hi guys..juz wanna ask if someone knows wats wrong with my TJ wagon..
couple of days back,i recently noticed that whenever a drive 20km/h n above,there is a rumbling sound from the back end of my car..sound like something rubbing against the wheel.
i lifted it up and checked the wheel bearing if its loose or shaky..but so far its ok..its starting to annoy me cos i cant seem to pinpoint where the problem is. the faster i go,the louder it gets..to be precise,the sound is like when u put a playing card onto your bicycle spokes and ride around..pleeeaseee help..

First thing to check are your wheelnuts - when you lifted the wheel did you check if they were tight? Also spin each rear wheel whilst holding your hand against the tyre tread - feel for any lumps which indicate tread plies separating.

hey buddy..i did check if the wheels were loose but all seems to be fine..will try checking the thread though..i juz bought this car bout 3weeks ago...hmmm...if its the thread,i shld get the tyres replaced,yes?

How well are your tires balanced? Has it thrown off a wheel weight at some stage, or have you recently had the tires changed?

You said you bought the car recently. How long has the car been sitting in the car yard. The tyre may need to be replaced if it is out of round.

If you just bought the car 3 weeks ago it should be covered by a warranty???...and re loose wheelnuts - they are the nuts that hold your wheels to the hubs....should be 5 of them....use the wheel brace to check they are tight with the wheel on the ground (to stop the wheel turning). If unsure of what you are doing pls ask.

check tyres for rotation. some cheap tyres that are put on cars these days (accelera, diamondback) are directional, so make suure they are on the right way. also check tyre pressure

Don't rule out a wheel bearing just because you can't feel it with the wheel off the ground.. Eliminate tyre problems then move on from there :-)

Is it covered by warranty? Best bet, as said above, is to get a tyre place to have a look. They'll be able to tell you if wheels are unbalanced, the bearings are going, the tyres are on wrongly or out of round. A quick inspection shouldn't cost much, and if they find anything go see the car dealership. The dept of fair trade can also help if the dealer is a pain.

tks for all the tips,guys..tyres look relatively new n roadworthy and yes it does have a 12mth warranty..think i'll call the dealer and have him solve the problem for me..tks guys..will update once i solve the issue..cheers!

well i guess if the tyres r on the wrong direction of rotation,it would have made the noise the moment i drove it of the yard,yes? it juz started jus bout couple of days ago..

hmm..juz had a look n both rear tyres got no counterweight on it...so im guessin dats the problem..

Loss of counterweights (if fitted) will not cause a rumble as you describe. They may be on the inside of the rim (out of view)

Loss of counterweights (if fitted) will not cause a rumble as you describe. They may be on the inside of the rim (out of view)

well,the best way to describe the sound is when you're driving in a 4wd with offroad tyres..you know,the sound when the tyres are rolling...

Last time I heard that noise was when I bought a second hand tyre that turned out to be water damaged and the steel belts had gone rusty. Why not swap that tyre for your spare and see if the noise goes away? Or it might just be a nail or bolt stuck in the tyre making that noise.

Last time I heard that noise was when I bought a second hand tyre that turned out to be water damaged and the steel belts had gone rusty. Why not swap that tyre for your spare and see if the noise goes away? Or it might just be a nail or bolt stuck in the tyre making that noise.


yeah..will try to do dat..tks for all your tips,guys..cheers!:happy:

well,the best way to describe the sound is when you're driving in a 4wd with offroad tyres..you know,the sound when the tyres are rolling...

Now that you describe it like this, TYRES. i've had a few cases like this myself with Bridgestine,Firestone, and Dunlop. Currently my RE92 spare which was fairly new and heaps of tread is a spare due to being a little noisy. If they're not directional maybe flipping it around on the rim might improve it but if it's old and not much tread , replace it with some decent rubber.

Like a few othe rpeople have suggested , rotate the tyres and if the noise moves with it then you know it's the rubber.

It might pay to see if you can find the production date just in case it's some dodgy secondhand thing they've fitted to get it roadworthy. Anything over 5 years I'd consider old.

Also, if you have alloys and they have used wheel weights designed for steel rims, they can 'clack' on the rim as they spin faster, which might explain your over 20k's noise, the the playing card sound.

I have had this issue. On the hoist, no noise. On the road, clacking noise. Took the mechanic and I about 2 hours to work it out.

Cheers, Greg.