Thread: Whirring noise in front left wheel

Could be wheel bearings?

Id take the drum off and have a look around in there.
Check the shoes and actually drum for any debris. (doubt it would make a sound like you describe though)

See if theres excessive play in the hub while you have the drum off, spin it a few times and listen for typical crunchy rough sound associated with bad bearings.

Sounds like wheel bearings - be careful if they collapse as they are all that hold the front wheel on and if the wheel moves it takes the brake drum with it - no brakes. The good thing is that when the wheel comes off it does not roll away as the inner guard still keeps the wheel in the wheel well.

Ask me how I know - I ignored the sound from the wheels for too long.

Garry

Thanks guys. Will check the bearings of course, however it seems odd that there is no untoward movement in the wheel. My experience of (non-Landy) bearings is when they are failing you can move the wheel in and out a little (end float, or something similar). In this case it appears all nice and tight and solid.

The fact that it only happens when warm, and the kind of noise suggests a binding shoe, but until I get it off I won't know. Will post pics and report on what I find. Thanks for the ideas.

Hi all,

Have finally found a few minutes to have another look at this and there is no apparent problem with the bearings, however the wheel does not spin freely. It turns easily for half a turn then binds a little, getting quite stiff to turn.

So we whipped the drum off and had a look. The brakes were renewed only a few kms ago (although more than a year ago on the calendar) so everything looks great. Could they be merely over-adjusted and in need of more free play?

Also, one shoe seems not quite parallel to the drum. There is a bolt entering from behind the brakes (not the adjuster) which appears to sit against the shoe. Each side has one - one for each shoe. Is this meant to hold the shoe at the correct angle, so that it sits parallel to the drum? The Haynes manual does not appear to note the existence of these bolts. They have lock nuts so they appear to be some kind of adjusters, but they're not the main ones.

Cheers,
Lane.

Originally Posted by lane

Hi all,

Have finally found a few minutes to have another look at this and there is no apparent problem with the bearings, however the wheel does not spin freely. It turns easily for half a turn then binds a little, getting quite stiff to turn.

So we whipped the drum off and had a look. The brakes were renewed only a few kms ago (although more than a year ago on the calendar) so everything looks great. Could they be merely over-adjusted and in need of more free play?

Also, one shoe seems not quite parallel to the drum. There is a bolt entering from behind the brakes (not the adjuster) which appears to sit against the shoe. Each side has one - one for each shoe. Is this meant to hold the shoe at the correct angle, so that it sits parallel to the drum? The Haynes manual does not appear to note the existence of these bolts. They have lock nuts so they appear to be some kind of adjusters, but they're not the main ones.

Cheers,
Lane.

They are the brake show steady posts. Yes, you should adjust them so that the face of the shoe is parallel to the face of the drum. Usually they shouldn't need any adjustment once they're set up.

From the original manual:

Adjust the brakes fully on, then back off the adjusters two serations on the adjusters (by two of the grooves on the adjuster side, not the flat's on the bolt side as I first did).

Screw back the steady posts clear of the brake shoes and apply the brakes.

Screw in the steady posts to contact the brake shoes then secure.

Do not tilt the brake shoes by screwing in the steady posts too far.

The middle diagram shows the correct positioning.

Ah, thanks TJ, wonderful stuff.

I wonder how you know they're contacting the shoes if the drums are on? By feel?

What we did yesterday is adjusted the steady post to get the shoe perpendicular, and then backed off the adjusters a little to get the wheel to spin freely. It seems to have worked - the brakes are still good and the problem has disappeared.

Thanks again for the useful post.

Hi all,

Took it for a longer run this morning and the sound returned. It's not pulsating any more - it's a steady sound like a failed differential. Except that it stops if we engage 4wd, and then returns again if we go back to 2wd, but only after we've driven a few hundred metres. Whatever it is, it "occurs" after some driving distance, it isn't there when you first take off.

It sounds like it is coming from the front axle, not from the gearbox, but that could be a misapprehension. Sounds are always hard to find when you're driving along in a Landy, of course!

Anybody have any troubleshooting ideas?

Cheers,
Lane.

If you have free wheel hubs, it could be from one of them - locking the hub should stop it. If you do not have free wheel hubs, or they are engaged, then the noise could be the bearing in the end of the axle housing, the universal joint in the half-axle, or the differential itself. First thing would be to check swivels and front diff for oil.

If you have not actually had the hub off to visually inspect the bearings, it could still be them.

John