Dear forum
Recently I’ve noticed a strange (almost creeping) sound on the right rear wheel of my XK120 fhc. I’ve thoroughly checked the brakes (and cleaned and adjusted) but that sound does not stop. I even hear it when manually moving the car. It appears to be wheel-rotational speed depending, does anybody recognize that.
I’ve recorded (in a video) the sound so could share that.
Thanks for helping me out,
Math
If your car has steel wheels with nave plates (hub caps) , when one hubcap is not firmly seated on the 3 prongs, the hubcap can sometimes squeak slightly with each wheel rotation.
Smack the hubcap with a rubber hammer to make sure it is fully seated. Worth a try anyway.
main task now is to try to determine where it is comin from…once known where…may be able to determine the “what”, so block front tires, jack lift rear, blocks under in case you should be under car at all… neutral, rotate…listen…mechanic’s stetho, or a paper towel tube, or screwdriver touching may help determine where it is comin from…beehive springs were later added to rear shoes to minimize a rattle, wheel bearings? or from within drive shaft or diff? I have had a stone somehow find a way in the drum…
Nick
Thanks Nick. Will try to find root-cause using s stethoscope. Drums are clean. Removed them several times.
OK…see if with wheels off…and you rotate…drums off…if it makes the sound at all…when jacked…and turnin slowly. Let us know what U find. N.
With wheels off, no sound. Drum rotates normal. Also with drum off, no strange sound. Only when on her wheels, sound is audible. When making right turn, much better. I can send you via PM video
Math
hmmmnnn one wheel? or both sides…if one…what happens when switch wheels side to side…either in the wheel itself.not likely .(disc or wires…slightly more likely…) …or when there is a load on bearings/axle…
Check the wheel itself, my brother had a Daimler SP250 and a sound was coming from his rear wheel, the mounting holes were developing radial cracks that were ‘speaking’
Indeed one wheel only. Nick mentioned the beehive springs. What happened before the sound occurred was that I replaced both rear drums since they were not round. I will check whether or not these beehive springs are touching the drum. The sound I hear could be explained by that.
Could the sound be coming from loose spokes? With the weight off the tire, does the sound still occur? I was surprised how loose some of my spokes were with the car jacked up, and not when it was on the ground. Good luck.
Aloha, Rob
Hi Rob. I have disc wheels with spats on my car. Still unclear what it is. Using a stethoscope I’ve listened to the bearing, appears to be OK. So still puzzled…
Thanks for your response, Math
Did you try a wheel swap from side to side ?
What happens when you roll the wheel off the car ? Could it be a foreign body in the tyre ?
Did a wheel swap, did not make a difference. Tire-rolling is normal. Thanks, Math
so you said it is on one wheel only…and when you swapped sides…still the same wheel now on the new side makin the sounds…? or…?
Does the sound move to the new side with the wheel…or stay same side as it was , that side only, with the opposite wheel now .
You put on new drums, then the noise began?
My first guess would be beehive spring or edge of shoe rubbing on a projection inside the new drum.
That bottom brake shoe looks a bit weird slotting in (or not) to the bottom of the cylinder. Not sure who’s pic this is. Just a chalk mark or TipX on the edge of the shoe should reveal if that is the problem. Also just remove the beehives and test. But you have probably done that already?
On a slightly different matter, I bought a new cylinder from Norman Motors a couple of years ago and found that we had to grind down in the slot to make the distance from inside the slot to the edge of the piston agree with that of the original cylinder. Even now it is still very hard to get the drum on even with the adjuster slackened right off. Going to try another supplier.
No, its like yours, but the tip of the web is in shadow so its hard to see.
There were different rear wheel cylinders and shoes for ENV vs Salisbury axles. Mine are the originals. Maybe you got a wrong one?
Another thing to check is that the two long springs should be on the inboard side of the shoe webs. They pull the shoes in against the backing plates a bit even without the beehives.
That’s what I thought, but looking at the space available that should not be the case. I’m going to mount the old drum tonight and see what happens. Will keep you informed. Math
Hi Rob
Thanks for your prompt reply. I consider you an authority on these pages so would not argue with what you say. I have had the car since 1982 and its first owner did indeed race it. I have a pic at Goodwood. So perhaps he modified the shoes? Who knows? The car is 660577 Jan 51 so is quite old version. Maybe that is why shoes are different?
Best wishes
Ulf (Ehrenmark)
Ulf Ehrenmark Sent from my iPhone
In the meantime I’ve checked and adapted drum, brakes, shock-link(de coupled) and spring leaves and tire. All OK but sound still there. I’m afraid it must be the bearing, hope that’s something I can do in wintertime. Is it doable to replace the bearing on a Salisbury axle or would that be a specialist job?
Thanks guys for all support, really appreciated, Math
