Please be gentle, I don't know much about Honda's.....

I have a howling noise that has reciently started, it is not RPM dependent, it is speed dependent (ie: gets louder the faster I go). I rotated the tires to see if it would have any effect and it didn't. There is no heat or smell comming from the front rotors after driving on the highway. I'm stumped at where to look.

any ideas?

Specs: 1995 Civic EX Coupe (without ABS), 181k, 5spd, all stock.
2k miles ago: oil change, transmission fluid change, radiator flush
brakes have about 80k on them.
tranny was replaced at 120k with a used (30k) tranny.
recient exhaust work (replaced mid pipe)

(and for an example of the thing that I modify and fabricat, click here: http://archiegallup.homestead....8.jpg )

 

2 guesses for me... it's either a wheel bearing, or you need new tires. I'm guessing new tires. Once you put the tires on the front to the back... chances are the noise will get worse because they wear differently. I'm 75% new tires and 25% wheel bearing.

Jack the rear end up on the car. Spin each wheel and listen for grinding. If you hear grinding, it's a wheel bearing.

 

The tires are new within 5k miles. This is the first time I rotated them since installation. When I roatated them, the inside of the front tires were much more worn then the rest of the tread. I assume that means I need an alignment also?

which wheel bearings (front or rear) are the ones to go bad? The sound appears to come from the front, but I know that deciving....

Wheelbearings: ok, so I'm used to working on full floater solid front axles. Does the disk brake ride on a spindle or something else? How exactly would I change the wheel bearings, are they intergrated into the disk or is it a servicable part? Sorry for sounding so dumb, I've never worked or taken anything apart on my Honda.....

 

Probably just tires...some tires generate a lot more road noise than others...

 

The sound just started on Thursday, it gets louder every day. I really don't think its the tires.....

 

I would rotate them back to the way they were then. Is your car dropped at all? Sounds like it might be coming from the back, I just had the SAME problem. The inner tread is rubbing on the road differently because the camber is different from the front to the back (not sure of the degrees). So you either need new back tires now, or just put the backs, back on the front.

 

If the sound started in the front and you rotated tires (back to front) and the sound is still in the front, then its not tires. I would say bearing or maybe a splash shield is blowing back against the tire. You could see a worn spot on the shield easy. I think its a bearing though.