2017 Rear Wheel Noise with video

    Quote from neostar

    Update2: Well my theory has changed, I finally stuck my head between the front and rear pulleys while the back wheel was jacked (under load) and the belt properly aligned and could hear the creaking coming from the rear pulley area (not the wheel axle and not the swing arm shaft area). Even though I checked the belt tension several times and each time showing factory tension levels I now suspect it's the belt being too tight. The giveaway was tonight when the outside temp dropped by almost 30 degrees. When it was warm I could clearly hear the cyclic stress on the pulley bearings but tonight after checking the cold belt tension (factory settings of .3 inches) then doing a test drive, I heard no creaking until after a few miles when the belt had a chance to warm up and tighten. Clearly it's too tight and it's stressing the rear pulley bearings. Going to fix it once my new tools come in later this week.


    I suspect my determination to drive in the day during the godawful hottest july days ever in VA got the belt warm enough to stress the bearings to begin with. They were super loud a couple of days ago during record heat. If after loosening the belt tension the bearings are still acting up then I just need to throw in the towel and contact the dealership for a warranty claim on the pulley bearings.

    I too have noticed that temperature has affected the noise level of the creaking. I still haven't heard back from my dealer about the bearings arriving and scheduling to come in.

    okay made an appointment with my dealer. Of Course it did not make the noise when I was going down even though it has been making grinding noise for two weeks. Dealer checked tension on belt AMD alignment everything checked out no charge. I bought this new in December 2014 and all's I can say there are weird things that happen to it unexplainable. Except for my jcase meltdown which left me stranded couple years ago. So here I am again 61,000 left looking for an excuse to upgrade to a new one but there's no reason to. I don't have any interest in the navigation system

    My final commentary for this "weird noises in the back" topic. My rear pulley definitely had some overstressed bearings resulting from my attempts at adjusting the belt alignment. Over-stressed bearings give you a very obvious creaking noise. The ratchety sound like in my video is a result of dirt/grime build up in the teeth of the pulley and belt. The service manual calls it some kind of "beading" when I came across the topic. So cleaning and lubing is your best bet for that ratchety noise if you have it.


    I finally went through the belt tension reset process after buying the service manual. Talk about a painful and tedious process. For those that are curious you basically can't tweak the belt tension you have to completely reset it first by undoing the associated bolts (4 in total) to include the massive swing-arm nut. Doing this will completely loosen the belt to the point where you can take it off if you needed to.


    But It's not as simple as loosening up the bolts to remove the belt tension you have actually have to loosen then re-torque certain bolts (and in a certain order) to a light setting before beginning to put an initial tension on the belt. It's crazy because it's an elaborate ritual to the point where you have to loosen the swing-arm nut then re-torque it to 195 lbs then immediately loosen it again. It's crazy but if you don't follow the 25 steps or so verbatim chances are the belt will be too tight and you will over-stress the pulley bearings like I did a couple of times getting the process/order right.


    My advice to those out there thinking about adjusting the belt tension, don't do it unless you have the manual otherwise take it to a professional you can trust. I would not rely on youtube videos because I have yet to see anyone go into enough detail to get it right. Trust me, I learned this the hard way.

    Just a question here, are you guys loading the SS with approx weight the riders add. The belt gets tighter as the suspension sags under weight.


    I run my belt about 1 to 1 1/4 inch lose when not loaded and cold. As we load and heat the belt it gets tighter. Has worked for me for 20k, and of course washing and dry lubing the belt.


    LC

    Quote from LargeCar

    Just a question here, are you guys loading the SS with approx weight the riders add. The belt gets tighter as the suspension sags under weight.


    I run my belt about 1 to 1 1/4 inch lose when not loaded and cold. As we load and heat the belt it gets tighter. Has worked for me for 20k, and of course washing and dry lubing the belt.


    LC

    Glad it works for you but I will stick to the manual's .4 inch when cold. Since the specs state I believe a 450lb passenger limit I suspect the .4 inches should accommodate that. I believe the manual states the vehicle should be unloaded when checking belt deflection. I would have no problems going as loose as .5 inches cold to allow for really hot summer climates.


    One thing to keep in mind with a really loose belt the resulting slippage would heat up the belt real fast to the point where the belt would be tight enough to prevent further slippage but at the cost of damaging the teeth for the belt and/or pulleys.

    I base my belt tension on years of use of cog belts. V belts rely on friction of the two surfaces to transfer force, cog belt are close to gears in the process of transferring force. Harley when first putting cog belts on their motorcycles had a v belt attitude, they ran them tight. After buying several (read a bunch) axles and bearing sets they loosened them and saved rear bearings and axles. The SS has a carbon fiber cog belt, carbon fiber contracts when heated it does not stretch. By the time I lower the air in the rear shock, put two people in it and ride for an hour the belt is snug, not loose not tight. When under drive pressure the top of the belt becomes tight and establishes the position of the cogs entry and exit of each of the teeth of the drive/driven sprockets. The off drive side is effected by the looseness/tightness of the belt and thereby the entry/exit position of the cogs. The cog entry/exit of the corresponding tooth of the sprocket would be the only place friction would occur and cause heat, other than ambient heat. When run in a horizontal attitude looseness is not a bad thing, when in the vertical attitude looseness would kill a belts ability to stay on the drive/driven sprockets. Sometimes the manufacturer makes errors in their build process and it takes time and component failure to have corrections made by the manufacture, think Harley.


