Roaring 65 Barracuda

[jhdeval]

Ok I am hearing a roaring when I take off from a stop. I have already replaced the front bearings and races both inside and outside. I think it may be coming from the rear end. I replaced the gear oil a while back with 90 weight gear oil.

I believe the roaring may be coming from the rear bearings. Any tips on how to pull the rear axles to have the bearings cut and pressed on? If I remove the rear brake drum should it just pull out? Do I need to drain the rear end again?

 

[cudamark]

If you get the rear wheels off the ground when you run it through the gears, you should be able to hear any bearings making noise in the rear. If you have a 7 1/4 rear and it's an axle bearing, that is a fairly easy fix. It does need to be pressed on but any decent machine shop can do the the job. If you gave bad pinion bearings, you may want to replace the rear instead of fixing it as it can run into much more money.

 

[cudamark]

Oh, the axles will pull out after you remove the nuts on the bearing retainer. Sometimes you'll need a slide hammer if they've been in there awhile. You could get a little oil coming out of the axle tube so keep a drain pan handy or jack that side up higher than the other side to keep it from leaking.

 

[jhdeval]

If you get the rear wheels off the ground when you run it through the gears, you should be able to hear any bearings making noise in the rear. If you have a 7 1/4 rear and it's an axle bearing, that is a fairly easy fix. It does need to be pressed on but any decent machine shop can do the the job. If you gave bad pinion bearings, you may want to replace the rear instead of fixing it as it can run into much more money.

Any way to tell the difference between axle and pinion bearing?

 

[Brad4406]

Take it for a spin in an empty parking lot and do some figure 8's. If you notice it getting louder while making right turns, then the left axle bearing is bad; noise while opposite turn means opposite side. If noise doesn't increase either way, then pinion bearing.

 

[cudamark]

Any way to tell the difference between axle and pinion bearing?

I use a stethescope but a wooden dowel or long screw driver will work too. Plant one end on the housing next to each bearing and see where the loudest one is by placing the other end up against your ear. Even good bearings will make a noise so you'll have to check each one several times to figure out which one(s) are bad. Good ones will only give you a nice even hum where bad ones will have a louder uneven tone to it. Just be carefull doing this as there are many things spinning around that love to grab pony tails and loose clothing!

 

[RedFish]

You didn't say it roars all the time its rolling. I read roars only under extreme load like from a stand still. That could be anything from a broken support, to the front bearing in a manual trans, to a failing U joint.

 

[cudamark]

You didn't say it roars all the time its rolling. I read roars only under extreme load like from a stand still. That could be anything from a broken support, to the front bearing in a manual trans, to a failing U joint.

You're right Ben, We shouldn't presume he's checked the obvious sources already. If it only makes noise under load, it could be something as simple as a mount or exhaust hitting the body. A rear axle bearing will usually rumble while the car is moving and get louder the faster you drive regardless of load. Pinion bearings will usually change their noise if you alternate from load to coast. A transmission main bearing can do that too but they'll also make noise at a stand still with the transmission in neutral and the clutch engaged. Sometimes you need to find a quiet place where you can hear the difference between what it sounds like with the clutch depressed and engaged. If you have a loud exhaust, that's not always easy to do!