Rear axle bearing?

[300cruiser]

I've always had a slight metallic rub sound from left rear when making right turns which seems to be getting much worse. No straight line noise, just right turns. Is this the early symptom of a failing bearing?

 

[Wollfen]

Or it may be a loose locking ring, the brake drum may be rubbing against the backing plate? Take the drum off and look for shiny wear marks to see if there is metal to metal contact somewhere. Also you can push and pull on the axle to see if there is any play in it.

 

[300cruiser]

The noise does sound a lot like a brake drum being resurfaced. I'll pull it tonight and check out your suggestions.

 

[300cruiser]

Pulled the drum today and there appears to be a wear mark on the backing plate and on the the drum. Can I just 'massage' the spot on the backing plate with a hammer or grinder? The axle seems to be snug.
Thanks,

 

[polara71]

Wait a hold it! If the drum is rubbing the backing plate then something is wrong.... grinding it may stop the noise but could hide a problem.

 

[300cruiser]

The noise has been consistent since I bought the car but is somewhat worse since I put the new wheels and tires on. I had to replace 2 studs when I changed the tires, they had lost grip. Could the studs be incorrect and not providing proper spacing between drum and plate?

 

[Big_John]

There's a few things that could cause that issue.
Bent backing plate
Bent axle
Bent or warped brake drum
Foreign object between drum and axle flange
Excessive play in the wheel bearing

So... First grab the axle flange and give it a push and pull to see if you have a lot of end play in the bearings. If that's OK, clean up the axle flange and drum face and put the drum back on the car. Throw a couple lug nuts on it and snug them to hold the drum in place. Give the drum a spin and watch the edge of the drum closely. If it wobbles, it's axle or drum. If it doesn't wobble, it's the backing plate.

Since you said you had to change the studs, I'm thinking that there may have been some damage done to the axle flange either in changing the studs of something previous that messed things up so you had to change the studs. Is this on the left side??

 

[300cruiser]

Thanks John. I grabbed the flange earlier and it has very slight in out movement, I'm not a pro but I wouldn't call it excessive...very minor. This is the left side, all studs have been changed to right hand at some point, not by me. The knurl (?) was stripped on one stud so it was loose in the flange, hence the change when I put the new wheels on.

I'll try your other suggestions next. It only contacts under load (right turns), if axle or drum was warped shouldn't it rub with or without load?

 

[300cruiser]

Here's a pic of the inside or the drum. There does appear to be some crud on the inner flange surface.

 

[Mopars & Missiles]

Check side to side movement of the axle as well as the in/out end play. Use a pry bar or big screwdriver, not just your hands.