Front-end Noise at 40mph & 60mph

The weirdest thing, i have a 99 Intrigue with over 110,000 mostly highway miles, still getting about 25 mpg. I am now hearing a thumping noise coming from the front right area when i hit 40mph...it goes away until i hit 60mph....don't hear it any other time. I have had the tires rotated and checked, and the noise is still present. Any suggestions??? Is it a wheel bearing...and if so, what am I looking at???

I hope you can find out what that noise is , because I had the same thing when my intrigue was only a year old and still under warranty.

This is what the dealer replaced to try and solve the problem
-rotated tires
-replaced tires from a new Intrique from their lot
-turned all brake rotors
-replaced front wheel bearings/hubs
-replace tansmission

Non of the above solved the noise. I just got tired of returning the the car so I said the hell with it and kept on driving the car. Guess what 3 years latter the noise is even worse. So if you find what the problem is please post your solution. I will watch this tread. Good luck.

P.S I need to borrow a code reader I live in the Toronto area. Drop me a note if any-one has one or can read my codes for me

Can any-one help this guy. Is this site alive or dead. Hello any-one out there.

These are strange symptoms..... Only at 40 and 60? Possibly tires? A wheel bearing/hub comes to mind, but I think you would notice that more than at just 40 and 60. Try rotating the tires front to rear first. See if the noise goes to the rear. Also wheel bearing noise can be more pronounced when loading the bearings. Gently veer right and left when driving and see if the noise becomes more or less obvious.

Also when I worked at the Pontiac dealer we had a handfull of Grand Am's with alloy wheels that would make strange sounds after there was a little corrosion on the sealing surface of the rims. They would break down the wheels and clean all the corrosion off and the noise went away. This was noticeable at lower speeds, though. Just a thought.........?

i have had the tires looked at, & rotated, but from another source someone suggested i look for possible wind noise coming in on the wheel wells or from the front plastic hanger....i'll look over the weekend and update with any news....thanks

These are strange symptoms..... Only at 40 and 60? Possibly tires? A wheel bearing/hub comes to mind, but I think you would notice that more than at just 40 and 60. Try rotating the tires front to rear first. See if the noise goes to the rear. Also wheel bearing noise can be more pronounced when loading the bearings. Gently veer right and left when driving and see if the noise becomes more or less obvious.


How difficult is it to replace the wheel bearings I would like to try that as I heve noise at all speeds. Thanks

I've never done it on my Intrigue, but I did one on my Grand Am last year. They come as a hub assembly and therefore you don't have to worry about pressing them in and out. You need to get the brake caliper and rotor out of the way. Also the big axle nut. (I think you need a deep 30mm socket for that. Loosen that nut while the wheel is still on the ground, but tighten it before you put the full weight of the car on it again). Then you remove the bearing/hub assembly by removing the allen head bolts. There is a hole in the hub that allows access to the allen bolts. I think the bearings may be a little pricey, though. I think I paid about $90 for the one I put on.

I looked in my Intrigue manual and it shows the hub being held on by 3 bolts coming in from the back (axle) side, so it is a little different. Also you may have to disconnect and remove the wheel speed sensor. Be careful doing that - they can be kind of tender and easy to break.

I can look at my car tonight when my wife brings it home and get back to you if you want.

You said a thumping noise......have you had the strut mounts checked out?

I've never done it on my Intrigue, but I did one on my Grand Am last year. They come as a hub assembly and therefore you don't have to worry about pressing them in and out. You need to get the brake caliper and rotor out of the way. Also the big axle nut. (I think you need a deep 30mm socket for that. Loosen that nut while the wheel is still on the ground, but tighten it before you put the full weight of the car on it again). Then you remove the bearing/hub assembly by removing the allen head bolts. There is a hole in the hub that allows access to the allen bolts. I think the bearings may be a little pricey, though. I think I paid about $90 for the one I put on.

