Some dumb questions!

[mazda323]

Here's the problem.

I got a humming noise coming from my front tires.

I just had my balancing done about a few weeks ago. Could that be the problem? I also noticed that not all 4 tires have those balancing metal tags. Could one have fallen off?

Or could it be my front bearings?
any help would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance

 

[Mike242GT]

Mazda:

Are these new (winter) tires? Did the humming start when you got the tires? If so, maybe it's just that these tires have a more "open" or "blocky" tread pattern (very common with winter tires) that makes more noise at speed.

Unless you feel a vibration through the steering wheel, I doubt it's a balance issue. Sometimes (rarely) you'll have a tire/wheel combination that doesn't need a balance weight, or sometimes just a very small weight is attached on the inboard side of the rim where you can't see it. Anyway, I've never noticed unbalanced tires/wheels making noise, just vibration.

Wheel bearings would be more likely to click than to hum if there were a problem. As long as they have grease in them, they rarely give trouble. I have six vehicles with over 150K (two over 200K) on them and all are still running their original wheel bearings.

I guess I'm using a lot of space to tell you I don't really know what the problem is!

 

[digitaldrifter91]

wheel bearings, if u hear it....u can always get it re-balanced...to see that..

 

[medic]

I can't remember, but recently there was talk of Nokian tires. Are you one of the people who has them?

These tires hum (almost a grinding noise) on ice. You only hear the noise when driving on ice. On dry or wet roads they don't make any noise at all.

 

[JohnnyO]

Is it at all speeds? After I put more aggressive tires on my 4wd I got a real noisy rumble right at 15 mph. Any slower or faster and it goes away.

 

[mazda323]

First of all, thanks so much for helping me out. I really appreciate it.

Here's some more info regarding my problem:

-I'm using 'no season' tires, more specifically Bridgstones 'Taranzas' (Spelling ?)
Tires are about 1 year old

-There were balanced and rotated about a year ago

-Car has about 250 000 kms

-Brakes were just done about two months ago, new pads and calipers

-Shocks have never been replaced as far as I know

-Definately a rotational hummming noise coming from the front.

-You only hear the noise at about 40kph and it's the loudest at about 60 kph. At about 80 kph it lessens

-No wobbling or vibration at all

[ January 19, 2004, 07:52 PM: Message edited by: mazda323 ]

 

[Sumerduckman]

Check that your plastic air shrouding, in the wheel wells and under the car(motor/tranny area), is properly attached and not cracked or missing . Air coming around and under the nose of the car at speed ,if these items are loose/gone or split by a careless tire monkey ,will set up a really nice hum.

 

[Quattro Pete]

Wheel bearings would be my guess.

 

[Bob Woods]

Inner CV joint?

 

[ekrampitzjr]

Bearings. At 250,000 km (150,000 miles), it's about time. Have had many problems with bearings in high-mileage Japanese and Korean cars, and this is about the right mileage. Also, stay away from high water, as this will kill the bearings quickly. I speak from experience!

On my '97 Escort I replaced all four bearing sets at about 150,000 miles as preventive maintenance. Now that the car has 238,000 miles, I sleep so much better at night.

 

[mazda323]

Thanks for the help gentlemen.

Some more questions if you don't mind.

Where are the actual bearings?

Are they in the drive boot?

I know in the back wheels, the bearings are actually in the wheel hubs, correct?

Would this be the set up of removing the bearings on my 92 323.
http://autorepair.about.com/cs/generalinfo/l/bl219lib.htm

Or is it something like this http://www.mazdatrix.com/faq/frontbrg.htm

In the Toronto area how much would changing the bearings at the front cost me? Any idea?

Once again thanks in advance for your help. Much appreciated.
Cheers

 

[sbc350gearhead]

The bearings, are probably pressed into the steering knuckle.

 

[Gary Allan]

Before I resign myself to a bearing change out, I'd do some more diagnosis.

Sway the car to the left and right and see if the sound varies. This is a test traditionally used for non-tapered axle bearings on rear wheel drive cars ...but it should work for you as well. Cornering should also yield some change or present some sound for you to hear if it's the wheel bearings.

Also ...I'd expect some undue tire wear if, in fact, you had a bad "hub" bearing (the steering knuckle end).

Also ...do you know how the motor mounts are? These, if loose, will give you a clunk upon transmission engagement (automatic is easier to hear). The reason that I ask is that, if severe enough, will cause undue angles for the short CV'd axle shaft and "may" cause it to start whining before it decides to evidence itself with a vibration (ask me how I know this).

Also (this word appears to be coming up often for me here)...you should be able to feel the hub of the offending wheel bearing ...it should be hot ..or at least very warm compared to the other side. It would be unlikely that both would go bad at the same time.


Reach under and see if the shaft has an undue play at the transaxle end. Just grap ahold of it and see if it moves laterally in its socket/sleeve.

Just my $0.02

 

[White Fang]

I had a set of Bridgestone Turanzas on my Mazda 626 and those death doughnuts were the worst tires I ever had. They made an awful racket and turned into skis on wet or snowy roads.
I finally threw them away. The Michelin Arctic Alpin snow tires I have on the car now are much quieter then the Turanzas. I'd check the tires first.

 

[cousincletus]

I just got a set of Cooper Weathermaster snow tires this year and they are quieter than the stock Goodyear all seasons. They do really well in the snow. I have a steep driveway and the car (Cavalier) went right up with no spinning at all.

 

[Dave H]

With bad bearings, you can usually hear the noise (rotational whining or humming) when coasting, but it will stop when the brakes are applied. This is because of the load placed on the bearings when braking.
An easy way to check bearings is to jack up one side at a time. With the tire off the ground, grasp the top and bottom of the tire. Push/pull the top and bottom of the tire in and out. There should be no free play. If you have free play, you'll feel it, and the bearings are most likely shot. While the tire is off the ground, try spinning it. It should spin relatively freely. If not, or you hear wierd noises, investigate further (like the dust shield for the brakes, a sticking caliper, etc...)

Dave

 

[dickwells]

Road surface also makes a lot of difference. There is a place on my daily commute where I go from one township to another. Both have oil/gravel asphalt roads but when I cross from one to the other the road noise sounds like it just disappears.