UKC

I realise this isn't a car forum but thought it might be worth a punt incase anyone knows much about cars. Over the course of a 2 hour journey today I noticed a strange grinding/vibrating developing in the front of the car. You can hear it faintly at around 20mph but it gets worst the faster I go, at 70mph it sounds horrendous. I figure it's not the engine or gearbox as changing gear or revving the engine doesn't seem to have any effect on the sound. Similarly theres no play in the steering well so I assume it's not a tracking/alignment issue.

My thoughts were maybe either a wheel bearing or some damage to the front axle? Anyone have any advice?

Cheers

In reply to CMcBain:

It won't be a wheel bearing if its come on that fast, I just had a bearing replaced and it had been droning for over a year and there was still no play in it.
If the noise changes with road speed then its something after the the gearbox eg. driveshaft/CV joint, suspension joint etc, Just one thought, have you tried tightening the wheel nuts? It sounds terrible if they work loose, like a wheel is about to fall off!

In reply to CMcBain:

Few things to check:

Can you "switch" the noise on and off? Wheel bearings go louder or quieter when cornering (noisiest when loaded).
Does the noise change with a dab on the brakes? Suggestive of a seized pad, slider, calliper, worn pads or stone wedged between backplate and disk.
As Pec suggested, check your wheel nuts.
Have you got run flats fitted? A flat tire is not immediately obvious, my stepfather drove round for a week wondering what the rumbling was.
Other than that; Driveshafts, although they usually knock or click.
Something physically fowling a wheel or tyre, inner wheel arch, shroud, foreign object etc.

Cheers Adam

In reply to CMcBain:

Wheel bearings usually hum in my experience and stones in brakes squeel. A good way to check cv joints is to drive slowly around a car park at full lock.

In reply to CMcBain:

Dodgy bearings won't necessarily show themselves by play in the wheel. I agree however that they may well sound louder on cornering. It could also be something catching on the disc. The only real way to find out would be to take off the wheel and have a poke around.

In reply to butteredfrog:


This close to Christmas it's probably a turkey.

In reply to all:

Just to clarify the noise started pretty suddenly, there was no sign of it before yesterday. I went outside this morning and double checked that all the wheel nuts were tight, so no problem there. The noise doesn't noticeably change when dabbing on the breaks, although it gets slightly quieter and less intense as the car slows down (I don't think thats a result of the brakes however, just road speed I would of thought).

Also, the noise doesn't seem to be there when cornering although again I think that may be purely because the noise isn't there at all <20mph. When changing lanes at 60-70mph theres no noticeable change to the sound. My car knowledge is pretty poor, but I can't see any obvious damage or weird objects under the front of the car or near the wheels.

Think i'm just going to have to bite the bullet and take it to the garage, I'll report back with any findings.

Thanks again for the replies.

In reply to CMcBain:

Have you checked your tyres for any nails, screws or suchlike?, I had a similar 'vibration' a few weeks back caused by a large screw with a bolt head stuck in the tyre.

In reply to CMcBain:

Is this noise a metallic noise? There is a metal plate that protects the back of the brake disc. If this were bent by a stone hitting it, it might be rubbing against the disc causing a noise. I had this once when reassembling the wheel assembly I put the plate on the wrong way round. I made a pretty horrendous grinding sound.

In reply to CMcBain:

We had a similar problem a while ago, turned out to be the plastic splash guard under the engine. One or two of the plastic nuts holding it on had given way and as we got faster the force of the wind pulled it down and into the path of the tire.
Sound would stop when we turned as the edge of the wheel was just out of reach of it then.

Also, doubt it would be anything drastic as axle or wheel bearings as you'd feel it coming up through the steering wheel as well, if that makes sense?

Good luck! I know it can be a right pain in the arse.

In reply to EddInaBox:
Like what you've done there.

In reply to all:

Got it checked out today and turned out to be a buggered wheel bearing on the front nearside, I suspect that it had been making noise for awhile I just hadn't heard as the engine is quite loud or I was playing music. New one fitted seems to have solved the problem, although have a long list of other things that need looking at in the near future...