Strange 'Whirring' Noise

[deathrace2000]

My car makes a weird whirring noise when it's rolling. It had some cheap junk tires on it when I got it, which I had guessed to be the source of the noise. I have since replaced them with brand new tires, but the funky sound is still there. It doesn't seem related to the drive train, as I am able to hear it while coasting out of gear. The noise gets louder and "faster" as the car moves faster. None of the wheel bearings or anything seem to be faulty, however I don't have a sure fire way to determine this.


Any suggestions as to what is causing this?

Thank you.

[DriverOne]

It could just be that you have loud tires, and aren't used to the level of road noise that can be produced in a Festiva. However, I'd check to see how much grease you have in your bearings. To check for bearing wear, the easiest way is to jack the car up and spin a wheel. If the wheel spins easily and has no play (bump it to see if it moves more than it should), the bearings are good. Consider the mileage of the car, as well. It's likely you're the first person to check on these types of things. If your emergency brake is locked up a bit, you'll whir as well. To release them, pull the drums off the rear and use a screwdriver to loosen the auto adjust. Just know that both nuts to pull the drums off twist to the FRONT of the car to remove them. I.e., the passenger side is reverse threaded.

[deathrace2000]

Thanks for the input. I am going to further inspect my brakes tonight. It's entirely possible that I wasn't prepared for the road noise a festiva makes, too. Hah.

[DriverOne]

If that ends up being the case, there's an easy way to fix it.

[FestYboy]

how are you determining that your bearings are "OK"?

[deathrace2000]

All of the wheels spin freely. I just assumed that meant they were alright. I thought they may drag or something if they were the source of the noise.

[Levitan]

If it sounds like an old crop duster airplane, it's your wheel bearings and they need to be replaced, meaning you will need access to a hydraulic press.

[FestYboy]

All of the wheels spin freely. I just assumed that meant they were alright. I thought they may drag or something if they were the source of the noise.

spinninf freely and spinning under load are 2 different things.

first inspect your rear bearings (remove the drums and then remove the bearings and CLEAN THEM before inspecting for wear). if the roller surfaces or races are mared in any way, replace them (br1 and br4 IIRC for part numbers). typical failure are the rears and i replace them in any new festy i get right off the bat as regular maintenance.

you're looking for gauling in the races or rollers and metal flake in the grease. if you see any of this, replace the bearings.

[WmWatt]

I found wheel bearings and axles produce a rumbling, grinding noise. After replacing all of them all I hear now is the whine of the tires over about 40 mph. I find tire noise changes on different kinds of pavement. Bearings and axle sounds don't change. Also if you put the front end up on blocks, start the engine, and put the car in gear, you can hear any axle or bearing noise although it will sound different without the weight of the car on them. If you use a length of hose as a stethescope you might be able to locate the noise in the axle or the wheel. I traced mine to the axle CV joint that way. Good luck.

[deathrace2000]

Turns out that the emergency brake was stuck, and one of the rear wheel bearings was bad. I couldn't pick up on the faulty bearing at first. Once I pulled everything apart to take a look I was able to determine that a bearing was the main culprit.

Thanks for the help, everyone.

[Basement_Modder]

Replace the other rear while you're at it, just to keep the car 'even.'

[MasterTec]

My dad would put new rear bearings in mine twice a year. When I acquired the car the bearings were noisy yet again. When I took them apart the races were wasted. Come to find out he wasn't replacing the races.

When I popped in new races with the new bearings they required very little force... only a very slight tap and they fell right in. A few months later those were noisy too so I installed new drums along with new bearings (and races) and those took a lot more force to install. Those have been noise free for almost a year now!

And yes it's possible to have bearings that spin freely with no play but still cause plenty of noise. I see it all the time on various cars. Sometimes the noise can only be heard with the weight of the car on them. I've even ridden in trunks before to try to isolate which side the noise is on during a test drive!

[deathrace2000]

Replace the other rear while you're at it, just to keep the car 'even.'

I picked up bearings for the other side too. There were so easy to change, so I figured "why not?"