# Intermittent growl from rear wheel



## Fred Stone (Aug 22, 2009)

Occasionally when making a sharp turn, there is a distinct growl form the rear of my 2003 Maxima. I can find no side slack in the bearings (by shaking the wheels) and there is no indication of excessive break ware on either wheel.
No handling difficulties are evident when the noise is made and I have NOT been able to reproduce the noise on command.
Any help will be greatly appreciated, I may just have to wait for what I fear will be the inevitable catastrophic failure.


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## PbLead (Aug 8, 2009)

Jack up the back end, put your hand on the back of the spindle and spin the tire. If it is a bad bearing you should feel a vibration or a roughness. You should feel absolutely nothing on the one that is good. If you feel nothing on either side, rub your hand on the tread of the tire, see if it feels rough, like your hand is catching or dragging on the tread.


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## pulsar86 (Aug 13, 2009)

It most likely isn't a bearing problem or the noise would be there all of the time. The same goes for tyres, but have a good look and feel of the tyres to check if a belt might be seperating. Also check all rear suspension for tightness of bolts etc. It might sound strange but grip exhaust end and shake it to check for loose hangers or failed baffle moving around in the muffler. Best of luck.


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## JNCoRacer (Apr 18, 2003)

My exhaust would occasionally hit the rear beam axle depending on the angle of the road surface. So yeah, check what Pulsar said.


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## PbLead (Aug 8, 2009)

pulsar86 said:


> It most likely isn't a bearing problem or the noise would be there all of the time. The same goes for tyres, but have a good look and feel of the tyres to check if a belt might be seperating. Also check all rear suspension for tightness of bolts etc. It might sound strange but grip exhaust end and shake it to check for loose hangers or failed baffle moving around in the muffler. Best of luck.


Bearing noise will get louder and quieter when the vehicle is rolled side to side while driving. He may be hearing it when he's changing lanes or going around corners at speed.


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## JNCoRacer (Apr 18, 2003)

Yeah I guess you cant always rule out rear wheel bearing on Maxima's, even when nothing appears out of whack by doing the wheel shake test.


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## Fred Stone (Aug 22, 2009)

*I Fount It!*

After checking the bearings and tires I found nothing out of the ordinary. I shook the exhaust system and heard a muffled “thunk”. Close to the noise, but not quite it. 
I then changed the oil and as I shut down the engine after checking for leaks, I heard it! :waving: Just as the engine was stopping, I heard that distinctive rattling, rumbling, growl. All of the hangers appear to be fine, so I suspect the noise if from the muffler itself. I think the baffle failure suggestion is right on. We’ll know more on the “post mortem”.
Thanks so much for all the tips!


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## PbLead (Aug 8, 2009)

It didn't sound like a camera re-winding did it? Because there is a bulletin for the electronic engine mounts.


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## pulsar86 (Aug 13, 2009)

I thought might be a loose baffle in the muffler, I have had a few go in different cars and when they first come loose they give off strange sounds and it is not until they really go fully that it easy to locate where the sound is coming from. Glad to be of help.


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