Wheel bearing/front end noise

[mwredit]

I have a noise that's coming from my front end, right side.  It seems like bad wheel bearing like noise, a whirring noise of sorts that increases with road speed.  I jacked up the right wheel and ran the car in gear.  I listened to the wheel bearing and the center support bearing and both were quiet.  The transmission seemed quiet too.  One thing I might add is the car veers to the right if you let go of the wheel, but I checked the toe-out and is to spec according to my crude but effective tool I made for that.  I've changed the lower wishbone bushings and front sway bar bushings and get the same result.  Suggestions?

Thanks

[peteracs]

Hi

Does it change when on full lock?

Peter

[mwredit]

Hi Peter.  On full lock, the sound is the same.  When you are in the lower speeds, it's not as intense. It varies with road speed.  The faster you go, the more you hear it.

[peteracs]

I would suspect a bearing then,  not the CV joint which usually makes a noise on full lock. The exact bearing, now that will most likely take some more investigating. Can you detect any play in either of the wheel bearings by rocking the wheels?

Peter

[mwredit]

Peter,

The CV joints were repacked a few months ago and I noticed they looked really good inside, almost new (The joint boots were split and falling apart).  Would these wheel bearings require a load on them instead of freewheeling to make that noise?  There is no noticeable play in them at all.  On newer cars, bad wheel bearings create a roar and you can usually tell after jacking up the front end and running it in gear and tell more accurately which one it is.  I just wonder if these Lancia/Fiat bearings make a different sound under different conditions?  Are the central shaft bearings the first to go or do they last for a while?  That one would be easier to replace, but would rather find which one is the culprit instead.

[peteracs]

Sorry, no idea if you would hear or feel anything. Given it is road speed, it could be anything from the diff through to the wheel bearings I guess. It would be good to identify the area of noise (right left or central) which I guess is going to be a challenge.....

Peter

[rossocorsa]

The bearing on the shaft support is difficult to test in situ, because the shaft is heavy and has a lot of inertia it disguises any grittiness in the bearing. Does the noise disappear when the clutch is depressed? If so might point to diff or gearbox issue.
Regarding not driving straight on a beta it's critical to have full 4 wheel tracking done not something that can easily be done DIY, I don't know whether this would solve your issue but it is well worth doing anyway as it will transform handling.
I'm also thinking could it be a tyre issue have you tried swapping the wheels front to back?

[mwredit]

The noise is still there when the clutch is in or out. Being that it sounds like it needs a 4 wheel alignment, that may be the thing i need to do.  Maybe the rear is off and causing all of this?  This car has done this before and after I got new tires recently.