Took my bus to the tire dealer today to have the tires inspected - got a clean bill of health. As I left the parking lot and got back on the road I started to hear a ticking noise from under the right wheel well. Coasting in neutral, ticking speed directly connected to the road speed.
I was near the shop that works on the bus for us, so I dropped it off there. They're going to do a service on the front hubs, repack the bearings, etc. and do a full inspection.
I'm guessing that the noise is a bearing going bad. Not sure what else it could be.
Hi Richard, do you have simulators or hubcaps on that wheel? lvmci...
Quote from: lvmci on April 23, 2019, 06:17:04 AM
Hi Richard, do you have simulators or hubcaps on that wheel? lvmci...
Nope - bone stock. Steel wheels, no covers, no simulated anything. Only thing not stock on the wheels is the paint, which I guess is going to need to be redone when I get the bus back.
There just aren't that many moving parts in the hub end on these things. It seems to me that it's either a bearing noise or something loose in the brakes, but not sure how that could be since it still stops straight in normal distance.
I checked the tire itself to see if I picked up something which was hitting the ground as it went around, but I didn't see anything.
Is your speedometer driven by front wheel?
Quote from: chessie4905 on April 23, 2019, 07:11:59 AM
Is your speedometer driven by front wheel?
Electric speedometer driven off a sending unit mounted on the transmission.
Definitely sounds like it's coming from under my co-pilot seat/entry step area, which is right next to the front wheel well.
I would have jacked that wheel off the ground enough to spin it and verify the noise before taking it in. You did check for tightness of lug nuts?
Quote from: chessie4905 on April 23, 2019, 07:19:32 AM
I would have jacked that wheel off the ground enough to spin it and verify the noise before taking it in. You did check for tightness of lug nuts?
I thought of that, but even if I found the noise by jacking a wheel, there's no way I can dismount a wheel by myself right now with my back issue.
Must be the world's way of telling me that it's time for that overdue front hub service to be done. Hopefully the noise will end up being nothing more than a set of bearings.
Wish I knew more about the workings up there.
The speedometer pickup parts are probably still there ,best to remove the drum and check things a spring could be broken on the shoes
Quote from: luvrbus on April 23, 2019, 09:41:42 AM
The speedometer pickup parts are probably still there ,best to remove the drum and check things a spring could be broken on the shoes
What would I be looking for? The bus came from the factory with the speedo that it has now. Would they have also installed speedo pickup parts on the wheels?
I don't know about your model but I see it all the time on 4106's GM's
Quote from: luvrbus on April 23, 2019, 10:34:37 AM
I don't know about your model but I see it all the time on 4106's GM's
I just double-checked my manual, and it only shows an electronic speedo for the 4108. Other than bearings and brakes, I can't think of any other moving parts that could be making a noise that's speed related. Other than maybe a broken wheel stud.
Guess I'll find out tomorrow - the tech who works on my bus is out today and he's scheduled to do this tomorrow.
Does it only show a pulse generator on the transmission ? the front is electronic pickup too
Quote from: luvrbus on April 23, 2019, 12:00:32 PM
Does it only show a pulse generator on the transmission ? the front is electronic pickup too
Just the transmission. Nothing in there related to the front wheels.
Quote from: richard5933 on April 23, 2019, 05:52:50 AM
...As I left the parking lot and got back on the road I started to hear a ticking noise from under the right wheel well.
There was no noise before going to the shop ? Was it lifted at the shop...something bent ?
Quote from: MagnoliaBus on April 23, 2019, 01:28:37 PM
There was no noise before going to the shop ? Was it lifted at the shop...something bent ?
Wasn't lifted.
Might be a crack in the wheel, there's tremendous pressure on the front wheels...
I haven't ever experienced a clicking noise from a bad wheel bearing. Low pitched whine sort of noise. Now bad cv joints will click on turns.... That leaves your coach out.
Did you check the tire for rocks or embedded metal?
