QuestionMy car (05 Mazda3 Hatchback) hit the curb. I fixed the body. But now I get some kind of noise when I drive. (When I put on neutral, and press gas, I don’t get any noise.) When I drive I get "Psh-Psh-Psh" noise, and as I accelerate "Psh-Psh-Psh" noise becomes more frequent.
Here is what troubleshooting I did:
I jacked the car up and put it on the stands, removed front wheels, started the car and put it on "D" rotors now turn slowly. I then inspected the rotors. On the left I did not see the gap between the rotor and the braking pad, but on the right as the rotor rotated I was able to see the gap going from 0mm to about 1mm between the rotor and the braking pad.
I then removed the braking pad from the right side and again started the car and put it on "D". Then I tried to hold left rotor in place while listening to the right rotor, and vise versa. When I hold Left in place right side makes "Psh-Psh-Psh" noise. But when I hold left rotor in place Right side makes "Pshshshshs.." noise.
At this point I'm confused. Is that my axle, differential, or rotor making the noise? Can you suggest what else I can try to determine which part is bad?
AnswerYou have probably damaged the wheel bearing. Do you notice that the car has a vibration above 45mph? If so, then I would suspect the bearing even more. You may also be able to check the bearing for play by reinstalling the wheel and then working the tire back and forth. This is a pretty common test for bad ball joints and bad wheel bearings. Do what you can do isolate the wheel bearing so that you do not end up replacing it unnecessarily. They are fairly expensive.
Also, while you're under the car, check all of the suspension components, suspension mounting points, and steering linkage for damage. Also, check the frame rail for wrinkles. You sound mechanically knowledgeable enough that you have probably already done these things. However, it is very important that these components be in good condition, so I need to address them.
