Rasputin 
, the Younger Mrs S's 500 (1.2) is similarly afflicted. Rumbles on some surfaces and then just when you convinced yourself that it's a dodgy wheel bearing etc. you hit some smooth/new tarmac and the beast is dead silent.
My thoughts; If the noise was mechanical, it would happen all the time... better or worse depending on the speed, road surface etc. but still audible. Rasputin doesn't do that.. when it's quiet, it's a mouse.
The beast has some Manzini Touring S1 Radial tyres fitted, which must have been "budget" since the previous geezer fitted 4 new ones just prior to selling it... so they've been my chief suspect for a while. But as they wear down, the noise has remained the same.. so I'm not entirely convinced enough to hang them for it.
The beast has had new wishbone arms.. which made no difference at all.. Your problem is not the wishbone arms.
If I had just one guess what it was, I'd have said nearside front wheel bearing... apart from the noise sometimes disappears, as above. However, I did notice that there is some play in the nearside front driveshaft. When I say "play".. it's barely nothing compared to my old Stilo, which ran a CV spider with only two of the three rings intact and a load of mashed bearings, for ages, and was only slightly noisier..
) but the rumble/grumble is very similar.
I'm going to (service soon) take the inner CV/spider out of its cup and inspect the bearings and the cup for wear. Driveshafts aren't too dear and the beast will need a new clutch in the summer anyway, so it could be a no-brainer to change it. It'll be a good time to listen to the wheel bearings too.. but I'd be disappointed (in a way), if the driveshaft spider isn't the culprit.
Ralf S.
, the Younger Mrs S's 500 (1.2) is similarly afflicted. Rumbles on some surfaces and then just when you convinced yourself that it's a dodgy wheel bearing etc. you hit some smooth/new tarmac and the beast is dead silent.My thoughts; If the noise was mechanical, it would happen all the time... better or worse depending on the speed, road surface etc. but still audible. Rasputin doesn't do that.. when it's quiet, it's a mouse.
The beast has some Manzini Touring S1 Radial tyres fitted, which must have been "budget" since the previous geezer fitted 4 new ones just prior to selling it... so they've been my chief suspect for a while. But as they wear down, the noise has remained the same.. so I'm not entirely convinced enough to hang them for it.
The beast has had new wishbone arms.. which made no difference at all.. Your problem is not the wishbone arms.
If I had just one guess what it was, I'd have said nearside front wheel bearing... apart from the noise sometimes disappears, as above. However, I did notice that there is some play in the nearside front driveshaft. When I say "play".. it's barely nothing compared to my old Stilo, which ran a CV spider with only two of the three rings intact and a load of mashed bearings, for ages, and was only slightly noisier..
) but the rumble/grumble is very similar.I'm going to (service soon) take the inner CV/spider out of its cup and inspect the bearings and the cup for wear. Driveshafts aren't too dear and the beast will need a new clutch in the summer anyway, so it could be a no-brainer to change it. It'll be a good time to listen to the wheel bearings too.. but I'd be disappointed (in a way), if the driveshaft spider isn't the culprit.
Ralf S.