Quote from: DoubleEagle on April 23, 2019, 05:07:29 PM
Did you check the tire for rocks or embedded metal?
On my list of suspects...
I did check quickly and pulled out a large chunk of gravel when I pulled into the shop's lot, but it's hard to imagine that it stayed in there for a few miles. They'll do a more thorough inspection for me when the tire is off for the hub service.
In the end, getting the hub serviced is a good thing, so I'm not upset. Just darned impatient.
Wish I had the facility and strength to do more of this stuff myself...
The right size sharp rock can not only lodge between the ribs, but also penetrate the rubber enough to hold it for some time. Just like getting a bolt driven in, even if it is not sharp.
Been some pretty amazing things driven through tires. I used to run a truck with big off road tires and they were forever picking up gravel. That ticking noise was a Frequent Flier, but the right screw or nail can do it too. Best to find it and get rid of it before it causes a leak.
Jim
Wouldn't that be the epitome of ironic...
On the way out of the tire dealer's lot, after getting a clean bill of health on the tires, to pick up something that ruins a perfectly good tire.
If that's the case, then I know where my next stop will be - back to get those new front tires.
Update...
The best the tech at the shop can figure is the large piece of gravel I pulled out of the tire's tread when I got to their parking lot was the culprit. Hard to believe it caused such a ruckus, but he can find absolutely nothing else to even be suspicious of.
I've got to say, they are extremely thorough at Interstate - at least this tech is. He is meticulously cleaning the threads on all the studs and all the surface rust on the hubs before putting things back together. Same with the bearings and all hub surfaces. New seals will be installed behind the bearings.
Here are a couple of photos showing the work in progress. If you look at the close-up of the air bag, you can see the spot on the rubber where the edge of the tire has made contact in the past. Looks worse in the photo than it really is, as the flash caught the shiny spot. The noise I heard when this happened, however, was not the tire hitting the air bag - it was the tire rubbing on the plate just above the air bag.
If you look at the mounting plate you'll see two dark smudges - there are corresponding rub marks on the inside of the tire, one at the edge of the tread and one at the widest part of the tire's bulge. Neither spot is bad, but it's obvious that contact was made. I was going about 2 mph when this happened in a parking lot last season. We talked about having them grind the plate a bit so it wouldn't make contact with the tire, but that would mean that if I did this again there would be nothing there to protect the airbag. Decision was made to leave it be and for me to be careful in parking lots till the tires are swapped. Other than this, the tires look great so I'm going to soldier on this season.
I pulled a piece of glass out of a tire on my VW jetta, but it was too late.
The next morning the tire was completely flat, and I got it fixed, but they had to put a patch on the inside--a plug wouldn't do it!
I didn't think a piece of glass would stay in, let alone puncture through a nearly brand new tire!
Steve
A great deal of my driving is on gravel. I've only had that happen dozens of times. Rocks can hand on for a lotta miles.
Quote from: opus on April 26, 2019, 07:19:29 PM
A great deal of my driving is on gravel. I've only had that happen dozens of times. Rocks can hand on for a lotta miles.
Not if I am behind you they end up in my windsheilds so far 3 windsheilds and 1 side window this year from the sex stones
Our driveway is gravel so with tires that have bigger grooves (like on the bus or truck) this happens a couple of times a week. The key is that the noise varies with the speed of the vehicle.
That's the trouble with tires with lots of tread. This doesn't happen if you run them at 4/32 of tread. :P
We should be like racers and have our tires shaved?
Jim
Quote from: Jim Blackwood on April 27, 2019, 07:18:30 AMWe should be like racers and have our tires shaved? Jim
I was thinking "slicks"!
Picked up the bus today - no noise and everything seems to be buttoned up well. Apparently it was good that I took it in, even if the noise itself was not a real problem (just a rock stuck in the tread). The grease was starting to break down from age, and it probably wouldn't have been long before the bearings started to give me problems. The rear bearings will be done at the next scheduled maintenance.