Repost due to Wrong section: Rattle from front right wheel

[m1ndtheg4p]

Hi all,

2010 MS3, bone stock.

On yesterday's drive, I noticed a mild squeal tied to the rotation of the axle, no change based on accel / braking / cornering etc. It got a bit louder but then randomly went away.

Today, I drove the car about 35-40 miles round trip through a few bends, and had a new noise start up.

Basically, I went over a bump and the front right side started making a rattling sound, like if you had ball bearings in a tin can and shook it up. It slowed down as I slowed the car down (again, no change based on braking / not braking or cornering etc) then stopped again as I continued to drive.

It appears to start up if I hit any kind of bump with the front right side, then randomly dissipate over another bump etc. If I avoid bumps, all good, no noise.

Googling / here tells me it could be the ball joints, strut tower bushing (or bearings), but wanted to ping the collective and see if I'm on the right track / any other test I can perform to nail it down to a specific cause.

thanks in advance all.

[m1ndtheg4p]

So, I finally pulled the wheel off and guess what it was - a freakin nut stuck between the dust shield and the rotor. Top of the nut was a nice, bright polish from the rubbing - just glad it wasn't something more serious. The harsher rattle was from when the bump knocked it free up into the raised pocket of the dust shield, so I bent the shield enough that it fell out and we're good to go. On the bright side, I discovered that I have Moog endlinks from the prior owner, so that's cool.

[MSMS3]

Originally Posted by m1ndtheg4p So, I finally pulled the wheel off and guess what it was - a freakin nut stuck between the dust shield and the rotor. Top of the nut was a nice, bright polish from the rubbing - just glad it wasn't something more serious. The harsher rattle was from when the bump knocked it free up into the raised pocket of the dust shield, so I bent the shield enough that it fell out and we're good to go. On the bright side, I discovered that I have Moog endlinks from the prior owner, so that's cool.

Nut? As in a hexagonal metal piece that threads on a screw, or as in a pecan or walnut?

If it’s the former, I’d want to know what it came off of.

[tripppleP]

Hilarious. I had a random rattling noise lately and found out a piece of the heat shield broke off and was lodging in an area rattling around. I thought I was the only one this kind of stuff happened to.

Glad you figured it out.

[m1ndtheg4p]

Me too..I was extremely concerned because I'm pretty familiar with the noises of bad ball joints, cv, end link, etc, and this was just completely foreign. Now I know why!

[tripppleP]

Yes, for me too. My noise had no consistent reasoning and it drove me crazy.

[m1ndtheg4p]

May I ask what your approximate whp is with the mods in your sig? Mine is bone stock (outside those moog links lol) and I'm starting to map out performance parts / order of operations on upgrades.

[m1ndtheg4p]

@MSMS3 - yes, the former

Based on how new the nut attaching the moog endlink was, it's gotta be from when they replaced it. The nut in the dust shield was very old, and I checked the entire susp assembly + the caliper to ensure it wasn't belonging somewhere. Appears someone may have dropped it when replacing the end link.