I looked in my Intrigue manual and it shows the hub being held on by 3 bolts coming in from the back (axle) side, so it is a little different. Also you may have to disconnect and remove the wheel speed sensor. Be careful doing that - they can be kind of tender and easy to break.

I can look at my car tonight when my wife brings it home and get back to you if you want.

Thank-you for the above info very helpful. The noise is driving be crazy and it gets worse when the roads are wet with rain. I thought that was wierd, thinking if the bearings were shot you would think that the water would act as a lube.

I am almost certain that the wheel bearing/hub is shot. I will price out the part I think they are around $250 here in the Toronto area.

Is there a way of lubing the front hub/bearing to eliminate the whinning noise.

No. These new bearing/hubs are sealed units and should never need lubrication.

No. These new bearing/hubs are sealed units and should never need lubrication.


Will I need a puller to remove the Hub once I remove the brakes and bolts

The manual shows one being used (Kent-Moore J 28733-B), looks like basically to push the axle out of the bearing housing. Maybe you can get it apart without one though. Whatever you do, be careful of the threads on the axle shaft - they cant take much abuse. Maybe the hub will slide off the axle if you lube the splines with a little WD-40 or something??

If you have the 3.5L engine, I would check your front motor mount on the radiator support, particularly the front piece (referred to as the "support bracket") with the square bushing in it. I just replaced it on my GF's car. I is a dealer-only part (GM Part # 10271462) and it cost around $50. It didn't rid of her noise completely, but it definitely dampened it.

If you have the 3.5L engine, I would check your front motor mount on the radiator support, particularly the front piece (referred to as the "support bracket") with the square bushing in it. I just replaced it on my GF's car. I is a dealer-only part (GM Part # 10271462) and it cost around $50. It didn't rid of her noise completely, but it definitely dampened it.


I have the 3.8 engine and I just may try to replace the Hub/bearing. I just hope it is comming from the front right. I do know that noise can be hard to track down.

I just replaced the front Hub/Bearing on the Intrigue and the good news is problem/noise is solved. Dam that bearing the bad news here in Canada the dam part cost close to $300.00

Hey Rolm, glad it fixed the car, how about telling us how you did it, how easily did it come apart, did you need the axle puller, etc?

Hey Rolm, glad it fixed the car, how about telling us how you did it, how easily did it come apart, did you need the axle puller, etc?

The job was very straight forward. You will need the following a 35mm-36mm socket, breaker bar to remove Wheel Hub center bolt or an impact wrench ( I have an electric impact wrench and it has to be one of the best tools I have)

Here are the steps

1-remove the large center hub bolt, (I used my elec. impact wrench)

2-remove tire

3-remove breaks

4-remove 3 bolts that hold the hub, at this point my hub just fell out ( if it doesn't fall out use a hammer to tap out the hub if that does not work then you may have to use a puller)

5-carfully remove hub be carefull on the antilock plug very tight opening but it will come out.

6-install new hub and other stuff and you are done, Took me 1-1/2 hours. I bet I can do same job in a 1/2 hour.

Note: Most repair centers will only charge 1-hour labour. If you don't want to do it it's not that expensive. The dam part is costly

So what size socket did you actually buy a 35 or a 36? From where did you obtain the socket?

I have a similiar problem-several times now. I am looking for my receipt which names the part and part#. My car was brand in Oct 98 (Intrigue 99 GLS, 138K Mi) and after a few days I felt a vibration thru the steering wheel. It some kind of stabalizer bar or idler arm or suspension bar. The 1st mechanic at the dealer said yeah that was common. Fixed it the first try. A couple of years later it came back. The original mechanic was no longer avail, so I had to take to 3, yes 3, different dealers. Finally, with the last one, I insisted the Service Manager drive w/me so I can show him the problem. Some of these never test drive the car. The vibration/knocking started again a few weeks ago. I'm taking into the shop this week for an oil change and estimate for this vibration issue. I just want to have the part #/description on hand because I don't feel like wasting time taking it back and forth. If anyone had the same issue and knows what I'm talkin' about, please post the name of the part. thanks!