The gremlin was found, after so many years.
 

Closer to a decade ago I'd bounced off a curb on sheet ice leaving the dog park.
(they put in an annoying roundabout with no purpose)
Bought a couple aftermarket wheels, new tires. Drove fine after. Then I forgot all about it.

About five or six years ago I got the transmission fluid changed at the local dealership. Drove down to Fort Wayne for Christmas right after. About 3 hours. Close to home the pedal went to the floor once because low fluid. I limped if back very slowly. Service manager was a jerk. Didn't know the difference between hot/cold fill lines. "don't see any metal". Etc. After that I got the trans fluid changed elsewhere. Considered all options. Should have made a fuss then and there.

Seemed to drive ok for a while but then started developing a small whine while driving.
(The dealership had closed and changed owners.)

The car also developed a 'pulsing' when turning as if from a weak pump. It would turn and then seem to 'float' and then start to turn again. Odd.
Fluid was black and old. Changed it w/lock to lock flush. Then again with thicker Royal Purple.
That seemed to go away.

The 'transmission' still had the high pitched sound when driving.
Brakes felt like they were dragging a little from sitting but otherwise it felt okay.

I lent it for um a little while to the nurse who had helped us so much. She lived in the sticks with her KIA in the shop for a second blown engine. She eventually returned it with a new noise from the front exhaust. It looked like the front doughnut gasket (manifold to pipe) was busted. And now it sounded like a freight train. Loud can of bolts being shaken. And the steering was squirrely despite fairly new ball joints and tie rods. Did her kids trash my vehicle? The car was falling apart.

The critical symptom was the noise and slop all went away under braking.

Just had new front brakes put on yesterday, but neither the trusted mech or the owner with a test drive could 'hear anything out of the ordinary' despite my insisting. Getting deaf. Maybe he didn't want to. IDK. I didn't diagnose it either. It was a Toyota with under 100k miles so the thought hadn't crossed my mind. I was stuck on transmission problems.

At the muffler shop they put on a new cat and said there was a bad FR wheel bearing..the wheel I'd smacked long ago.

Got the car back today and it drives like brand new again.
No drive train noise even on the highway.
Steering solid.

*Wheel bearing gremlin found and destroyed.*

Nice. I think I remember you mentioning this car previously and the fact that it had new issues after you got it back from the nurse.

Glad you finally got the issue sorted! It feels good to know and have it fixed now, I'm sure.

Need pics.

Nurse, not wheel bearing.

We had this one Dodge Dakota , that I could not figure out , nor could any other shop including the dealer . It would randomly blow the ASD fuse . I would have it in my shop for a week and could not find the short, nor could I make the fuse blow , despite all the harness wiggling and tugging I could muster .
The client just kept spare fuses in the truck . A few years later, it needed a transmission ( surprise, surprise a Mopar truck needing a trans ) When I pulled the transmission, I found the harness had been pinched in the bellhousing from the factory . This truck had never been apart to anyones knowldege , the client had purchased it brand new . After several years, and several shops, we finally unravelled the mystery by accident .
I bet I would have honed in on that wheel bearing in 200 feet of driving . I probably replace 2-5 wheel bearings weekly here . Its bread and butter work anymore
Glad you got it sorted

I think I've only gotten one WB replaced my entire life. I'm mostly a grandma driver and cars usually last until snowbelt cancer gets 'em. Once drove halfway across town with the coffee still on the roof.
I didn't see it. Shop didn't see it a couple times.

It was another lesson. I was the hound sitting there looking for shadows of squirrels in the trees while the fox was right in front of me. Stuck on stupid.

The gremlin was found, after so many years.
 

Nope!!!!! Not stuck on stupid. You do realize how many folks are going to remember this the next time they experience an issue like yours? The number is staggering, rather it’s personal, a family member or just in general casual conversation. Then those folks will take it with them. It’s like your own personal Calgon soap commercial. [emoji6]

Glad you got it fixed!
Cheers


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It sounds a bit like the guy with the 911SC who spent a lot of time trying to fix the clunk in the front right shock absorber. He even got new inserts couriered out to him in New Zealand. After a lot of trial and error he was chatting with a fellow Porsche guy who said it sounds like the ball joint. Ball joint, what's that! Umm, ever since then there have been no more problems with the Bilstein shocks.

Haven’t been driving enough miles.

My ram 2500 had a WB fail at 90,000 miles. A set of free spins later and I’m able to get 50,000 miles on those serviceable ones (I don’t service them).

It’s interesting that you were able to see the issue through to the end.

When I saw the thread title I thought this.


https://cdn3.mecum.com/auctions/fl01...?1577573793000

About 30 years ago a doctor said this me...

"More is missed by not looking than not knowing"

This may be true, but " the eye cannot see what the mind does not know"

And this is why I love wrenching! Problem solving and logical analysis. Congrats!

Feels good to find and solve those glitchy ones!

Nice work.

A930Rocket, we've all heard stories about those dastardly factory workers back in the 80's who put bb's somewhere in the chassis on assembly..

I worked in Walters new and used Auto & Truck Sales in the 60’s.
We sold a station wagon trade in to a family that brought it back with a noise complaint that when the gas tank was low the car made a “Rumble” noise in the rear??
I got to bounce around in the rear for quite a while listening for? It sounded like it was above the rear side window, “C” pillar maybe… after removing window trim partial head liner etc we found two golf balls in the fuel tank.

We found a fuel filler nozzle (from a gas station) rattling in the fuel tank. Customer was clueless how it got there.

We put small rocks, in the metal hubcaps of some cars, to mess with people… 😂