Grinding Noise when hitting bumps
 

Hey guys, i have a quick question, a few days ago my 97 montero sport started making a grinding noise on the passenger side, only when hitting bumps. when driving on solid pavement it seemed fine. its getting more frequent. it doesnt change when i brake, and happens when driving straight. it will grind for a few seconds then stops. its infrequent. doesnt change when switching 4x4 on. please help driving cross country soon!

What size tires and wheels do you have on your truck? Does the person sitting in the passenger seat feel anything under their feet when the grinding noise is heard? Also, when you hear the grinding noise, does it go away if you stop the vehicle and start moving again?

it ended up being my cv joint, it was a nightmare to pull off, but i got it! it was moving back and forth and real sloppy, the one on the left was tight, i guess that might explain the problem, im gonna put the new one in today

Good luck! :)

needle bearing
 

well a bit of bad news turns out the needle bearings inside the knuckle fell apart, i imagine thats what the grinding noise was coming from. i have ordered the part from a dealer. my only question is how to put it back in???? the other issue is when i took the whole thing apart i took the wheel bearings out, they are fine but when i pulled them out, on both sides, the lock washer and nut came out really easily and i dont know the torque or really anything on how to put them back in?!

Hi all.

Im new to the forums, and joined just for this post.
I own a 99' M Sport and have a VERY similar problem, a grinding noise (can be compared to driving on rumble strips) coming from the passenger side of the vehicle. It only seems to happen when hitting bumps (potholes in road, driving onto a bridge ect.) and it will not stop unless I stop the vehicle completley. After coming to a stop I can hear a faint click then all is well again after takeoff. Ive been told it could possibly be my wheel bearings, but as suggested above could also be cv joint?

Just wondering if anyone could shed some light?

Thanx in advance.

bearings
 

well fancylady, check to see if your cv joint has any play in it at all, there are needle bearings inside the knuckle that can be damaged if the joint has movement caused by the lock washer popping off. bearings are not that tuff to do on the montero, but they do have to be pressed out.

Is the CV joint a part of the axle? If it is, then I have had a new axle replaced. It cost me 400.00. The problem still persist after I had it replaced.

Thanks again,
Fancy lady

Sloopjoshc wote:
well a bit of bad news turns out the needle bearings inside the knuckle fell apart, i imagine thats what the grinding noise was coming from. i have ordered the part from a dealer. my only question is how to put it back in???? the other issue is when i took the whole thing apart i took the wheel bearings out, they are fine but when i pulled them out, on both sides, the lock washer and nut came out really easily and i dont know the torque or really anything on how to put them back in?!

Sloop, I'm a bit confused as I thought that the bearings would be a tight fit requiring a bit of persuasion to remove. How do your races look, the parts the bearings come in contact with on their outside circumference? If they're worn, then the bearing would come out easily and your discs would need to be renewed as well. Let's hope I'm just misunderstanding you :)

I only know the torque setting for 83 to 96 vehicles as it's listed in the manual. The front differential pinion shaft nut for a 4 cylinder is 160 — 220Nm and for a V6 it's 190 — 250Nm (dang Limey Haynes book doesn't do foot pounds :(). The books lists a rather complicated procedure to assess the front hub turning force using a spring scale as well as adjustments to the wheel as you reapply the free-wheeling hub assembly. My point is I hope you've got your own manual to work from or the knowledge to do this correctly yourself.

As far as your first question about the needle bearings on the knuckle, those are usually pressed in with a vise and an appropriately-sized socket to apply the proper force around the outer edge of the bearing while pressing it into the knuckle.

And fancylady, welcome to the forum! So you said you fixed the problem but you haven't fixed the problem? So is your grinding still happening? If they replaced your CV joint then you probably have a bad bearing. Jack your wheel off the ground and see if you can make it grind as you spin it, then grab it by the edges and push and pull it towards then away from the car. If it's bad, you should feel looseness and hear a grinding noise or a metalic "thunk."

Bearings
 

Moth, turned out with my ride, the pin that holds my cv joint in gave way allowing it to have enough movement to bust up the needle bearings inside the knuckle. It would make a loud grinding noise when a bearing would pop out and well get ground by the cv. I had to take off the knuckle and replace the bearing race and needle bearings, wasnt too tough but it took me a week to figure it out. It has long been fixed, and has been from the west coast and back twice since.
J