Rear Wheel Bearing?

[fltwd56]

Hi all,

I have a 2000 Avalon XLS with 122K on it....this issue has been happening since the car had about 118K or 8 months. Every morning when I get ready to leave and put the car in reverse to back out of the drive the drivers rear wheel will let out a groan..it's pretty loud, but only lasts for 1-2 seconds and it will never do it again until it's parked for several hours to overnight. I thought it was the wheel bearing so I took it to a trusted mechanic who has been servicing the car and doing all the mechanical work for me on this car and on several before. I asked him to look at the bearing to see if it was bad...he told me that it he didn't think it was bad(this was shortly after it began making this noise). It really bugs me driving the car like that and embarassing...I know it's not supposed to make that noise and I want it fixed. Have any of you ran into your car making a noise such as that and what it took to fix it? I really think it could be the bearing...he suggested it could be corrosion on the rotors from sitting overnight, but I'm not sure I believe that. The rotors were closeout Autopart International brand from RockAuto with Wagner ceramic pads. The wheel bearing I'll assume is OE installed because I have never replaced it and the car is relatively low mileage for the year model. I just do not want to waste my money throwing parts at it. Any experiences or tips would be great. Thanks a bunch!

Jeff

[bobflood]

Originally Posted by fltwd56

Hi all,

I have a 2000 Avalon XLS with 122K on it....this issue has been happening since the car had about 118K or 8 months. Every morning when I get ready to leave and put the car in reverse to back out of the drive the drivers rear wheel will let out a groan..it's pretty loud, but only lasts for 1-2 seconds and it will never do it again until it's parked for several hours to overnight. I thought it was the wheel bearing so I took it to a trusted mechanic who has been servicing the car and doing all the mechanical work for me on this car and on several before. I asked him to look at the bearing to see if it was bad...he told me that it he didn't think it was bad(this was shortly after it began making this noise). It really bugs me driving the car like that and embarassing...I know it's not supposed to make that noise and I want it fixed. Have any of you ran into your car making a noise such as that and what it took to fix it? I really think it could be the bearing...he suggested it could be corrosion on the rotors from sitting overnight, but I'm not sure I believe that. The rotors were closeout Autopart International brand from RockAuto with Wagner ceramic pads. The wheel bearing I'll assume is OE installed because I have never replaced it and the car is relatively low mileage for the year model. I just do not want to waste my money throwing parts at it. Any experiences or tips would be great. Thanks a bunch!

Jeff

Do you set the parking brake when you leave the car overnight? If you do, the groan could be the parking brake releasing slowly on one of the rotors.

[fltwd56]

Bob,

I do not set the parking brake at all when I park as the terrain is relatively flat. Do the same bearing checks work for the rear wheels as do the front wheels(ie 12 and 6 oclock test)? I may jack it up today and see for myself....

Jeff

[silverxls]

fltwd.. i'd think that it is prob coming from the brake pads.. maybe caused by the caliper. disk brakes don't have springs which return the pistons... as i'm sure you know.... long ago.. it was almost normal that cars with disk brakes just got used to squeeking...nowdays there are pads and other advancements which reduce that. when you replaced the pads.. did you clean and lube the caliper sliders well?
if this isn't done... they don't allow the pistons to retract as much.. and sitting and getting cold over night, they would tend to squeek until you drive enuff to loosen them.

[xtnctss]

I get the same noise during the same activity as you have. My 2003 has done that since I bought it. The sound I hear is a quick 1-2 second grinding noise, but to me, it sounds like it is in the front, like it is a transmission or the differential gear or something. From a cold start, I back out of my driveway. If I go super slow in reverse, it won't make the noise until I shift to drive and accelerate. If I back up quicker, it will make the noise then. I had my tranny serviced and asked about it and that person did not know, but it was not at the dealer. I've put over 50K miles on it and it has had no issues.

I'm taking the car to the dealer for a different noise that popped up, so I may ask. To me, as it sounds like its from the drivetrain, I wonder if it is some gear in the differential. I know when the traction control kicks in, it sounds noisier.