My gf's 93 Civic LX 5-speed (175,000 miles) is making a sound I immediately thought was a wheel bearing. I did a little research on the process of repairing it, slipped a jack stand under the car, and rotated the front wheel, expecting not to hear the noise because the bearing wasn't under load. Surpisingly, I did hear the noise, but now I'm not so sure it's a wheel bearing: It sounds too "regular" to be a bearing. Check out the video to hear what I hear.

My GF and I are both on tight budgets due to layoffs, so I can't throw money at this problem using the "diagnose by parts replacement" strategy, so I'd like to accuratey nail-down this problem before I start buying parts.

Question one: What do you think is causing the noise in the video?

Question two: Could this be mistaken as a wheel bearing from inside the cabin, or is it more likely that I have two problems?

Question three: Can you recommend a specific wheel bearing diagnostic procedure?

Thank you very much in advance for your help!

Chuck

(PS: The squeak you hear in the video is just my hand squeaking on the tire as I turn the wheel.)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wCc_DPLCRR8

 

That sounds just like something riding along the ABS divits on the axle, check all the way around the axle and especially by the ABS sensor. Sounds like when we use to put a card in our bike spokes, lol.

 

Thanks for the thought but I think the noise is a red herring. Took it to a local indy and they diagnosed it as a bad outboard right CV joint. Time for an axle.