2010 SEL Rear Diff Noise [incl audio]

[taet]

Hey everyone - recently purchased a 2010 SEL and it came with a noise in the rear of the vehicle. It sounds to me like a piece of hard rubber hitting something else that is hard as the axle spins [as power is given to rear?]. The accel of the vehicle and increase/accel of the rear noise are not 1:1 -- the noise increases and decreases speed on its own as the vehicle is driving. It is quite loud and can be heard inside the entire vehicle.

 

Previous owner said their mechanic told them it was a ball bearing that needed replacing, and would be inexpensive; I do not know of any ball bearings [unless in rear diff?] and it does not sound like the typical wheel bearing grind. 

 

Link to audio file: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/3-omVVK2b1g

 

Note - the car exhaust is pretty quiet, the audio sounds like loud exhaust/there is a motorcycle riding behind us

 

Any past experience/ideas on this? Your help is much appreciated!

Edited May 8, 2022 by taet

[taet]

k

[Cerberus]

hard to say from the sound file, but it does sound like it could be a bearing failure.

the good/bad news is, it is in fact a bearing, it will not stay that loud for a long time.

If that is a lumpy bearing, it will fail, probably in dramatic fashion. 

But it could be a failure of the center bearing, pinion bearing..

 

but you said the cadence of the noise changes independently of the speed of the vehicle?

that is GD bizarre. low pressure fuel pump? 

I don't know. i'm at a loss.

[enigma-2]

Does the RPMs change when the sound changes (relating to the shift points of the transmission)?

 

 

[enigma-2]

Any chance there could be a leak in the exhaust system? 

 

Really need to get up on a lift, run the car and isolate where the sound is coming from. Bad bearings (doesn't sound like a bearing to me, but ... ) can fail when you least expect it.