Humming Sound
 

Not sure exactly how to describe a sound I’m hearing from my car but I’ll try. It’s a humming sound I can hear above about 30 mph. The sound is similar to what an off-road tiee sounds like on the highway (tire hum I guess). It’s constant and the pitch increases as the speed increases. It doesn’t matter what the RPM is, so it isn’t transmission related. Also, I put on my winter wheels/tires this past weekend and that didn’t make a difference, so it’s not a tire issue either. I haven’t noticed any degradation in performance or handling. I didn’t see anything visibly when I swapped the wheels. I think it’s coming from the front of the car but am not 100% sure. It really isn’t much louder with the windows rolled down. I’m kinda stumped at this point🤷*♂️

Thanks in advance

Time for new bushes???

Sounds like it could be wheel bearing , had some bad wheel bearings on my Wrx and it felt like you could hear it inside while moving .


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What is the mileage?
Speed related humming can definitely be a wheel bearing. Turning can increase the noise on the corner the bearing is worn.

A way to check is to Jack up the car and check the wheel for play. Up and down is often most accurate as left and right play can indicate a worn tie rod.

It sounds like front wheel bearings. You have to replace the hub as a unit. I am getting ready to replace my 3rd. I have been through 2 right fronts. Now the left is starting to make noise.

Mine made noise before there was any play you could feel even with the hub removed. I had one get really bad on a drive home from the track to the point it would screech a bit. It only had a tiny amount of play.

?????

:iono:


humfrz

This sort of thing...

Yep, that’s how the sound is. It’s isn’t overly loud, but definitely present.

Just went over 78k miles, 2013. And thanks for the suggestions, I’ll do some driving tests to see if I can determine the side!

Did you get them from a dealership or order them online?

bushings make inconsistent clanking/screeching/grinding noises as the metal parts start to rub together. in this case, a speed-dependent humming sound would indicate something to do with the rotating assemblies. wheel bearings are one of the most common, also heard of similar noises with bad CV axles sometimes.

I think that it can be a combination of things. Bearings, bushes and dampers as they degrade slowly over time and only start showing their failures (or should that read when the driver starts to notice) when they're near the end of their life.

Online and used. I got one from a wreaked car I was buying other parts from.

Is there a change in sound with long right or left turns?
Still would not discount tires, try over inflating just for a test.

If you also inspected tires and made no difference, it could very well be bearings going bad like others have said. I'm getting ready to replace my rear hubs @120k miles. Did the fronts at @80k.

Oh, "bushings" - :bonk:

But how do bad bushings make a "humming" sound (with a car with an ICE)?

:iono:


humfrz

Bushing deteriorate allowing components to move or vibrate leading to abnormal NVH. It's that 'chicken and egg' thing.. bearings fail leading to bushes to fail or bushes fail leading stress on the bearings..

If it is front wheel bearings, you can determine location by "loading" one side. A sharp turn to the right will load the left side and vice versa for right. Sometimes if it's tough to determine location you can jack up the front. Put one hand on the coil spring and spin the wheel with your other hand. You may feel a vibration. If you do, that is the side with the bad wheel bearing.

really?

Look, I only drive the thng (occasionally) and read the Bible that is this Forum... I can make some more connections if you like.. ie tyres unevenly inflated or a driver that is unevenly knowledged or roads that are unevenly coated.. gosh there are so many 'chicken and egg' things that could wreak havoc.. poor bushes!!!

OK,OK,OK - let's suggest to the OP that he replace the front wheel bearings and all the bushes. Then, if he still hears humming, we can conclude it's all in his head - a kind of tinnitus.

:D


humfrz

Lol, it could be in my head. I’ve flown planes for over 18 years now (mostly prop) so who knows

Mine was rear wheel bearings. My assumption is it was the drivers side based on how it fell apart when I went to pull it but the insides looked surprisingly good compared to the noise it was making. There was just about NO movement in either wheel when it was off the ground and I wobbled it up and down but the noise in the car went from a low speed dependent rumble to an exceedingly annoying growl. FWIW with 127k on my 2013 the fronts still seem to be fine even though that's what more people have to replace first.

+1 wheel bearings

Easy test for the front. Not so for the rear. Drive wheels are kind of a bitch. That being said, with a couple jack stands and a helper, it can be confirmed.

