Whining Noise From The Front End

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lsvtec

GNU/Linux Evangelist
My girlfriend's car has started making a low pitched whine. It sounds to me like it is coming from the front drivers side. The noise sounds almost like an old school VW Bug's horn. That is the best I can describe the noise. I am thinking that she is losing a wheel bearing (the car has 145,000 miles on the original wheel bearings). Any other thoughts. It is a 95 Civic LX Sedan with a 5 speed. It is bone stock. Thanks.
 
Yeah bro sounds to me like a bearing being unlubed. Pull the hub off and look at it. throw some high temp grease in there bro! I wouldn't recommend driving hard or long distances in it.
 
Originally posted by lsvtec@Jan 15 2003, 07:40 PM
Thanks, I'll give that a try this weekend.

NP bro. Good luck. I hope the bearing ain't seized!
 
did you try jacking up the car and wiggling the wheel back and forth? if there is play, the bearing is shot... i've had mine go, they'll get damn loud pretty quick if you dont take care of it :)
 
Could be the axles or CV joints. Check your boots on both sides. Maybe even spray some brake cleaner around the front rotor there. Also, I've heard some truck tires make a wierd whining noise at low speeds... it could just be the tread pattern. Does it make it at certain speeds? On all types of surface (gravel, tarmac....)? Make sure the plastic in the wheel well isn't rubbing the wheel or tire, too.
 
CV Joints are fine. It makes it backing out of the driveway and at really low speeds (like starting from a stop at a light) it is not the tread. I'll check the fender liner tomorrow.
 
Now I should go check before I say something like that. I didn't see any grease in the wheel well so I assumed the CV shafts were okay. When I go under there today I found a small crack in the driver side shaft that had been slowly emptying its grease. So tomorrow we are pulling that shaft. Here's to that solving the noise. Thanks for everyone's help.
 
I will be very surprised if that axle is your noise. They either pop, mainly in turns (outer joint) or cause vibration under load and sometimes thumping (inner joint). I think you were on the right track the first time with the wheel bearing. Let me know if it is in the axle, that will be a new one on me.
 
Those were the noises that I figured a bad CV Shaft made. Just finished changing the shaft and adding some grease to the bearing (it was dry and I figure that was the noise) and the noise is gone. Thanks for your help everybody.
 
Sweet bro! Glad to help. If it went away and it was the bearing, than you are lucky cause it hasn't siezed yet. Just to info you, you might want to just replace that bearing. If it was dry and making all that noise than is already started to go to shit!
 
That is what I told my girlfriend, she is waiting until her next payday. Thanks again.
 
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