Sound coming from front end.

[DavidL]

I have started hearing a sound coming from the front end of my 99 Taurus (Vulcan engine). As I accelerate from a stop, I start to hear it at around 25 mph and it stops at around 30 mph. Then I start to hear it again in the range of 45-55 mph. The sound is kind of a loud "whine". It reminds me a little of the sound a jet engine makes as it revs up (although not as loud, obviously). I don't notice it above 55 mph. Then I hear it again at the same speeds as I decelerate. It is more noticeable at the slower speed. I only hear it if the car is moving, not if I sit still and rev the engine. Also, the pitch changes with speed, increasing as I accelerate, decreasing as I decelerate.

My gut feeling is that it has something to do with the transmission (ugh). I changed the transmission filter a few months ago, and the fluid level is good. Shifting feels normal. Any thoughts on what it might be?

A couple other pieces of info - the car has 120,000 miles on it. The transmission was rebuilt at about 70,000.

[Airjer_]

Does it change pitch when turning sharply from left to right?

[DavidL]

Originally Posted by Airjer_

Does it change pitch when turning sharply from left to right?

No, it doesn't seem to have anything to do with the steering.

[Airjer_]

I'm sure its not the steering. I was thinking there might be a possibility of it beeing a wheel bearing. Turning to the left and right will load/unload the bearing and usually change/stop/increase the noise depending on the direction you turn.

Another way to check is to jack up the front of the car. With the trans in neutral rotate each front tire by hand while holding onto the strut spring. If you feel a vibration on one of the springs its usually that wheel bearing. You can also grab the tire at the 6 and 12 o'clock position and pull push to see if there is slop in the bearing.

Just trying to through out an idea.

[thisnametooktolong]

Wheel bearing.

Did you change a ball joint lately?
Have you pulled a SV joint lately?
I was burnt once and looked like a fool because an after market bearing did not have the Ford torque spec of 150-200lbs on the CV joint…. It was 250lbs. Darn thing ran fine for about 300 miles and started singing like a fat lady in church. All I did was changing a CV boot and had it bit me in the backside. That thing would hum straight, to the left and to the right with little change in pitch. Did not seam to be a problem though, just cranked the CV nut to 250 lbs and the darn thing shut up……. I just hope that it did not damage the bearing enough to go bad in less than three years

[DavidL]

Originally Posted by Airjer_

I'm sure its not the steering. I was thinking there might be a possibility of it beeing a wheel bearing. Turning to the left and right will load/unload the bearing and usually change/stop/increase the noise depending on the direction you turn.

Another way to check is to jack up the front of the car. With the trans in neutral rotate each front tire by hand while holding onto the strut spring. If you feel a vibration on one of the springs its usually that wheel bearing. You can also grab the tire at the 6 and 12 o'clock position and pull push to see if there is slop in the bearing.

Just trying to through out an idea.

Oh, okay, I thought you might be thinking of the power steering pump. I have read some comments about the pump making a lot of noise. I will check the front wheel bearings.

[Airjer_]

I need to stop working on cars and start working on my spelling!

[thisnametooktolong]

Originally Posted by Airjer_

I need to stop working on cars and start working on my spelling!

Are you sure that it is the spelling and not the swollen knuckle busted arthritic sausages that some of us call fingers? Heck my fingers glide over the keyboard like a fat lady lap dance.
Heck my fingers work as well on a keyboard as a 300+ honey walking on wet grass in stiletto heals.
Heck after smashing my Ulna nerve about 10 years ago on my left arm and then about 12 on my right….. I can’t tell the difference from Home row, a Hot stove or my O’ld ladies back side. I guess that is why they call it the funny bone, or Humorous

[Airjer_]

I suppose that could be as well

[DavidL]

I checked the wheels tonight, but I didn't notice anything unusual when I spun them or when I checked for play in the bearing. I also checked the rear wheels to be sure. Is it possible that the bearing isn't bad enough yet to be noticeable when rotating the wheel by hand?

[Airjer_]

If its audible they can usually be felt.

How about the tire condition. Have you tried rotating the tires. Are the tires cupping or wearing funny?

[plymouthsrock]

Shifting into neutral at those speeds (VERY CAREFULLY) might eliminate a trans noise- if it changes at all, it's probably not wheel speed related.

[thisnametooktolong]

I hate to say this but there are two ways of getting "Er" done, shotgun it with parts, wait till it gets wors

[DavidL]

I finally got around to checking a few things. The tires appear to be wearing normally. They were rotated about 5,000 miles ago. Rotation is free, so I will probably get them rotated again soon.

I tried shifting into neutral while driving between 25 and 30 mph. The sound didn't change when in neutral. It only stopped when the car speed dropped enough to get below 25. I noticed something else this time. I had the driver's side window open a few inches, and I could hear a vibrating metal sound at the same time I heard the whining noise. It seems like something in the front end is resonating at certain speeds and the vibratoin is possibly carrying over to a loose piece of metal.

[DavidL]

Turned out to be a wheel bearing after all. I took the car in for a tire rotation and told them about the noise. They checked the bearings and one of the front bearings needed replaced.