Whistling sound when driving

I have a 1995 Nissan Sentra GXE. There is a whistling sound when the car is in motion. A very high pith sound. It probably disappears at high speeds. (Saying probably because it is possible that the sound is not so audible when the engine is making more noise.) When brakes are applied at lower speeds, the sound increases slightly when the brake pedal is pushed but vanishes when the vehicle comes to a halt. When the vehicle is going in reverse direction the noise is very significant. Not a shrill but more like a squeaking noise.

On the other hand I have a clunking sound when making a turn to the right. This probably means that I need to get the struts replaced. (Not sure which one). Is there any way I can check on my own? One shop told me that I need to get both replaced and gave me an estimate of $500. I went to another shop to get this verified (as there was no noise at that time) and I was told that the struts appear tight.

Is it possible that the two problem could be connected?

Please suggest.

Thanks

Shirish

Reply to
<slele
Loading thread data ...

Could be anything from a sticky parking brake cable (rear brakes dragging), something worn or faulty with brake pads (what brand pads?), or wheel bearing. Or a stone behind a brake dust shield can make an awful sound. A multiple clunk when you crank the wheel at low speeds could be a strut bearing at the top of strut (if not related to wheel bearing).

Jack either front wheel off the ground and see if there is any play when push/pulling top and bottom of tire. With my 95 Maxima, I had a right front wheel bearing go bad (maybe from a curb), and sticky parking brake cable (most noticeable by squeeking when backing, and wore out rear brakes). The strut clunking stopped when I replaced the struts (strut boots at top had totally disintegrated). But it is approaching its 10th birthday (purchased May 94) and still going strong.

Reply to
David Efflandt

It sounds a lot like the noise from my '99 Maxima.

I had the same noise when backing. My hearing isn't very good but I had the windows open backing out of the garage one day and it was quite loud. Some noise the first few stops going forward at low speed and a slight trace at low speeds. Disappeared when faster.

I thought it was coming from the front wheels and jacked up the front and couldn't reproduce the noise.

It turned out to be the wear indicators scraping on the REAR wheels. That's what happens when your hearing isn't so great.

The emergency brake cables were sticking and the rear brakes had worn until the indicators were making noise. I had to replace both emergency brake cables and redo the rear brakes.

Of course you may have something different but it sure seems to have the same characteristics so perhaps it's a possibility that you should investigate.

snipped-for-privacy@mn.rr.com wrote:

Reply to
Don't Reply to this address

MotorsForum website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.