    TMI



    LC

    Well thankfully when the belt is too tight, the rear pulley bearings begin to make a creaking sound (kind of like an early warning system). Buddy of mine asked me to listen to his recent weird noise because he wasn't sure what it was and based on my recent extensive experience with mine, I knew instantly it was the belt getting tight on him once I heard it.


    I am convinced the system is designed to tighten up over time vice loosen over time as a safety measure to prevent belt damage (from loose tension) at high speed revolutions.


    The good news is resetting the belt tension with its many steps is a straight-forward process although tedious at times.


    So for me as long as I don't hear the creaking and measure the tension between .5 and 4. inches of deflection, I feel confident the belt and pulleys will last me the stated 100k miles and then some.


    Interesting note, the service manual states if you have to change a belt (excessive wear/damage) then it's recommend to change the pulleys too. Very interesting statement.

    Quote from neostar

    Interesting note, the service manual states if you have to change a belt (excessive wear/damage) then it's recommend to change the pulleys too. Very interesting statement.

    The reason for changing the pullies/sprokets/gears or the thingabobbies (whatever they are calling them) the belts runs on is due to wear in pattern. Like a chain and toothed sprocket where the teeth on the sprocket wears on the "in" side of the tooth as well as the "out" side of the tooth. The cog belt is the same the "u" part of the pulley wears on the "in" as well as the "out" side and would cause undue wear on a new belt. Kind of the same as replacing the cam chain and sprockets in an engine as a set. Clear as mud ........right?



    LC

    I get this constant "belt noise" that just bugs me... Dealer suggested that I wash the belt.

    I am going to try the washing of the belt and plan to apply a light treatment of WD-40 Specialist Dirt and Dust Resistant Dry Lube PTFE Spray. I have been using this for RV Slides, gear drives, etc, and have been very impressed with the visible lack of dust / dirt collection after use.


    Here is what WD-40 Says:

    A dry lubricant that provides long-lasting lubrication and protection without attracting dirt and dust.


    WD-40® Specialist® Dirt and Dust Resistant Dry Lube PTFE spray is ideal for reducing friction, providing long-lasting lubrication and corrosion protection with no oily residue. It dries quickly and resists dirt, dust and oil. Great for reducing friction and wear on blades and bits, door and window tracks, slides, conveyor belts, rollers, hinges, power tools and equipment. Effective in temperatures ranging from -100° F to 500° F. Safe on metals, plastic and rubber.


    Won't attract dirt, dust or oil



    Dry Lube Tech Data Sheet:

    https://www.datocms-assets.com…t-dry-lube-ptfe-spray.pdf


    BUT Before I do anything I am going to try adding some high tech steps to see if I can pinpoint and resolve the noise using the following process:

    1. Lift the rear tire off the ground (blocking the fronts)
    2. I have an ultrasonic detection system, and also a set of automotive electronic ears.
    3. Pinpoint the source of the sound if possible,
      1. Ultrasonic?
      2. Normal Sound?
    4. Run the wheel in the air for a few minutes under idle speed (time to be determined)
      1. Conduct thermal analysis of the cog's to see if there is heat generated with what pattern.
    5. Let things cool down
    6. Wash the Belt
    7. Let it dry
    8. Run again for sound, and thermal properties (using same time as previous step)
    9. Cool down
    10. Add the Dry Lube mentioned above
    11. Do the sound and thermal tests (using same baseline times)

    Any thoughts or suggestions? I will post the results, likely will attempt to do the following some time next week.

    I think this is the issue^. This morning on the way to work I heard the same noise but very faint, if I wasn't listening for it I wouldn't have heard it. When it's warm this weekend it'll probably be back.

    Quote from wokka

    yeah, I had that issue too, wasn't the belt, it was inside my angle drive that made noise, even after putting Red Line in it, gave up and ripped it out

    Was yours a creaking sound that happened every tire rotation? That seems to be what's happening when I'm driving for a distance anytime it's in the mid to upper 90s. It used to only do it when I was in gear and there was tension on the belt, then last week it would creak when I was coasting out of gear.

    Creaking/grating sound when pushing it in my shop. High pitched whine while driving 30 - 40 in town and trying to have a conversation. Highway speeds couldn't really hear it over wind.


    Dealer kept telling me it was normal sounds from an angle drive, but I was never happy with it.

    Quote from wokka

    Creaking/grating sound when pushing it in my shop. High pitched whine while driving 30 - 40 in town and trying to have a conversation. Highway speeds couldn't really hear it over wind.


    Dealer kept telling me it was normal sounds from an angle drive, but I was never happy with it.

    For me, once I reset the belt tension and got the process right, the creaking was gone (for over a week now in hot/mild temps). There is a slight cyclic noise I hear when driving under load but goes away on decel or accel. I am confident that is the belt producing the sound at high speed. My belt has a slight positional warp and the frequency of the noise seems to match it. I am not worried.