sporty240

Got a 96 hatch , its making a grinding/howling noise that goes faster and faster when the car is in motion. I thought it was the brakes and replaced the rotors and pads but it still makes noise. the weird thing is I can hear the noise better from inside the car. When I jack up the car and put it in gear and get under it I cant really hear the noise. It seems to be making it when either wheel is in motion, I was thinking its the wheel bearings but I think that failure of both at the same time is highly unlikely. I tried to replace my driverside axle and midshaft but it still seems to make noise. I cant think of anything else... differential going out?

any suggestions?

wrenchez81

WHEEL BEARINGS!!!! hope ya gotta press for the front ones!!! usually the problem occurs on the curb side first (right)... bring it by a shop,,, have them lift your car in the air with the car and gear and have them listen to the front spindles with a long screwdriver.... this will amplify the noise enough to determine which bearing it is...... if its a wheel bearing.. lemme know what you find out.....

sporty240

but i dont think that both of them would fail at the same time, cuz I when I let one wheel spin it makes noise and then I hold it and let the other spin it still makes noise. How can I check to see whether it is actualy the bearings?

SOHC_4dr

another thing to look at is to make sure the inside of your tires aren't cupped. look at that first. it it looks wavy and you can feel the tread go up and down then you have bad tires. replace them and get a good alignment done

wrenchez81

^^ x2 but it is possible to have two front wheel bearings.. it could be one was bad and you maybe never heard it

SOHC_4dr

to see if it is your wheel bearings jack the front tires up and see if you can wiggle the whole wheel and this is the same for the back as well. if you can and you feel it clunking then you got yourself a bad bearing. then you'll know

wrenchez81

yeah but if you brinell a bearing it can be tight and be noisy as hell!! if anything jack the front up set the park brake then put the car in gear and listen to both spindles with a long screwdriver.. this will amplify the growling so you can hear it ..BUT BY ALL MEANS PLEASE BE CAREFUL!!! you can do the same with the rear just spin them by hand!!!

sporty240

I guess its the tranny Im gonna replace it cuz im upgrading my clutch anyway

wrenchez81

hahahaha!!! and after that..... if that dont work......check the damn wheel bearings and front tires... if in doubt bring it by a reputable shop for a diagnostic..... what your using is called the shotgun method!!!!! swappin parts that don't need to be replaced in an attempt to fix the problem!! with a shotgun you can shoot and hit everything with a three foot radius,,,,..... you need to use the sniper method..... one shot one kill!!! times are rough for everyone bro!!! replacing a tranny urself is gonna cost you at least 350 bucks ...... a front suspension inspection/analysis is a hell of a lot cheaper.... my shop charges 36.25 to do so....save the money and fix it right the FIRST time.....