Hello all. I'm a long time lurker on the forums and finally decided to register so I can participate.

I've got a 2011 MCS with about 90k miles on it. I've got a speed related vibration/noise that I've been working to diagnose/fix over the past couple of weeks. The basic symptom is that there is a reasonably loud howl that seems to be coming from a wheel that starts at around 65-70 mph. It is not engine speed related (I can put the clutch in at 75 mph and the howl is still present, only going away once I slow down).

My first thought was that it was coming from one of the rear wheels, so I replaced both rear wheel bearings/hubs. No luck though. The howl is still there.

The next course of action was to replace the front wheel bearings/hubs. I was able to replace the front passenger bearing/hub without any real issues, other than wrestling with the rubber boot on the axle to get at the hub bolts. The drivers side is a different story. I cannot get the axle shaft out of the hub. The passenger side slid out easily after a few smacks with a rubber mallet. The drivers side was not so easy going. I tried wailing on it with the rubber mallet. I tried bathing it in PB blaster, then wailing on it. I tired putting a block of wood on the axle tip and hitting the wood with a 2 lb sledge. I tried using a 3 ton puller, no go. I tried a 7 ton puller, still no go. At this point I think I may have to punt and take it to a shop to get the drivers side bearing/hub replaced.

Any one else run across this issue? Any thoughts on what could work?

The really odd thing to me is that this car was bought new in the SF bay area and has lived its whole life in CA. The underside of the car is pristine. No corrosion to speak of.

 

DIY:

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ement-diy.html

All i can think of is that the threads on the spline were twisted into the hub. You might have to heat up the wheel bearing with a torch, be careful.

 

I'm a hard core DIY type, but at this point I'd take it to a shop and let them wrestle it.

 

Yeah, I'm the same way, but I'm leaning closer and closer to just taking it to a shop to have them remove the old one and put the new one on.

 

Hope they can get it off, i would give it one last shot , then take it over.

 

Is your car lowered? Some have gotten vibrations from axles after lowering.

Does the noise change when going in a turn? A right side bearing will normally be quieter on a right turn and louder on a left turn.

Mike

 

Nope, car is not lowered. Still on stock springs/dampers. The noise does not change (at least that I have noticed) when turning. My reasoning behind changing the wheel bearings first is that it is relatively easy and cheap to do, and with the car having 90k miles on it, probably needed to be done sooner rather than later. The other likely cause of the noise is the CV joints in the axle(s), which is much more expensive to replace. My thought process was: I'll change the wheel bearings and if that fixes the issue, great. If not, onto the axles.

 

To close the loop on this thread, here's what I've done/found out:

The noise/vibration was not the wheel bearings, but actually appears to be the rear tires with some significant scalloping, which was most likely from worn out rear dampers.

I replaced all four dampers with Koni yellows over the past couple of weekends. After pulling the rear dampers and inspecting them, they are indeed shot. The fronts were completely blown, but definitely not far from being toast.

Next up, new tires. I'm debating whether to get new wheels at the same time, or just go with tires for now. I need some advice on wheel offsets and posted a thread here: https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...r-r56-mcs.html. Either way, new tires should finish off this project and solve the noise/vibration issue once and for all. Thanks to everyone for your help!

 

Far too late, but I had the same issue getting my passenger side axle out. Beat the heck out of it with a big hammer with no luck. The following day I alternated with PB Blaster and my air chisel with a rounded tip. Sprayed PB, waited a couple minutes, then hammered for a minute. Repeat, repeat, repeat, etc. Probably took nearly two hours of working on it before it finally let go.

The drivers side came out with no issue. A few light hammer taps.

These splines are getting a wire brushing and thorough coat of anti seize before reinstallation!

 

Forgot to add: the solution to getting the driver's side off was getting a 7 ton puller, cranking down on that while pounding on the puller screw, driving the screw into the axle tip. After a few slams, I'd tighten the puller down again and repeat. At first I was worried about messing up the splines, but then realized that the only damage I'd do was to the axle tip which serves no practical purpose.

After I got it off, the splines looked a little dirty with some oily residue and grit, but no corrosion. I cleaned it up and put it all back together with no real drama.

 

Glad you were able to get it off. I was worried I was going to damage something with how hard I was hammering on the axle, but in the end the only damage I did was marred the surface of the axle tip.

 

It was crazy how stuck that thing was

 

At least you have the excuse of actual winter and road salt induced corrosion. My Mini has no such excuse.

 

Thanks for the update.

 

My front wheel bearing is getting noisy. So I figured I'll just change it. I get everything unbolted and the old wheel bearing is nearly off but now it won't release from the half-shaft splines. I've been searching for a YouTube Video on this and all I've found was 1st gen videos. I was glad to find this thread today, as my car has been sitting in the garage half done for a week. I've been afraid to pound too hard and break something and cause new problems. After reading this I guess I need to try harder. Anyone else had a similar issue since this original post? If anyone has any information or can relate their experience that would be helpful.

 

Pound away but be careful not to damage the axle threads. As noted above you can also use a large puller. Do use some moly paste on the splines to prevent seizing in the future. In my experience getting the splines free before the hub is unbolted is preferred.

 

If you have a new axle nut, thread the old one onto the axle and pound the nut. Then, once the axle is loose, remove the nut and remove the axle completely. Then, remove the bearing.

 

Will pounding on the axel nut damage the CV joint or transmission by sending all that energy into them? I thought about bolting the bearing back on but then is there anywhere for the axel to move when I’m pounding it? I did try an axel puller but it wasn’t mini size and I couldn’t get both lug nuts bolted on so I used a c-clamp to hold the other side and broke the c-clamp. Isn’t DIY the best?!

 

I'm happy to report I have finished the job of replacing both front wheel bearings. The key was using Blaster penetrating lubricant. The second side I spayed it on right after removing the brake disc and caliper and let it sit while I ate dinner and it slid right off. The hardest part was the two top bolts holding the bearing on. The CV joint was blocking the bolts. A few skinned knuckles and lots of perspiration and it was done.

Thanks for the replies.

Until next time. Good luck with your next project.