Re: 4kq rear propeller shaft

[Lynn Smith <lynn@dvcorp.com>]

Mason,

> Currently my 4kq (126k) whines from the middle of the car.  The
> sound is especially noticable inside the car (barely noticable outside). 
> The whine is only audible in cold weather, and is vehicle speed dependant.

I've been following this thread with interest, as I'm grappling with the
same issue on my '84 4kq (185k).  My "growl" (it's lower pitched than a
whine) is most noticable at 50+ mph, and is also dependent on speed.
There's some associated vibration, that feels like it's coming from under
the drivers seat (or so).  I first noticed it after a tire rotation, and
thought it was tire noise.  It's been getting worse, and clearly isn't
noisy tires.  We've had nothing but cold weather, so I can't tell if that's
a factor or not, but I doubt it.

I've had one mechanic suggest it's a bad shaft bearing, and another 
indicate LF wheel bearing.  Both seem plausible enough.  One test that
seemed to confirm the latter was doing a sort of slolom.  The noise increased
on one side and decreased on the other.  Seems to correspond with load on
the wheel bearing.  Is there a better way to determine if the wheel bearing
is at fault?

-- 
Lynn Smith
lynn@dvcorp.com