noise that is driving me crazy

PittSpeed Automotive
1

when i am driving i can hear a noise coming from the drivers side front tire

it sounds like something is rubbing, and does it once per tire revolution, its hard to explain the noise, but its kind of like a swooshing noise, like a ceiling fan hitting a piece of paper

it is not affected by the brakes, can hear it at all speeds

i have jacked my car up, spun the tire, but cant hear anything, i have also replaced the brakes, after i did that the noise changed in sound (higher pitch) and was quiet, but is now noisier.

looked for rubbing everywhere and i couldnt find anything at all

while i was changing my brakes i noticed that that the caliper pistons didnt need to be pushed back in as far on the side with the noise than on the passenger side, the car goes completely straight when braking though.

i looked at every little detail and i could find no marks anywhere from something rubbing

anyone have an idea on what it could be?

2

wither the pads are squealing or possible a wheel bearing is going.

3

it may be the pads, but the noise doesnt change when i hit the brakes, so i figured they wernt the problem

when i spun the wheel i did notice some “ticking” noises from both sides, it sounded like the old ball bearings they used to put in roller skate wheels

4

backing plates on the brakes rubbing?
tires cupped at all?
try the 12 and 6 oclock then 3 and 9 oclock check for play i the wheel

5

I vote for bearing on it’s way out. They typically have a strange groaning/whining/wooshing noise to them.

6

Rotate the tires to eliminate the tire as the problem.

7

thanks ill take a look at everything next time it doesnt rain

8

hey guys, i noticed yesterday when i was driving the noise was fairly quiet, then after driving for a while it got louder

same thing happened today

does this sound like a wheel bearing?

i had a friend drive the car, and he says it sounds like the rotor is hitting the backing plate (i ee that this was also mentioned in this thread)

if this is the problem, how can i fix it?

9

if the rotor is hitting the backing plate it would be constant i would think, since the rotor spins on an axis basically and won’t wobble that much.

Def. sounds liek a wheel bearing. When mine were going out it sounded like a ceiling fan, but not much of a woosh.

10

if backing plate just pry it back a little
but that will sound like brake squealers all the time and louder

bearings typically have a rumbling noise

if not check to see if the tires are cupped. run your hand across teh tire and see if consistent shape

11

i thought this also, thats why i dismissed the idea, but when i changed my rotors the sound was different, still made the noise though

my old rotors were noticeably warped (spinning them with the wheel off you could see how warped they were)

now these new rotors are a bit warped (yeah, dont buy cheap rotors… or i just dont know how to drive) the sound is basically the same as before

i forgot to mention in the first post how changing the brakes affected the sound

12

well it could still be a bearing, but when the bearing is moving, it makes a different grinding/rubbing sound because the rotors are new? this could be a stretch but who know.s

13

no idea

i didnt get a chance to look today i have been sanding a hood down all day

14

Yeah I would vote for a wheel bearing, even when you put it up you might not hear it but you can feel for roughness up in the spring even or other parts around that it would transfer through…other then that if your alignment is terrible and destroying your tires…does it stop if you turn one direction or the other to change lanes or anything?

15

no, but i rotated my tires today, and the noise got louder (i have directional tires) so i guess the noise was coming from the back tire, and when i put it up front it got louder since it is closer to me

now, i dont recall having this noise when my snow tires were on, and it came when i got my regular tires put back on

could there be something wrong with the tire? it didnt make the noise before i put my snow tires on, could it be they messed up on the balancing? (im assuming i would get a vibration if they did)

so what could have happened?

16

wheel touching a caliper or something. put the snows on for a day and see.

17

well i figured out what the problem was, and it was the DUMBEST thing ever

there was rust on the back rotor and it was rubbing against the little metal plate that holds the brake pads in

i feel like such an idiot for it being so simple like that

me rotating the tires and messing with the brake must have moved the back rotor a bit or something which changed the noise everytime i played around with the wheels

i notice a lot more road noise now after the tire rotation though, kinda annoying

18

Well if just playing with the brakes and tires has moved something, you definatly want to go through and make sure every single bolt and screw is tight, and to book specs on torque, you dont want more shit going wrong whenever you drive on it now.

19

although i fixed the problem, there is something wrong with my back brakes… the side opposite of the piston gets almost no wear to the pads, while the other side gets about 95% of the wear

i just had to change the back brakes because i had no pad left

20

its a siezed caliper… one of two things… probably the first. the slides on the caliper are sticking causeing only the side with the piston to push pressure… or and i doubt it. the caliper is hanging up and staying applied after you let off.

you need a new caliper.