Right rear grinding when turning right, braking - Toyota Nation Forum : Toyota Car and Truck Forums

jjayww · 01-21-2010, 10:59 AM

My wife's 2005 Corolla has 30K on it. In the last few days I've noticed a nasty grinding sound coming from the right rear wheel (area) when turning RIGHT. It fades in and out with the arc of the turn. Also as I brake I hear grinding or rubbing, same wheel, though not as pronounced as when turning.

I've found lots of discussion about similar problems with Corollas all over the web. With 30K I have to think the bearings are OK. Also the brakes. This came out of nowhere. though notable is the fact that the car sat for a week or so. The car has sat for loong stretches before and made noise when we first use it, like rust on the discs/drums, but that usually goes away in 15 minutes.

I'm still thinkng rust, maybe, causing this...based on what I've read...but the grinding while turning is nasty and if it were rust, wouldn't 2 days of driving have worn it off?

Anyone with a definitive idea about what this could be? Thanks in advance.

alligatorgar · 01-21-2010, 07:47 PM

It sounds like a rear bearing gone bad to me. Take the wheel/drum off and turn the hub by hand. Is it rough? It should be smooth as glass. How do the brakes look? Allot of salt up there being used every winter. Have you driven the car in high water? The rear bearings are really pretty easy to change compared to the fronts. Keep us posted.

TrdSpeed140 · 01-21-2010, 08:12 PM

if it's only grinding while turning and it's only got 30k miles on it, it's probably not the bearing, I can't rule it out completely though since I obviously can't inspect the car myself. take the drum off and around the inner ridge and on the inside of it for any really rusty spots. I had a similar problem myself a few months ago actually on my driver side drum. It was a rhythmic grind, not a constant noise when turning though. All it was was a little rust built up on a spot around the edge/lip of the drum. A quick sanding with my Dremel solved it.

jjayww · 01-24-2010, 12:14 PM

Thanks, all. I wanted to rule out the bearings too but my regular mechanic said, not so fast. He's seen them go even earlier on these. I think I'll defer to him, and let him handle it. I'll post what he finds later in the week. I'll give him a heads up about the rust, I've read about that same nuisance issue with the Toyotas a few times now.