Spread the pads a touch.
Lift the wheel.
Spin it.
If you hear anything at all, the bearing is toast.

I've run mine in gear on jack stands. If you can't do pedal dance, weird shit will happen until it goes into limp mode. Especially in fifth gear the driveline is pretty quiet. I'm sure I'd hear a wheel bearing howl.

:bellyroll:

Especially if they were crop dusters, spraying methyl parathion and stuff like that - :eyebulge:


humfrz

OK, I got the picture.

Car falls off jack stands while running in 5th gear - :eyebulge:



humfrz

I guess I wasn't clear enough. The helper stays ready to step on the clutch.


Only an idiot would do otherwise. I guess while we're on the subject, don't fuck around gunning it either.

Not exactly crop dusters 😎...

MC-130 and U-28

Just have your FE ride along.

Oh, my - Special Ops - :eyebulge:


humfrz

Well I went for a couple of spirited drives yesterday with hard turns left and right. To my dismay, I couldn't note any changes to the sound, nor did I notice any other indications. I guess my next step will be to put the car on jack stands and see if I can locate any issues by turning the wheels.

When you are hearing the sound and you brake, do you notice a change in pitch? When you break you are loading the front and unloading the rear. Doing that and listening for sound change will aid in narrowing down the general location of the noise.

Additionally, you may have a failing carrier bearing on your driveshaft. You can try and determine if this is the noise by doing a hard acceleration, followed by engine breaking. Again, listen for changes in pitch. If you have a loud exhaust this will likely make it impossible to hear bearing noise changes.

If you are still having difficulty locating the source, put the rear up on jack stands, and chock the front wheels. Turn off traction control completely and get the rear wheels up to whatever speed you normally hear it the most.

This is dangerous and should only be done if you are confident in your ability to do it safely.

If you hear the noise with the rear up in the air, you have eliminated the front end as a possibility.

The next step would be to have a helper go underneath with a stethoscope and listen to any rotating component. This is also dangerous if proper safety measures are not taken.

Use jack stands. Use wheel chocks. Use safety goggles. Use gloves. Be safe be safe be safe.

Hey, thanks for the recommendations. I have done some of what you suggested and these are my findings so far:

The sounds changes the same way whether I use the brakes, engine brake or put the car in neutral and let the car decelerate on it’s own.

I have not tried a hard acceleration followed by engine braking, but will. My exhaust isn’t very loud actually. I have the CSG Spec Touring exhaust. The main noise that makes hearing the bearing noise is the turbo spool on acceleration. I love the sound, but at WOT it pretty much masks the noise.

If all this fails, as well as spinning the front wheels by hand, then I’m open to putting the rear wheels on jacks. I’m confident I could do this safely.

I’m not too keen on your last recommendation, based mainly on my comfort level with it.

I do appreciate the recommendations and will report back with my findings!


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So I tried doing some hard accelerations/engine braking yesterday and this morning. The sound pitch remains linear with the car's speed. No matter what method I try accelerating/decelerating, the pitch isn't affected other than by the speed of the car. My thought is, this is a wheel bearing slowly going bad, but admittedly I'm not an ASE certified mechanic. I won't have time to put it on jacks until after Thanksgiving (vacation next week). In the meantime please provide any additional advice/feedback that could help me solve this.

Both front wheel bearings I had go made noise only when loaded. So if the right was bad I would only hear it turning left. It wasn’t constant until it really started to go. I couldn’t load it enough by hand with the car on jack stands to tell it was bad.

Both front wheel bearings I had go made noise only when loaded. So if the right was bad I would only hear it turning left. It wasn’t constant until it really started to go. I couldn’t load it enough by hand with the car on jack stands to tell it was bad.

Both front wheel bearings I had go made noise only when loaded. So if the right was bad I would only hear it turning left. It wasn’t constant until it really started to go. I couldn’t load it enough by hand with the car on jack stands to tell it was bad.

Both front wheel bearings I had go made noise only when loaded. So if the right was bad I would only hear it turning left. It wasn’t constant until it really started to go. I couldn’t load it enough by hand with the car on jack stands to tell it was bad.

:slap::slap:

Snap out of it!

humfrz