thumping in driver side wheel

marquis00 · 03-21-2007, 06:00 PM

i have noticed a thumping sound in my driver side wheel area and can't figue it out. i have checked different areas to see the cause. anyone had the same problem or know what causes it. thanks alot

denisb · 03-22-2007, 06:21 AM

First off more info. Is it constant, with brakes applied high speed low speed, over bumps?

Could be Broken belt, flat spot on tire, chopped tires due to bad alignment or if when braking, warped rotor, rust on rotor, bad abs...........

Denis

marquis00 · 03-22-2007, 07:25 PM

i just bought the car last month. the tires are new, well 4,000 miles on them. checked the air pressure and that was fine. it does it at high and low speeds and the noise stays the same and when i hit bumps it's pretty much the same. now, it's not a really loud noise (more like a muffled thumping). i can feel it, when i have my foot against the floor. it doesn't get worst or better when i brake. the belt look like it's in great shape.

cntrchfrk · 03-24-2007, 01:29 AM

when you speed up does the bumping or thumping or humping..... w/e..... go faster?
and as you slow it decreases?

marquis00 · 03-24-2007, 06:42 PM

very slightly

bambambam · 03-25-2007, 02:13 AM

Can you feel it in the steering wheel? If so its probably a broken belt or some other defect in the tire. I had a brand-new tire start doing that after a week last summer. Let a good mechanic drive it, he'll know for sure.

BAm

marquis00 · 03-25-2007, 08:23 AM

no i dont feel it in the wheel

shorod · 03-25-2007, 01:55 PM

So, to attempt to summarize:

-Thumping noise remains constant, does not change with speed, braking, road surface (not impacted by bumps/potholes)
-Appears to be coming from the driver's side wheel
-Can feel something in the floor of the truck corresponding to the sound
-Do not feel the thumping in the steering wheel

Additional questions:
-Does it seem to be front or rear wheel area?
-Is the noise still present at idle when the vehicle is stopped?

Is that pretty much accurate? That's very odd, it can't really be related to engine, drivetrain, wheels, tires, brakes if it doesn't change proportionally to the vehicle speed or the engine speed. This would pretty much indicate the noise is a relay, electric motor, or something in the radio/speakers.

Does the noise change if you turn off the blower motor, HVAC system, and radio?

-Rod

marquis00 · 03-25-2007, 07:45 PM

i hear it more in the front drivers side wheel area, it is not present at an idle. but after all the helpful questions, i have been listening it alot more carefully and from a dead start it is very slow and speeds up until about 30 mph and then it stays the same. this noise is always there, even with the radio ,hvac and blower motor off.

shorod · 03-25-2007, 10:33 PM

Got a new question now. Does the noise go away when you step on the brake pedal, or does it remain about the same until you get below 30 mpg, then gradually slow until you come to a stop?

If the noise goes away when you step on the brake pedal, I would suggest you make sure the anti-rattle clips on your brake pads are still intact and positioned properly. Also, inspect the dust shield between the brake rotor and steering knuckle to make sure it is not making contact with the rotor.

Can you estimate the frequency of the thump as you just start to accelerate as well as once you reach 30 mph? Is it once a second, once every 5 seconds, etc.? Actually, can you just tell us everything you can think of about the noise?

-Rod

marquis00 · 03-26-2007, 05:39 PM

ok, i drove it around for 10 miles today with everything off. the noise is the loudest at 30 mph. but when i hit the the brake the noise changes slightly. kinda quiets it a bit, but not much. but it slows down with the speed of the car. so i don't thinks it's a anti-rattle spring or clip. but iam no expert.and at 30 mph, its about two to three thumps per second. thanks for all the help. it almost sounds like something is in the tire, but nothing is there

shorod · 03-26-2007, 06:34 PM

I'd suggest you jack the front end up and check for play in the horizontal direction as well as in the vertical direction. See if you have loose ball joints or tie rod ends. If no play can be felt, then rotate the tires front to rear and see if the noise or at least the location of the noise changes. If it does, then you are looking at a wheel/tire concern.

-Rod

marquis00 · 03-26-2007, 06:57 PM

i will try that tommorrow. i will get back to you then. thanks for all the help rod

shorod · 03-26-2007, 09:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by marquis00

i will try that tommorrow. i will get back to you then. thanks for all the help rod

I will be on travel for the rest of the week and haven't yet decided if I want to be "connected." Afterall, this is a vacation for me. Sooo, if you don't hear from me until the weekend, you can assume that I decided to leave the laptop at home.

-Rod

g1smith · 04-22-2007, 08:53 PM

I've got something similar,

- Noticible thumping noise comming from the front drive-train (front tires, axle, differential, tranny, xfer case).
- Noise increases (loudness and frequency) with speed, becomes noticable at 30 mph at about 4 to 5 times per second, roughly tire rotation speed.
- Does not change with braking, or road surface and not impacted by bumps/potholes.
- Can feel something (ever so slight) in the floor of the truck corresponding to the sound.
- Do not feel the thumping in the steering wheel.
- Is not present at idle when the vehicle is stopped.

I'm going to rotate the tires front to rear and see if the noise or at least the location of the noise changes.
If that doesn't reveal the source of the noise, then another poster recommended to lift the vehicle, in the absense of a lift, with jack stands (I'll have the video camera rolling just in case it gets away from me, maybe I can recoup some of the damage by selling the video).

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