Fiesta chattering noise

[paulypaul182]

Hi

Ive had a car for a couple of weeks and Im regretting buying the thing.

There was a knocking noise when I brought it and the old owner said they were drop links, which is why he sold it me for £300. A day or two after I bought it I noticed a chattering/cha cha cha cha/du du du kind of rotating noise on the right side but only when the car is travelling, not when its idle...perhaps like something was spining against something else. I took it into the garage and they called me back saying it was the uplinks and some bushes. All cost me £140 (which was kind of over what I expected). I picked it up today and the noise was still happening. I took it back and they put it on the ramp ran it at speed and the noise was apparent. The mechanic then took it for a drive and came back, put it on the ramp again, stroked his chin and said he thought it was either the gearbox or driveshaft. He said he couldnt be sure but his gaffer was a gearbox expert and told me to come back tomorrow.

Well I looked on the internet and typed in all the words that describe this noise and kept coming up with wheel bearings. I took the car out swerve right and left at around 30mph and noticed the noise disappear when swerving left but got somewhat louder when turning right. I felt the wheels after I took it for a ride and the right tyre is somewhat hotter than the left. I rang the garage telling them that I thought it was the wheel bearing. The guy gave me a quote and said he was 99.9% it wasnt a wheel bearing. He reckons its the driveshaft or the gear box.

Does anyone else think this is right? Just in case you need to know its a 1998 Mk4 Fiesta Encore.

 

[Burnerman]

Indeed, this is the correct test for wheel bearing wear, but they tend to drone rather than rattle......I'd be looking very carefully at the driveshaft condition for this one.
If the differential bearings are shot, the driveshaft will be able to move up and down at the gearbox end. Not what you need!
John

 

[paulypaul182]

Thanks John. What do you reckon repair costs on that would be?

 

[Burnerman]

Wellll....(resting head carefully on the block) - it depends what the outcome is, really.
Driveshaft - £75 exchange, fitting time 1 hour or so.
Gearbox - must be an exchange replacement from a breaker to be economical, but the fitting time is nearer 4 hours.
Professional diagnosis needed here, and I wish you all the best with it.
John

 

[libby lou lou]

Personally, i would go for the bearings,then go from there.I do respect burners answer.

Go on, go for it.

 

[madder]

Burnerman as always is to be trusted completely. He has helped me several times over the past couple of years. I'd certainly do the bearings first too though. What you describe sounds quite similar to a problem I had in an old Mazda 121, which turned out to be bearings. It cost me around 80 euros at the time, which is about 60 quid to you? More or less?
However, if it turns out to be a bigger problem you might be as well to start measuring what you've spent already against what the repairs cost?