Is my Car a Hummmmer????

XR7

Registered User
Hello Folks..

I have this Humming noise in my car as I am driving it..

The noise is Steady, does not vary with engine RPM.

It does however Vary with Wheel speed.

I believe this is NOT tire balance issues..

I also Believe it is NOT anything to do with Engine rotation.

Some possiblities I think it maybe..

Wheel Bearings (Front) Because when I turn the wheel slightly to the left the hummm fades.. and gains more as I turn to the right..

Possibly Drive shaft Weights?.. or something to do with the rear end..

What I am looking for is some honest second opinions...

At the moment.. I am needing this car on a daily basis..

Thanks a Million.. You are all Great.. :)
 
Something that you can try is to raise the rear wheels off the ground and then spin them up. Have someone hold the pedal so that they're running at 30+ mph while you walk around and listen to each wheel. That will at least tell you if its coming from the rear or the front.

Now.. for the warnings.. When you do this, safety first.. be sure to fully support both sides completely off the ground with jackstands.. not just one wheel (you would have a bad day finding out how your track-lok differential works :eek: ) Chock both front wheels on both sides.. Thats going to be 4 blocks total. Tell your assistant to keep their foot off the brake and with the car in gear and engine running, easy and slowly press the accelerator pedal and let off the same way. When they spin down to idle speed, then gently brake the wheels to a stop and then take it out of gear. :cool:
 
mostlikley its your wheel bearing or can be the bearings in the rear rear i had in the 90 saleen i owned went to ~~~~ and i herd a steady humming noise like almost likek a steady radial tire noise like kinda like big truck tires make i replace all the bearings wheel and rear and it went away come to find out the axle bearing was to blame
 
Karl did you find out the source of the humming???

my wife's SC does the same thing and info you learned would be great to know.
 
Most front wheel bearings I have had go out make a low growling sound. Of all of the wheel bearings I've replaced I've never actually felt any play in the bearing itself. I usually take the wheel and rotor off and spin the hub with my hand. It takes a somewhat trained ear, but you can usually tell if it is good or bad. They are about $90 at AutoZone or Advance. You are supposed to replace the hub lock nut when you replace the hub. You can get new ones at the Ford dealer. I believe Motormite/Dorman also makes new ones available at some parts store for about $7.50. Also, you will need to torque the lock nut to 250 ft-lbs. The nut itself is 36mm. Good luck with your diagnosis.
 
Kevin Varnes said:
Most front wheel bearings I have had go out make a low growling sound. Of all of the wheel bearings I've replaced I've never actually felt any play in the bearing itself. I usually take the wheel and rotor off and spin the hub with my hand. It takes a somewhat trained ear, but you can usually tell if it is good or bad. They are about $90 at AutoZone or Advance. You are supposed to replace the hub lock nut when you replace the hub. You can get new ones at the Ford dealer. I believe Motormite/Dorman also makes new ones available at some parts store for about $7.50. Also, you will need to torque the lock nut to 250 ft-lbs. The nut itself is 36mm. Good luck with your diagnosis.

hi Kevin, I did replace the passenger side front, no change so I'll just replace the other side and probably the rear ones as well, your prices are correct. The bearing was a slightly rough when spinning by hand but not terrible at all,hence no change in the humming.

One poster said it was his CV joints in the rear axles.

I also did tighten the subframe bolts up front.

the car's been sitting for a few months as I didn't want the wife to have on the road trouble but it's time to get it up and running.
 
The rear bearings are slightly more involved than the fronts. There is/was a write up on this site somewhere about how to do it. I can usually tell right away what it is when they go out, but that's just because I've had 4 or 5 go out on my various cars. The bearing shouldn't feel rough at all as you probably know. I suppose it's possible that both went out at the same time. Or one was bad for a while and not diagnosed and then the other one failed. Honestly if I didn't know anything about cars (not that I'm some zen master), I'd probably just keep driving my car unknowingly till the bearing completely ground down (although they do get really loud before they go).

One other thought to the original poster. Do you get a vibration in your rear view mirror at highway speeds? The output shaft bearing on the transmission on my old '92 was bad and caused a slight driveshaft vibration that caused a hum. That could be your problem or bad u-joints.
 
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Kevin Varnes said:
The rear bearings are slightly more involved than the fronts. There is/was a write up on this site somewhere about how to do it. I can usually tell right away what it is when they go out, but that's just because I've had 4 or 5 go out on my various cars. The bearing shouldn't feel rough at all as you probably know. I suppose it's possible that both went out at the same time. Or one was bad for a while and not diagnosed and then the other one failed. Honestly if I didn't know anything about cars (not that I'm some zen master), I'd probably just keep driving my car unknowingly till the bearing completely ground down (although they do get really loud before they go).

One other thought to the original poster. Do you get a vibration in your rear view mirror at highway speeds? The output shaft bearing on the transmission on my old '92 was bad and caused a slight driveshaft vibration that caused a hum. That could be your problem or bad u-joints.


Kevin, I'm not sure about the mirror vibration as it is the wife's car but I think not. I haven't checked the driveshaft as of yet and I hope it isn't the trany output bearing, wouldn't the trany seal leak if the bearing was wobbeling slightly?

The humming is just like Karls,turn to the left and it disappeaers,turn right and it gets louder, going straight down the road you can hear it right away.

The wife didn't even notice it right away, which I did as soon as I drove it once, which I rarely do.

I've got a book on the SC so I should be able to handle the rear bearings.

I'll do one thing at a time to find ot exactly what it is. Thanks
 
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