1999 Grand Prix GT front end noise

[pezfooty]

Hello, all. My first post. The info I've seen here is great! Now for my problem.

I've got 87+ thousand miles on the car and over the winter I noticed a new noise. When the car is cold and I first start to drive it, there is a whining noise coming from the right front when I turn left. It slowly dissipates as I drive, but it will howl if I make a hard left turn while on the accelerator. I'm not a mechanic by any means, but could this be the hlaf shaft on that side or maybe the bearings going bad? I was hoping to keep the car until the new G8 comes out, and I don't want to dump a whole lot of cash into it.

Oh yeah, and if I'm traveling around 45 to 60 and I give it moderate gas, it accelerates in a choppy manner, like it's missing or not getting constant fuel. Any help is appreciated.

[richtazz]

Sounds like a front hub bearing to me. The noise they make changes with load, especially under acceleration. Many times on these cars, since the wheel speed sensor is part of the hub bearing, the ABS and Trac-off lights will come on as well. You could jack up the right front, and check for free play, as this would verify that the RF hub is the issue.

[guitarfish]

As Rich said, check for play. Jack up the wheel, put hands on the tire at 3 & 9 o'clock and try to move the wheel back in forth as if you were trying to turn the car right & left. Do you hear or feel a slight klunk or knock? Als try 6 & 12 o'clock positions. A new bearing will be tight as a drum. In time there will be some play, but not enough to notice when driving. However, if it's got enough play, it's an indication the bearings are worn, so the wheel is moving around when you're driving.

You can get a good aftermarket bearing for around $180. It's a DIY job if you have some tools and patience.

The other acceleration symptoms wouldn't be caused by a bearing.

[richtazz]

Sorry, I forgot to address the choppy acceleration. Start with a tune-up if it's never been done. Don't believe the 100k mile plug life claims, as it just doesn't hold up in real world driving. If you've tuned her up, using quality parts, then you may have a PCS or TCC solenoid sticking in the trans, as it's happening right at the torque converter lock-up threshold.

[pezfooty]

Thanks for the info. I'll check the wheel when the stupid rain stops. Changing a bearing is not a job I can do. My guess is it will hurt to have someone else do it.

As for the acceleration problem, the coil packs, wires and plugs are all new within the last year. All with high quality parts. I changed everything because sometimes the car would labor to start and then run extremely rough (like it was missing a cylinder). After a few minutes it would just kick in to regular driving, especially if I punched it. I never really found out what the problem was, but when my bro-in-law hooked it up to his computer, it said three of the cylinders had mis-fired something like 40,000 times. Wow. It hasn't done the rough thing in quite a while. Maybe it fixed itself.

[guitarfish]

Doing a bearing can be daunting the first time you do it, but it's definitely DIY, and you don't need expensive tools either. If you've done brakes & rotors, the bearing is one more step deeper. If you want, I can give you some detailed directions and prob. a few pictures. I've done about 8 of them now, and saved myself lots of $$$ over the years.

[richtazz]

special tools needed: torque wrench that can go over 150 ft/lbs
36mm axle nut socket
hub puller (required only if axle is rusted in hub)

As Guitar stated, if you can do brakes, you have the talents to do a hub.

[pezfooty]

Getting the tools won't be a problem, so if it really needs done, I'll definitely make the call for help. Thanks again.

Regarding the rough start and running problem, ever heard of that before? It was something I've never experienced in this car. If my '71 Skylark would do it, I would know it could only be a few things. These computer controlled motors are a whole new ballgame.

[richtazz]

A few questions regarding the hard start issue:

Is your CEL (Check Engine Light) on? if so, have you pulled the codes?
What brand of tune-up parts did you install?
Is your car using coolant, with no external leaks visible?

[pezfooty]

The CEL would only come on when the problem came up. Otherwise it does not come on. As far as coolant goes, it does not use coolant. I had the head gasket replaced just a few hundred miles before the warranty ran out (at 50 k) and the car has 87.5 k now. It doesn't leak anything at the moment (knock on wood). As far as the parts for the tuneup, Bosch titanium tip plugs and Bosch plug wires. The coil packs were about $20 a piece, but I don't know the brand. I don't know the codes that my bro-in-law got when he hooked it up.

[slammedGP]

Wheelbearings make more of a growling sound, but if it is a wheelbearing, stay away from Atlas(Transbec). You'll be replacing it again 6 months down the road. SKF,Timken, National/BCA are the better brands, and will last far longer.

Have you considered the whining noise to be the power steering pump? They make a nice whine when low on fluid, and this happens to a lot of GP's. Worse when turning and the pump is under load. Something to consider anyway.

The acceleration studder could be a couple things. Usually, if it's at high rpm, it is bad plugs and/or wires. It could also be a dirty fuel filter. If you could post the codes, that will greatly help with the diagnosis.

[Kraya]

I just got the right front wheel bearing and hub replaced on my 02 GT... EXPENSIVE! if I had the tools to do it myself and a garage to do it in, I could have saved myself hundreds...

I also just got the plugs and wires replaced cause it was kinda chugging a bit when i idled. When I bought the car the guy told me it was just tuned up. The mechanic today told me that the plugs and wires that were in the car were the original ones... lying f&^% i wanna break his face now.... but anyways... my car runs great now!

[richtazz]

I have never liked Bosch plugs or wires. I had a set given to me as a demo (I work in the parts business) and they were junk in less than 5k miles. I put a set of AC-Delco's back in and the car ran fine until I sold it. Of the 6 six plugs, 3 were missing the platinum tip, 2 of them fell out as the plugs were removed, and only one was still together. Needless to say, I'll never use them again.