Wheel grinding noise

[911Tfan]

Hi,
My 1970 911t is making a rubbing/grinding noise at the the left front wheel when making very slight right turns (ie the steering wheel only a few degrees to the right of center). I jacked it up and spun the tire by hand and had my wife move the wheel and we changed places but I can't hear anything now. I looked under with an led flashlight and don't see anything touching, and there is no evidence of the wheel rubbing or the tire. There is still some pad left on both brake pads. I was suspecting the wheel bearing but now that I don't hear it when jacked up I am puzzled. It seems to be more noticeable after driving for 15 or 20 minutes. Has anyone seen this problem before ?

[yelcab1]

Wheel bearing is toast. You can't hear it jacked up like that. There is no loading on the bearing.

[chrisbruck]

+1 on wheel bearing.... mine did same thing till it got so bad you could hear it when jacked up and spun by hand. Fun to fix too. Not terribly hard but I did have to "grill" the rotor / hub to get the race out and back in (needed heat).

[tharbert]

I'd look at the wheel bearing. There are LOTS of threads about how to check them but basically, you jack up the car. Sit in front of the wheel and grasp at 6 and 12 o'clock. Gently push/pull. Play on the vertical axis means they are either mis-adjusted or worn.

Here are a few links:

Question on replacing front wheel bearing

Front bearing replacement

[wayner]

Dos it sound like my video at 3:56 entering the left hander ?

Video - Sending the 73 back to the crusher!

I lost one. It shortened my day and that is what it sounded like.

[Evans, Marv]

Wheel bearing would be the first thing to consider. However, there is a more sinister possibility. Years ago I had a '56 Austin Healey 100-4. I started hearing a slight metallic dragging noise from the right front wheel when I turned left. I looked at the bearing which seemed in good condition. One night driving to work (worked graveyard) at about 25 mph through a residential area, the grinding suddenly got louder. All of a sudden there was a slight bang, the right front dropped down, and the right wheel rolled over to the side, hopped the curb, and rolled a few feet up the trunk of a tree. The sound I heard was the spindle flexing from a crack developing which finally failed that night. Probably not, but that happened to me with the same sort of symptoms.

[kodioneill]

Originally Posted by Evans, Marv

Wheel bearing would be the first thing to consider. However, there is a more sinister possibility. Years ago I had a '56 Austin Healey 100-4. I started hearing a slight metallic dragging noise from the right front wheel when I turned left. I looked at the bearing which seemed in good condition. One night driving to work (worked graveyard) at about 25 mph through a residential area, the grinding suddenly got louder. All of a sudden there was a slight bang, the right front dropped down, and the right wheel rolled over to the side, hopped the curb, and rolled a few feet up the trunk of a tree. The sound I heard was the spindle flexing from a crack developing which finally failed that night. Probably not, but that happened to me with the same sort of symptoms.

Funny, the very same thing happened to me when I was 16 years old in a TR-3!

[911Tfan]

Drove it for 2 hours yesterday and couldn't make it make the rubbing sound.
Still a bit puzzled why.