Roaring Noise - Front Left Wheel

[Smitty's Buick]

Howdy! I've got a new problem with the PA that has me a bit confused. I've searched this site and come up empty-handed.

When I'm going between 40 & 60 MPH, there is a roaring noise coming from what sounds like the front left wheel. When I turn to the left, the noise gets a little louder and I can feel a little bit of what feels like grinding in the steering wheel and floor. Thinking of the textbook wheel bearing failure, I replaced the right wheel bearing. (The left one was replaced about 1 1/2 years ago). The wheel bearing did not eliminate or change the noise (but did remove a small vibration).

I jacked up the front end and ran the car up between 40 & 60 MPH, and heard the roaring noise from the front left wheel. I put the car in Neutral (after shutting the engine off), and rotated the wheels. The right one was virtually silent. The left one has a slight "clicking" sound coming from where the axle shaft comes out of the transmission. There is no play in the wheel when moving the wheel up-and-down or side-to-side.

I did the same with the rear wheels to see if there was anything obvious happening there. The rear left was a little noisy when rolling it by hand, possibly indicating a wheel bearing going bad.

I'd like to be more certain of what the problem is before throwing more parts at the car. The car doesn't handle or drive abnormally.

Any help with this is greatly appreciated. Thanks!
Smitty's Buick

[012620]

Howdy, I had the same noise in the left front wheel last summer and I replaced the wheel bearing and that also took care of the problem. I also replaced the left front cv joint maybe two years ago because the rubber booth was leaking. I do not remember if it was making a clicking noise. Good luck.

[Smitty's Buick]

The thing that has me confused is the fact that the noise/grinding gets worse when I turn left. Normally when the left wheel bearing is going out, the noise gets worse turning right. Is there anything else I can test to narrow it down between the bearing, axle shaft, and transmisson?
Smitty's Buick

[Smitty's Buick]

I replaced the left wheel bearing about a week and half ago. The noise was gone.
Lesson Learned #1 - Sometimes a bad wheel bearing does not exhibit the classic "only while turning" behavior.
Lesson Learned #2 - Autozone Wheel Bearings don't last but a year in a 1996 Buick PA.

Smitty's Buick

[Nopower2move]

I seem to have the same problem with my Chevrolet Malibu. I only hear a squeeling noise whenever I turn left. If it is the bearing will I have any warning signs before it becomes a safety issue, and how much would it cost to replace?

[GMCustomerService]

Originally Posted by Nopower2move

I seem to have the same problem with my Chevrolet Malibu. I only hear a squeeling noise whenever I turn left. If it is the bearing will I have any warning signs before it becomes a safety issue, and how much would it cost to replace?

Have you contacted your local dealership regarding this concern? There are many benefits to taking a vehicle to your local dealership. You can guarantee that technicians are certified and that the parts come with a GM parts warranty. For these reasons, I would recommend taking the vehicle to your local dealership to be diagnosed. They should be able to assist you further and have a plan for addressing the issue. I can also look into this issue further. In order to do more research, I will need some more specific information from you such as your name, address, phone number, the VIN for the vehicle, and current mileage. If you have further questions, please feel free to contact me either on the thread or via private message. Thank you.

Tricia, GM Customer Service.