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Whirling noise from front end

everguardeverguard Member Posts: 3
edited November 2014 in Buick
I have a 2000 Buick Lesabre with 215,000km. I can hear a whirling gear type noise in the front end. It almost sounds like a tire noise but I am sure it isn't. It isn't loud and if the radio is on I can barely hear it. The noise slow down or speeds up when I accelerate or brake. I just changed the brakes, calipers and rotors but the noise was there before I did this work.

Anyone have any suggestions on what it might be?

Thanks, Ron

Answers

  • imidazol97imidazol97 Member Posts: 27,122
    edited November 2014
    My first suspect would be a front wheel bearing. If they haven't been replaced by now at 160K miles approx., then they might be due. You can jack the car up and take hold of each front wheel and tire. It should move in and out less than 0.05 inches. Many people like to use the rocking motion to check for looseness, then about 1/8 inch is getting to the worn range. The 0.05 is the GM specification for straight in and out movement.

    You can also put the car out of park and rotate the wheel. You may be able to feel the roughness if you have someone else rotate and hold your hand on the front end of the bumper or chassis. However, I had one that gave a noise under load and little other symptoms in the normal ways.

    When traveling on a fresh blacktop quiet road, make the car swerve to the left at 35 or so mph.. If that quiets the noise then you're probably needing a new right front bearing. The opposite applies for checking the left bearing by putting more load and side thrust on it.

    Occasionally someone has a rear bearing go bad on the H-body vehicles. Check by rotating tire and wobble testing it along with straight in and out motion.

    Since it sounded like you had done brakes, calipers, and rotors yourself (the right way by changing all parts involved), you may be able to remove the brake support for the caliper, the 3 15 mm bolts on the back of the wheel bearing hub assembly, and borrow the 34 mm socket and a longer bar to remove the nut on the end of the axle shaft. The 15 mm bolts have had red locktite applied at the factor. Some alcohol on the outer end to wick up the threads and deteriorate the locktite will help. The 3 bolts require some flexible tools to get at them by trying various ways to get leverage.

    You will also need a puller from Autozone's loaners that bolts under 3 lug nuts on the old hub and pushes a bolt against the center of the axle shaft to push the shaft inward and out of the hub center.

    If you want I can link you to a repair text online showing how to do it.

    Good luck.

    2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,

  • everguardeverguard Member Posts: 3
    Thanks, I jack the car and check the wheel bearings and let you know.
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