Help diagnose Humming noise problem

[steelerguy]

Originally Posted by steelerguy

Update on my lack of progress. I bought the parts at autozone & had the loaner tools. But when I took the wheels off & looked at the upper ball joints that had to be cut off & the lowers that looked like the access was really restricted, I have opted to let Pep boys change all.

The mechanic is going to rotate the tires to put the noisey tires in the rear. Lets hope that the humming is caused by them. If I have to change the hubs, I think I can do that.

Will update my results.

Since 2 tires were cupped badly & a third was also somewhat cupped, I had Discount Tire change all 4 tires. The cupping was the entire noise problem. There is no noise at any speed. The type of cupping I had was probably caused by the tie-rod end that was bad & just replaced along with all 4 ball joints (cupping on the inner treads in the direction of the tire spin. There are supposedly 3 types of cupping).

The manager gave me a very good price (less than half) because of the following.

I pitched a minor fit when they told me that their records showed I had not had them balanced in the year and a half that I had them rotated. He said that balancing every 5K miles & cross-rotating in addition to the front back should have been done since my tires are not direcitonal. Told them that whenever I asked that they check the balance, their workers always ask if there is any shaking (which there never was until the noise started) and always told me they don't balance unless there is shaking. Nobody in his store ever mentioned cross rotating until my tires were ruined.

Lesson to everybody: insist on the free balancing every 5 to 6 thousand miles if you buy at Discount Tires. Also do the cross rotation to spread the effects of any cupping around if any suspension parts are going bad. They'll do it if you press it & by my experience, not shaking does not mean they are not out of balance.

Despite this little glitch, they are still the best tire store in my opinion. They will also repair tires for free even if you bought them somewhere else. Bring them a written quote for new tires & they'll match it. Especially if the other place charges for rotations, balancing & repairs, you'll quickly lose any money saved on the initial purchase. They are the only ones that offer a free road hazard warranty with free replacement for things like nails in the side wall or even slamming into a curb. $12 a tire for tires in the $600 range.

They do not inspect brakes or suspension or do anything except tires. That makes them very good at tires. Also, they are always polite.

I am also going to get my suspension inspected every 6 months. Will repair any faults immediately. Some places will even do free alignment checks though I am skeptical of anything free that involves repair shops.

Just to recap, my humming noise was caused by tire cupping & was initially noticible at 40mph. The faster I went, the louder it got. Tapping the brakes changed the tone a little but did not make it stop like other humming problems I have seen on this forum. After driving for a while, you could get it to start at 30mph.

The tire technicians at Discount tire could see the cupping as soon as they looked at it though a Pep Boys mechanic first diagnosed it when checking my suspension. I could feel it on the tire about 2 or 3 inches in from the inner edge. I never really could see it.

Good Luck.

[jdq]

Good write up Steeler , my problem was also tire related and was since I changed a tie rod 6 months ago.thanks.

[n8zdogg]

I replaced wheel bearings too, and still have the a similar howling noise in the frontend. I'm going to try the tire rotation since thats easy enough. Will keep posted, Question - has anyone had this problem be the front differential?

[n8zdogg]

Still lookin for some input. wheel bearing and tires have been eliminated, whats next?

[steelerguy]

Originally Posted by n8zdogg

I replaced wheel bearings too, and still have the a similar howling noise in the frontend. I'm going to try the tire rotation since thats easy enough. Will keep posted, Question - has anyone had this problem be the front differential?

Have never had a peep out of my front diff, but then I've changed the fluid every 50K at least.

When you rotated the tires, are you sure the noise has not just moved to the rear? It's really hard to tell. Rotation will not eliminate the noise...just moves it. Also, all 4 of your tires could be cupped if you have balljoint or other front suspension problems & rotated your tires with that problem.

Have you had the front suspension really looked at? If the the ball joints are bad, they can show you on a rack in a couple of minutes. My guy also easily ID'd the cupping though I could barely see it. The tire people saw it with no trouble at all.

Good luck & let us know what happens.

[n8zdogg]

Finally got it fixed. Left front (bargain) bearing went out again. Sometimes you get what you pay for. I got Timken replacements at autozone. So both bearings are now done, new ball joints, and tie rod ends. Also one of the caliper bolts on the right front was stripped. I had drill & tap and use another bolt. Have a new problem -- leaking outer right CV boot, but it was 1 in the morning when I made that discovery, so that one will just have to wait. The tires could stand to be replaced but this repair ate up the funds for now.

[Aciddrip]

Seems like no one has posted here in a long time... I am getting a loud humming noise from the passenger side when I turn left at speeds 20 mph and up. Sometimes when i'm going straight you can hear it a bit as well. I have replaced the wheel bearing, cv axel and switched the two front tires around. The noise is still in the same place and isn't going away. I has gotten worse over the last 5 months or so. Any ideas? The ball joints and tire rod end both look fine.

[vandentr]

Acid,

It's well documented that the Durango is EXTREMELY hard on front tires.

With regard to your problem, my first guess would have been the bearing, but you said you've already replaced it. My second guess would have been the half-shaft, but you said you replaced it too. My third try is the tire, but you said either tire on the right causes the same noise.



So, the only things left are the ball joints, tie rod ends and brakes. I just (as in yesterday) replaced my upper ball joints and, although they didn't "look" bad, they were awful! Man what a difference! Take a look at the brake pad retaining clip and ensure that it is pushing against the correct side of the caliper as well, if it's not the brakes will growl as your driving and any offset (turning) pressure will enhance the effect.

Also, don't forget the shocks! They have a tendancey to sag over time and cause uneven wear which can cause the tires to roar.

Good luck, let us know how it goes!
TVB

[fatalerror]

your transfer case is going out !!!!

[thuzek]

would it really be the transfer case? The reason I ask is because we are having all similar problems with our F-150....just on a hunch that it might be a u-joint we pulled the drive shaft and got a wiff of smelly nasty transfer case oil. But we aren't sure....were you being serious or speaking from experience?