Possible CV Jointy Noise only under load?

[jaso1108]

Hi there!

I have a 2005 Neon, manual transmission that is making a strange cyclical "rubbing" noise- hard to describe, but it's not a squeal or a grind (at least not yet). Here's where it occurs:

• Slight noise going straight ahead
• More noise turning left
• Only noticable between 1-15 MPH
• Isn't impacted by braking or lack there of (constant)

Here's what I've done:

• Jacked the car up, checked for any loose or rubbing parts
• spun the wheels by hand (turned to the left)- nothing there
• Visually inspected the CV joint- no tears in the boot/obvious damage that I can see
• No matter what I do with it in the air, I can't make the noise reoccur!

So in essence, it appears I have a noise that will only occur when on the ground. As I don't have access to a dynometer, and I'm not thrilled at the idea of putting it in gear while on jackstands, I don't quite know what else to look for.

Does any of this sound familiar to anyone else out there?

Thanks,

Jason

[denisond3]

I dont know what it might be, but tell us how many miles are on the car, and whether the tires are stock or a wider/lower profile shape. Have a close look to see if the plastic inner fender liners are all intact, not drooping onto a tire. Also look for any shiny places on the stuts close to where the tires spin past.
And is the noise gone when you are going faster than 15, or is it just drowned out by wind noise and tire noise? A bad wheel bearing generally makes more noise the faster you go, and can become totally silent when the wheel is jacked up in the air; because the failed part of the bearing can be the upper part of the outer race - which has no load on it with the tire in the air.
Every tire-with-a-worn-tread-pattern I have heard also gets louder as you go faster.
I use the technique of driving along parallel/close to a high brick wall (like the back side of a Costco or Walmart) with the windows down. The wall reflects sound and can help you analyse noises.

[jaso1108]

Hi- thanks for the reply!

The car only has 38k on it, and the tires/wheels are original 15", no suspension modifications- all stock. I can't exactly determine whether it truly goes away with speed or is drowned out by road noise- however it certainly doesn't increase in volume at all with speed- like a bearing would, I imagine. I've been cruising the neighborhood and have done the "along the wall trick"- still can't tell much from that.

The odd part is the way it only appears when going straight (faint) and left (more noticable). Could it be one of the CV joints that only acts up when the joint is at a particular angle? Or posssibly (hate to imagine this) a transmission bearing or something?

[denisond3]

Sorry to say I am out of guesses. Any noise caused by a bad CV joint would still happen when the car was turning to the right - because both of the joints are seeing all angles as it rotates; and of course it would be more likely after 100,000 miles. I dont know what transmission bearing would care whether you were turning left or right. A motor mount bottoming out would be one possibility. That used to show up on the early Saturn S series cars.
If its a wheel bearing going - it will get slowly louder. But a wheel bearing going bad on a low mileage car would be super rare - and only likely if you had hit some potholes really really hard, especially while turning at highway speed.