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Front Left Wheel Noise

7K views 25 replies 9 participants last post by  Bob R 
#1 ·
Was driving the interstate the other day and I noticed a humming noise in the left front wheel similar to the sound of an aggressive tire tread. The frequency doesn't change with speed, but the volume does. I tried some swerving when I got off the highway and it made no difference in the noise. Braking makes no difference either other than slowing down decreases the volume.

Haven't checked the ball joints or tie rods yet due to surgery on my foot. Wheel bearings were replaced with Timkens 9K miles ago. Front end aligned 2 months ago. Brake pads and rotors are OK. I do need to replace my tires, so maybe that's it.

Also noticed that this noise doesn't start right away. I can drive 10 -15 miles when the car is cold and I hear nothing. I park the car for 1/2 hour and then drive it again and hear it. A change in road surface pavement grain/texture doesn't change the sound. No problems with trans shifting.

Any other ideas?
 
#3 ·
I think it is the part you least expect: the wheel bearing. I vaguely remember that it indeed makes a sound that seems of a constant frequency and gets louder the faster you drive.

Problem for you is of course that the people who worked on your suspension are about the last ones daring to tell you it is the bearing.
 
#5 ·
I think it is the part you least expect: the wheel bearing. I vaguely remember that it indeed makes a sound that seems of a constant frequency and gets louder the faster you drive.

Problem for you is of course that the people who worked on your suspension are about the last ones daring to tell you it is the bearing.
I bought the bearing from Rock Auto and it's a Timken. Supposedly the best! It's only got 9K miles on it, but I'm inclined to be thinking it is the bearing by the noise I'm getting.

I wonder if they have a warrantee.
 
#7 ·
Yeah Sheila, I'm starting to think that way myself. I wrote an email to Rock Auto to see how to get a warranty replacement. Timken has a 12 month warranty and it's only been 6 months and about 9.5K miles on it. So I get a new bearing for free. Big deal...the labor was twice the cost of the bearing and they don't pay for that.

Disappointed in Timken. Thought they'd be better than this.
 
#9 · (Edited)
Can't tell for sure. I didn't do it myself. The guy doing it has been in business for 40 years so I'd have to say he knows what he's doing. One thing that does puzzle me if it is a wheel bearing is when I swerved the car left and right pretty dramatically, neither direction stopped or changed the noise. It remained through the whole thing without a change in volume or frequency.
 
#12 ·
Same kinda problem?

Not only to I get a noise that sounds like a bearing, I can have intermittent vibration felt in the steering and door. I had the left transmission/differential (I yeah thats what they called it) replaced and also did the hub and shaft at the same time. Did't cure the problem Still was hear what "wow wow" bearing sound. But the side to side turning to load and unload the bearing does not change the sound. I will replace the right hub and shaft next week. Before all this I did have the tires checked and balanced. So it is unlikely tires. They have about 12,000 on them and look good. If replacing the right side cures it, I will post. Hey at 138,000 on it, it sure could be an axle/CV joint.
 
#13 ·
Checked the air pressure in all the tires. They were all, including the left front where I hear the noise, eight pounds over spec. I let air out of all of them down to a couple pounds above spec because the tires were warm from driving the car. I didn't take it back out for a test drive after that.

I doubt if it will make any difference. I've been riding on that pressure for a couple months unknowingly, and the noise just started a couple days ago.

Freekin Monroe tire center to blame for that. They balanced the tires a couple months ago and were the last ones to touch them.
 
#18 ·
Went to my buddy's shop, put it on a lift and ran the wheels off the ground. Left wheel bearing is gone.

The original lasted 211.000 miles and was prrobably still good when I replaced both front wheel bearings. This POS lasted 9,500 miles.

Now I'll be getting a warrantee replacement for the bearing and they will refund me the cost of the bearing and the outbound shipping cost. Who pays for the labor to replace Timken's defective screw up?! That cost almost 3 times what the bearing cost.
 
#19 ·
No luck solving my vibration issue

I am glad you solved your issue. I still am fighting my problem.

Replaced both hubs and axle assemblies. Maybe a 30% reduction at most. Tires are balanced. Suspension has been check by dealer. If it isn't tires, then what? What the heck else could cause a vibration?
 
#20 ·
New bearing in and growling is gone. Sent bad Timken back to Rock Auto for a warrantee refund. Now the car only sounds like it has two jet engines in the back seat instead of 2 jet engines in the back and a turbo fan in the front. Noisiest Taurus I have ever owned.
 
#22 ·
Did your mechanic mess with the tie rods or ball joints in any way that might cause these parts to fail, making the car dive to the right?

How is tire pressure?
 
#23 ·
Hi Nick:

I imagine he had to pop the outter tie rod end out to get the bad bearing out. Maybe he took the whole knuckle itself out so the ball joint had to come out as well. I don't know. I wasn't there. I dropped the car off at his house. He drove it to his shop and back and I picked it up at his house.

I'm getting new tires in the spring and I think I'll wait to get the alignment checked until I do.

When you get new tires, should you get an alignment done before or after getting the new tires? The place I get my tires doesn't do alignments.
 
#24 ·
Alignments are done when there are changes/adjustments in suspension components. If prior set of tires wore evenly, and you haven't had changes in the suspension (ie tie rods, ball joints, control arm bushings), then all you need are the tires mounted on the rims, and balanced.

I wonder if you have something going on with your tires. Have you tried swapping the tires from side to side up front, see if the pull changes? There are about 8 different places you can arrange the tires to diagnose the issue :)
 
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