Humming sound while i drive

[White92]

I'm getting a humming sound while I drive my festiva. I jacked up the car and spun the rear tires and didn't hear anything. I then jacked up the front of the car. I put it in neutral (5sp car) and gave it a good spin and I heard clicking sounds. Like when you were a little kid and put a soda can in the back tire of your bike. That kind of sound.

Thoughts?

[ryanprins13]

Is it for sure from the front?
Could be front bearings
Could be speedo cable
Rear bearings is the most common hum.
The clicking couod be a bent dust shield or a cv shaft, but you should hear the clicking when driving.
Can you put both front tires in the air, start the car and spin the tires a bit. I always get someone else to hold the throttle and adjust the speed and steer so i can diagnose the noise. Does it change when you turn?

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[ryanprins13]

Just reread what you said. I just had issues with my rear bearings last night. I couldnt tell which side. They were roaring at 25mph but When i spun the tires by hand i couldnt tell which one was bad.
So try using thr engine to spin the front tires and see if its them

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[White92]

I was thinking rear wheel bearings too. I spun it as hard as I could it free spun a little while but I didn't hear anything at all from the rear tires. I checked both sides. I can put the front of the car up on jack stands. start it up and let out in 2nd gear or something.

The humming sound is when I'm up around 30mph and on up. Something like that. Just recently started making this noise.

[ryanprins13]

I was thinking rear wheel bearings too. I spun it as hard as I could it free spun a little while but I didn't hear anything at all from the rear tires. I checked both sides. I can put the front of the car up on jack stands. start it up and let out in 2nd gear or something.

The humming sound is when I'm up around 30mph and on up. Something like that. Just recently started making this noise.

Try the front tires like that first but if you think its the rear it likely is. Last night at 25mph mine were roaring away but i couldnt tell anything spinning by hand. I tried to spin them up with a drill but it wasnt fast enough and i couldnt find the die grinder, someone moved it.
But i would get some wheel bearing grease, new seals and a bearing packer and regrease the rear wheel bearings. Probably the outers got dry or the seals are old and let water in. Thats what happened to mine. Water got in and it was all rusty


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[Studebaker]

Instead of spinning the rear tires . Just see if there loose. If you can do the work yourself, just replace the rear bearings. Buy the best bearings you can find and use good grease.

Bad cv's will click in a tight turn.

[ryanprins13]

If their loose then what?

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[firebush357]

If their loose then what?

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If you can wiggle the rear wheels while it is jacked up then the spindle nut is too loose. Depending on how long you have driven like this then it may need new bearings. What I do when I find this is tighten the spindle nut pretty good to re-seat everything then back it off and then tighten it again to the proper tightness(No wiggle in the drum but still spins easily). Make sure to stake your nut or put the castle back on it with a new cotter pin.

[White92]

there is no tire wiggle in the rear. That was the 1st thing I checked

[firebush357]

It could simply be just Tire road noise due to improper wear on the tires.

[White92]

I paid closer attention last night. It gets to humming pretty good 30pmh and above. New rear wheel bearings arnt to expensive. I might just start with replacing both sides pack them good with grease and see if that helps. The strange clicking up front is a mystery for now. I do not hear the clicks while driving. Only when I spun it by hand car up on jack stands

[firebush357]

How loud is the click? and how old are your CV axles? They might just be a little worn on the inside and making that noise maybe.

[ryanprins13]

If you can wiggle the rear wheels while it is jacked up then the spindle nut is too loose. Depending on how long you have driven like this then it may need new bearings. What I do when I find this is tighten the spindle nut pretty good to re-seat everything then back it off and then tighten it again to the proper tightness(No wiggle in the drum but still spins easily). Make sure to stake your nut or put the castle back on it with a new cotter pin.

Loose is too loose, but there is supposed to be 5thou or so of play on the drum. With the tire on you can barely feel it but its there. Overtightening wrecks bearings straight away. I ran mine too loose to be on the 'safe' side for many years, same set of bearings lasted 100k miles wobbling around back there. Then one day i overtightened one side after cleaning the brakes and regreasing and it was growling for 3 days before i loosened it. That was a year ago and that bearing is still in there now.

there is no tire wiggle in the rear. That was the 1st thing I checked

Might be too tight if theres no play at all and that will cause the bearings to make noise. When was the last time you had the drums off to repack the bearings or clean the brakes?

I paid closer attention last night. It gets to humming pretty good 30pmh and above. New rear wheel bearings arnt to expensive. I might just start with replacing both sides pack them good with grease and see if that helps. The strange clicking up front is a mystery for now. I do not hear the clicks while driving. Only when I spun it by hand car up on jack stands

Try something first. You can do this with the tires on the car if you have steel rims. You need a hammer, flatblade and needlenose pliars. Pop the dust cap off and pull out the cotter pin. Back the castle nut off one hole looser on each side. Dust caps back on and drive it, see if it sounds any different. Takes like 5-10min, you dont even have to jack the car up unless you want to see how loose your making it. But one hole on the castle nut should do it if their too tight.
If you have stake nuts thats lame. Their a pain.
If they ran low on grease though or got water in there then you will need new bearings

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[White92]

How loud is the click? and how old are your CV axles? They might just be a little worn on the inside and making that noise maybe.

You can hear it clicking pretty decent. I have no idea how old the cv axles are. could be originals for all I know. Not a clue on that.

[White92]

Loose is too loose, but there is supposed to be 5thou or so of play on the drum. With the tire on you can barely feel it but its there. Overtightening wrecks bearings straight away. I ran mine too loose to be on the 'safe' side for many years, same set of bearings lasted 100k miles wobbling around back there. Then one day i overtightened one side after cleaning the brakes and regreasing and it was growling for 3 days before i loosened it. That was a year ago and that bearing is still in there now.


Might be too tight if theres no play at all and that will cause the bearings to make noise. When was the last time you had the drums off to repack the bearings or clean the brakes?




Try something first. You can do this with the tires on the car if you have steel rims. You need a hammer, flatblade and needlenose pliars. Pop the dust cap off and pull out the cotter pin. Back the castle nut off one hole looser on each side. Dust caps back on and drive it, see if it sounds any different. Takes like 5-10min, you dont even have to jack the car up unless you want to see how loose your making it. But one hole on the castle nut should do it if their too tight.
If you have stake nuts thats lame. Their a pain.
If they ran low on grease though or got water in there then you will need new bearings

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Sounds like I have a mini project this weekend. I'll get the rear of the car up in the air and take a peek at what is going on. See if I notice anything once the dust cover is off. I do not have steel wheels. I have a GL festiva with the better wheels on it. I don't think the center comes off.