'98 Nissan Pathfinder - Weird Noise from Left front wheel.

I have a very weird noise coming from the left front wheel. It only happens when the wheel is spinning. When it first happened it was constant. Then I came home right away and left for an hour then tried it again and then became intermittent. It's not the usual click click from a CV axle, or the whomping sound from a bearing. It's almost like a rock or something stuck somewhere but I can't see anything. Any ideas?

Just happened to stumble across this post. IF your noise does not go away or change when braking then you more than likely have a problem with the front hub dust seal rubbing on the Hub itself. Refer to TSBNTB97014.


"If a 1996-98 Pathfinder vehicle exhibits a high pitch squeal or whistle from the front hub/brake area, the cause may be the front hub dust seal. This noise can be heard while driving next to a wall where the sound is reflected. The noise is also more likely to be heard after several miles with the front wheels at normal operating temperature. A countermeasure front hub baffle plate is available to resolve these incidents. The countermeasure baffle plates are modified to also function as dust seals."
It only applies to Pathfinders built before september 1997, which your 1998 may still apply, check the manufacturer date.

I have a '97 Pathfinder that had an intermittent screeching noise coming from the right front wheel. The local dealer replaced the baffle plate and that solved the problem.