to be alarmist or anything. Your heads up is sound advice.

However...where does the noise emanate from? Is it relative movement between hub & shaft? Might that indicate a not-too-good a fit between the two?

(I have been checking out the same sort of noise on a bike, with cotterless bottom bracket with tapered shafts, when not tightened up properly, with a progressive failure of fit)

The subject of fit has been covered a lot on here, including the initial tightening regime for new assemblies.

Here is the latest discussion, for example:
elan-f15/rear-hub-shafts-t25068.html

As you know, getting the hubs off has caused a lot of grief for some, after removing the nuts of course. i.e. it's all about the taper fit once the nut has been tightened to achieve it.

Richard

Re: Ticking and Creaking Noises

PostPosted: Tue May 08, 2012 11:20 am
by david.g.chapman
I believe it was a tiny amount of clearance (less then one thou or so) on the Morse taper due to the nut working loose. This would allow slight relative movement of the wheel hub on the stub axle. I have key on my tapers so the hub/wheel would not rotate very far.

I will monitor the nut torque over the next few weeks to make sure it is stable. If I had left it there would be a chance of the taper wearing out of round as the hub gradually works its way off the axle :shock:

If that happened I would have to have the taper re-machined.

Dave.