Loud whine NOW WITH VIDEO

[georgeramos]

Ive searched the archives and read a lot about various whines that folks have heard. They seem tricky to diagnose which always worries me a bit. My car has had a whine for quite a while and I cannot figure out where it was coming from. At first I thought it was from the front passenger side wheel and I still believe that it may be from there but its so loud that it could be coming from somewhere else and Im just telling myself its from there.

The strange things are that
1) it only seems to happen when the car is cold.
2)it seems to happen when in neutral and moving, if the car is rolling on a hill for example
3)i can only hear it at very low speeds
4)I believe it happens even if rolling backwards or in reverse
5)maybe sometimes when Im turning hard to the right...

could the tire be rubbing on something? I havent changed the tires since I bought the car and I can see no evidence of that but Im hoping it could be that simple...maybe I will try to take a video of it and post onling for diagnostic help.

thanks all
G

[azruss]

Is the motor running?

[georgeramos]

Yes, I can try pushing it to see if I hear it

[johndemar]

Yes, I can try pushing it to see if I hear it

Or rolling it down a hill.. What is the disposition of the driver when these sounds occur?
I know I tend to whine loudly when my car won't start.

[narfire]

What is the disposition of the driver when these sounds occur?
I know I tend to whine loudly when my car won't start.

I just about spat my coffee on the lap top good one..

Wheel bearings? jack the front up and hand on top and bottom of wheel, push and pull...same with rears...??? any movement/clunk?
Only in neutral.... going down hill with clutch in.?.
Can you detect movement in the drive shaft at the U-joints?

[Boris61]

Long shot, but my 84 made a similar noise and it turned out to be the parking break spring brushing against the drive shaft. Made a nice groove in the shaft before I corrected it. I agree that your issue does sound like wheel bearings though.

[So Cal Mark]

you wrote that it happens in neutral and rolling. Is that the only time it whines? Is that with the clutch released or depressed?

[georgeramos]

Hi Mark, the neutral rolling is not the only time, i mentioned it because it ALSO happens in that case. I think it happens with either the clutch released or depressed.

Thanks
G

[spidernut]

If you have a bad wheel bearing and/or race, your car will exhibit the symptoms you mentioned.

- If it isn't horrendously bad, you could only hear it at lower speeds due to other wind and road noise when you drive faster
- You could hear it more when turning one direction due to the play in the bearing (common with bad bearings)
- You will hear it in or out of gear, forward or backwards and with the clutch depressed or not because it isn't transmission related

The initial inspection process is simple: Jack the front of your car up, remove the wheel and spin the hub. It should spin freely. Push the hub away from you and pull toward you. There should be no significant play in the bearing. Remove the grease cap and look to see if the outer bearing looks dry or if the race has a bluish cast to it. It should have an ample amount of wheel bearing grease on the bearing and the race should not be blued from over heating. There's also an inner bearing but you'll need to remove the hub to inspect it.

Bearings and races are easy to inspect, very inexpensive to purchase and easy to replace yourself.

[georgeramos]

http://www.flickr.com/photos/orange-mus ... hotostream

I made a video of it. im guessing stuck caliper. Id love some other thoughts/opinions. Could be bearings too. I will study up in my manual(s) then go check it out further.

thanks all

G

[mgbgtn]

That definatly sounds like your brake is draging. To check for sure ,jack up the front wheel and see if it spins freely. If it doesn't then take the caliper off and try again. You could also back off the bleed screw to see if that releases any pressure from the caliper and if it does it could be the flex hose has colapsed inside not leting the caliper to pull the pads back.

[spidernut]

Agree 100%. Sounds like a brake dragging. Either way the wheel comes off to inspect. Should be easy to detect.

[azruss]

with that much singing, the wheel should be hard to turn by hand. try giving the caliper a rap with a rubber hammer to see if that frees it up. If so, then you just need to clean and lube your sliders. If it doesnt help then you have a hose or stuck caliper issue.