tinker6468

2001 A4 1.8TQ 5sp 152K miles

Purchased new rear bearing back in March and replaced them in April. Used the PEX brand from AutohausAZ not the ***. Took the hubs to a local shop to press out the old and install the new. Everything seemed good and quieter but.....

I know, I should have purchased the *** brand (per search results) and will do so this time around

Question - could the PEX brand have been bad from the start? I am having a hard time with the possibility that they are making so much noise already.

Could it be anything else making the noise? Anything above 40mph and you can hear it from the rear. No change when turning, only slowing down will decrease the noise.

Thank you for the help and input in advance.

Prospeeder

Man check differential gear oil, the output seals will leak pretty often and the 2-3 quart capacity can go away real quick. if it is leaking, fill it up and see if its quiet, if not new diff time....That is, if yours is a Quattro, you didnt say.

ECS Tuning-Audi

Also be sure to not over torque the axle bolt as it could pinch the bearing and cause pre mature failure.

Have you adjusted the rear centric bolts? If they are out of whack you can have serious camber issues that will push unnecessary stress on the bearings.

Jason

tinker6468

Thanks all - I will start checking the things listed. Yes it is a Quattro. As for the centric bolts, I triple marked them before loosening them so I could put them exactly back in the same place.

But I can get the alignment check just in case.

tinker6468

Jacked up the car last night for an engine oil change and to check the rear diff oil. The level was correct and no foul odor. Drained it anyway and put in the fill capacity of about 1.9 qts.

Took it for a test drive and still have the noise. I am thinking at this point it has to be the bearings, either over torqued or camber issues as noted above.

Will be ordering new bearings, get them pressed in, then have the camber checked. Hopefully this will solve it.