Front End Noise.., very, very low speed moan. Options

[DougC]

Hey I've noticed recently a moan as the car is bearly starting to move from a dead stop. It comes from the front end I think and I can almost since it through the steering wheel (as strange as that seems). The best way to discribe the noise is to say it sounds kind of like The Queen Mary or a large Ship leaving port (it's horn noise - but not near that load (IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/html/emoticons/biggrin.gif) ). I think people on the street could probably hear it - kind of embarrassing if I roll the car super slowly. I'm thinking maybe a slightly warped rotor but are there any common items to check for? This car has 911T front suspension and brakes btw. Also, this car sat for 3 years before I started driving it recently...but everything was supposedly renewed during a restoration (track prep) before it was stored for the 3 years, so maybe something has dried out a bit too much.

Doug C

[lapuwali]

The brake test isn't all that reliable. Wheel bearings can change noise from the load change when the brakes are applied.

Wheel bearings seem to fail in several ways, causing different noises. A loose bearing will cause a wobble. A bearing that's too "dry" or has a flattened roller will usually chirp or screech. A bearing that has a wear spot on the race will usually howl all the time, and generally get worse as wheel speed increases. Sometimes, the noise will change based on whether or not you're turning, as you load/unload the damaged bearing.

A loud moan at low speeds that goes away once you get moving, esp. if it only does it after the car's been sitting for a few hours, can be a slightly dragging caliper, perhaps caused by a light amount of rust on the rotor that quickly gets wiped away.