Clicking sound from wheels/under car somewhere...

[Maniac]

I know this is likely going to be a garage job to find but I'd appreciate any thoughts...

When the car is running at normal temp (not a cold engine/car) when turning left sharply at above 20mph there's a loud clicking from the car. Almost like the old lollipop and bike spokes sound but slower. The sound is akin that of a loud electrical spark, a sharp click. Perhaps around 5 clicks a second at 20mph.

So I've checked the wheel and brakes for any debris and without taking it all apart it seems ok. Guessing its drivers side because I can't hear it from the passenger window when driving by walls etc.

The fact it's only with a warmed up car and over 20mph and doing a sharp ish left makes me think its a clearance issue but its an odd one....

 

[Maniac]

Having done a bit of googling perhaps its a wheel bearing issue but why only when warmed up and at a particular speed and steering angle.. Surely a wheel bearing would be a bit more constant.

Properly racking my brains on this one... First job is a jack and ill have the wheels off. After that it will have to be a garage I guess...

 

[Zeld4]

A clicking sound whilst turning could be a worn or damaged CV joint. I'm not positive but you probably have CV joints on the back and the fact the noise is happening under stronger cornering might point to a CV joint problem at the rear.

 

[Maniac]

It sounds more like its from the front but you know what it's like when trying to hear a noise.

I've just taken the car out again and it doesn't do it when cold for definite. So I went for a blast to warm the car up and tried to reproduce it again and I could. Interestingly it seems to be at a very specific point. So round a left corner at 10 mph nothing, 20 mph gets the clicking tinkling noise and 30 mph the sound goes away. Very odd. It's not a majorly loud noise more tha volume of a loose heat shield and a similar noise but this is fairly regular in interval.

 

[Zeld4]

Is the clicking metronomic and regular or random in tempo?

 

[Maniac]

Well when the car has really warmed up say a 30+ mile trip it sounds regular (rotational) but just now after a 10 mile run it was more intermittent like a heat shield or brake catching sound.

 

[Quadracer]

It maybe the front brake pads. Check to see if any has crumbled off from a stone going in and damaging them.

 

[Maniac]

I first noticed it when driving into position at Silverstone. We had to drive over a large rough stone car park and at the time I thought something had stuck in the brakes etc when I heard the noise.

 

[Titan]

I used to get a similar noise from my E39.
It was caused be the air deflector/shield behind the front brake disc rubbing against the rotating disc.
Like you say it only happened on L lock and at low speeds. I too thought about bearing issues managed to stop it by chipping away the corrosion on the rear face of the inner diameter.
Although this cured it, it didn't explain the L lock only phenomenon.
The fact that you parked on loose stones could also be significant as it could be possible to get small fragments stuck "inside" the disc rotor.
Unfortunately this only way to check is to remove the wheel and disc and have a good clean out.

HTH
Terry

 

[Maniac]

So driving around the same corner today the clicking started so I pressed the brakes and it went away so something brake related, likely my original thought that a stone or something is jammed somewhere. Time to invest in a new jack.

 

[winny]

Could it be a screw/nail in the tyre?

Sent from my GT-N7100 using Tapatalk 2

 

[DrNick]

Maybe its part of that 4-pot driver you ran over in distain stuck somewhere

 

[Maniac]

Maybe its part of that 4-pot driver you ran over in distain stuck somewhere

I've never been so offended. Hahaha

I don't think it's a nail or screw as its under very specific circumstances like it needs to be warmed up etc it won't do it when cold but goes away when pressing on the brakes lightly. So yeah I think it's a brake related thing now, something caught or bent which is expanding when the brakes warm up and clicking due to clearance issues.

Thanks for the thoughts all, it's not something I'm getting worried about just something I want to resolve.

 

[DrNick]

I've never been so offended. Hahaha

 

[Maniac]

So I've been to visit Darren Wood Stockport and they feel its a wheel bearing as per my original thought. Seems like Manchester pot holes claim another victim. The car is in with bmw on Friday and I'm hoping my insured warranty will cover it (expires Saturday!!). That is.. If its the wheel bearing afterall. It's nice and easy to replicate at least.

 

[andysat]

Bloody ell thats worn out quickly! :thumbsdown:

 

[Maniac]

Bloody ell thats worn out quickly! :thumbsdown:

Worn out.. Faulty manufacturing.. Pot hole damage... Who knows.

I didn't have an issue until Silverstone this year. Makes me wonder if that rock filled car park might have done some damage.

 

[Anonymous]

Or, you have worn it out cleaning it?

 

[Maniac]

Or, you have worn it out cleaning it?

Har har

 

[ronk]

It's quite rare for wheel bearings to go these days.