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Tires/wheels making strange sound

This question is in regards to my 2002 Chrysler Sebring sedan. About

2 months ago I noticed a strange sound (like humming) that immediately starts when the car is moving and seems louder as the car goes faster. It sounded to me like the tires were making the noise. I did check the tires and they showed a decent amount of wear as the car had about 50,000 miles on it with original tires. I ended up replacing the tires last month, but as soon as I left the tire center I noticed that the sound was still present. The car seems to handle just fine. Steering seems ok, no vibrations, brakes seem good, but the sound is bugging me. Could this be an alignment issue, wheel bearings, ??? Where should I begin my search? Or should I leave it to a pro? Thanks.
Reply to
richblacksmith
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Sounds like a bad wheel bearing is the most likely culprit.

Dave

Reply to
spamTHISbrp

can you tell me if there is any way that I could say for sure if the wheel bearing is bad or not? Outside of the noise I'm hearing, how do you check it?

Reply to
richblacksmith

If you can get a shop to spin each wheel/tire w/o any load on it, you will hear the difference on the one making the bearing noise. Also, running about 50 mph, carefully round a curve to the right & listen. Then round the same curve going the other direction. One way should definitely be worse if there is a bad bearing. Let us know which direction is worse, & we should be able to guide you to the culprit bearing. s

Reply to
sdlomi2

I'm not sure I understand what you mean by spinning each wheel without any load on it. Could this be accomplished jacked up with wheel stands under the frame, with the car in neutral and hand spinning the wheels?

Reply to
richblacksmith

follow-up question to the wheel bearings possibly being the problem. If it is a bearing problem, how bad is it to change out?

Reply to
richblacksmith

Reply to
Mike Walsh

the caliper to allow the hub to turn freely. It should turn freely without any noise or vibration. You can do this with the wheel either on or off. You might think that the wheel and tire would hide any problems, but the added diameter of a wheel and tire will actually magnify any roughness.

Mike, curious why the caliper and pads need to be removed? They shouldn't actually be touching the rotors should they? So the wheel hub assembly should turn without removal, right?

Reply to
richblacksmith

remove the caliper to allow the hub to turn freely. It should turn freely without any noise or vibration. You can do this with the wheel either on or off. You might think that the wheel and tire would hide any problems, but the added diameter of a wheel and tire will actually magnify any roughness.

Reply to
Mike Walsh

without the brakes applied.

remove the caliper to allow the hub to turn freely. It should turn freely without any noise or vibration. You can do this with the wheel either on or off. You might think that the wheel and tire would hide any problems, but the added diameter of a wheel and tire will actually magnify any roughness.

ok, thats monday's project. thanks

Reply to
richblacksmith

without the brakes applied.

remove the caliper to allow the hub to turn freely. It should turn freely without any noise or vibration. You can do this with the wheel either on or off. You might think that the wheel and tire would hide any problems, but the added diameter of a wheel and tire will actually magnify any roughness.

ok guys, I pulled off both front wheels and took the brake pads and calipers off of the hubs. Put the car in neutral and spun both wheels forward and back numerous times. Both wheels turn freely without noise. Also drove car this morning and tried turning both left and right from 30-50 mph. I can't really say that this made much difference that I could tell. It really sounds like the noise is coming from the front of the car, but I can't pinpoint it at all. One other note and I don't know that it means anything, but the car has never had an alignment. It has 52,000 miles on it. I just got brand new tires all the way around it with balancing of course. The steering wheel is slightly off center though. Would an alignment possibly be the problem? Do the wheels ever need camber adjustments? And would anything relating to this or alignment be related to the humming sort of sound that I am hearing when the vehicle is moving? I know something is amiss, as I didn't buy the car with this noise! HELP

Reply to
richblacksmith

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