2016 Z06, 7 speed, 13k miles. I hear a strange noise coming from the left front wheel when driving. It’s like the faint sound of marbles rolling. I can jack the car up and spin the wheel by hand and I can hear it. It’s louder when I’m driving. Could it be a wheel bearing?

 

Highly unusual, but there is not much else that would match your description.

 

I would remove the brake pads and then reinstall the lug nuts to hold the rotor in place then turn the rotor to see if you still hear the noise. You can also remove the rotor and use your hand to turn the hub while listening for the sound and paying attention to how the hub feels as you turn it. If you feel there are any unusual clicks or vibrations as you turn the hub the bearing may be bad.

The C7 hubs are pretty durable. I have been tracking my C7 Z for 6 seasons and I am still running on the original hubs.

Bill

 

Thank you for the response. I forgot to add, the Z does it while driving and if I jack it up just after driving and spin the wheel I get the noise. After sitting for a day, I jack it up and no noise. The other day I pulled the wheel and checked the brakes. Everything looked pretty much like new. Noise comes back once the wheel heats up..does that make sense?

 

Actually, it does make sense. The hub heats up as the car is being driven. If it is having an issue it could become hotter than the other hubs or make more noise. If you are quick in getting the car in the air and removing the two front wheels maybe you could compare hub temps between the two sides. The brakes also get warmer as the car is driven and the Brembo calipers have anti-knockback capability so the pads always remain in touch with the rotor.

Bill

 

Had that sound when I put Hawk pads on. Even did it by just spinning the tire by hand. The guy at Hawk could not figure it out. It was like a popping sound or marbles as you say. Put Powerstops on the front and the sound went away. Its has been 2 years since and no sounds.

 

I was able to get a video. You can definitely hear the noise. It’s much louder when driving and you’re next to a barrier.

 

Sounds similar to when I was a kid and would fasten a playing card so it would stick into the spokes of my bicycle. I still think you need to drive the car until the noise starts then park it, lift the front of the car, pull the wheel, pull the brake pads and then reinstall the wheel and see if you get the same sound. The brakes can make some funny sounds due to the fact the rotors are two piece full floating rotors (they can make clicking sounds when the wheels rotate), the rotors are slotted and the pads can make noise when running over the slots and last there may be something causing the pads themselves to make noise such as a slightly bent pad wear indicator that doesn't hit the rotor until everything is warm.

Removing the pads eliminates the issue with the two piece rotor clicking since all force against it is removed (although most two piece rotor clicking is sharper and louder), it also eliminates the chance sound of the pads making noise when running over the slots and it also eliminates the wear sensor from touching the rotor. If the noise is still present with the pads removed the only thing it can be is something hitting the rotor or wheel from behind. I don't think that is the sound of a bearing going bad but it is still possible. Pulling the bearing from the knuckle is more work but getting it out where you can hold it in your hands and slowly twist it so you can feel any roughness may be necessary if the cause isn't found somewhere else.

Bill

 

Bill,

While the Z was hot I removed the wheel, removed the brake pads and put the wheel back on with no pads. I spun the wheel by hand and no noise. I took a file to the center of the pads where the split is. I filed the pads down in the center and rounded off the edge. I reinstalled the pads and the noise seems to be gone. Thanks again for the help. Also thank you to everyone else who responded.

Bill

Update: after driving for a bit the noise came back.

 

Excellent result. Congrats on your doing a great job diagnosing and finding a fix.

 

The noise you're hearing is brake dust build up between the hub and wheel. There was a TSB for this some time back. Take the wheel off, clean the mating surfaces well on both the hub and the wheel and the clicking noise will go away. Known issues. I had a few times. Even after cleaning the build up off it will eventually come back. Do a quick google search for clicking in C7 Front wheel and you will find more info and some videos.

 

speed4tu - that is a different sound/issue. I've had both issues and cleaning the wheel/hub surfaces fixed one issue. I later had the same sound as Bill. I couldn;t figure out what it was until I saw his fix.

Thanks Bill!.