We’ve been doing some work on my 90 CSW and it involved taking the two front wheels off. We didn’t at all touch the rear wheels, but since finishing the work and putting wheels on this sound has appeared at the back end or so it sounds like.


The drivers side rear wheel seems to make a humming/chirping sound when you get passed 45-50mph the sound totally disappeared a at about 70mph. Sounds a bit like your typical Sci Fi whirring UFO sound effect I suppose.


I don’t really know what it would be though. I am assuming some kind of bearing as I knocked the Defender into neutral and coasted along and the sound was still present out of drive being engaged .


Any advice welcome please


It’s weird it only just started when I had the two front wheels off but sounds like it’s at back?

Well, I'd just do the usual things if I was you. Jack it up and rotate the rear wheels and see if they go round smoothly and whether there's any slack in the bearing. Take the drive flanges off and see if there's plenty of grease in there. Have a look to see if there's any debris trapped between the brake back plate and the disc, or in the calliper. I had a bit of noise on one of my front wheels once and it turned out to be the friction material separating from the metal backing of one of my brake pads. It was hard to see, but there was a tiny crack between the two.

You can get chirping sounds from propshaft U-J's if they are properly dried out and knackered.