This man has integrity! He's an extremely smart, talented, and very honest mechanic. Love your videos and I wish you and your family the best of the best! I'm a huge fan!
Chingon! I've made the mistake of replacing parts that didn't fix my problem haha. A smart man with integrity is hard to find. Gracias for your videos.
Good call. Nitrile gloves are so useful. Much better to tear a glove than your skin. I always wear gloves when I can, and not because I'm afraid of getting dirty. I still get dirty, but it let's me keep my tools cleaner and has saved my skin many times.
I had this issue with Michelin tires 5 year old with less than 20k on them. Apparently not driving and leaving the car sitting generated this issue. Who knew tires that were not worn out could make such loud humming noise. So after spending $900 for 4 new tires the sounds has gone away and the car is a pleasure to drive again. Thanks for confirming I am not the only one with this issue
Rotating tires can also help determine whether it's a tire noise or bearing. If the noise moves after rotating the tires, it's a good indicator of tire noise.
Worth mentioning, especially if you live in an area prone to many or deep potholes in roads, check to make sure your brake backing plate(if any) are not damaged. I thought for a while I had a bad wheel bearing because I was hearing noise, turned out to be the backing plate was bent inward and rubbing on the rotor causing the noise, just bent back with pliers and was fine. Hope it helps
Glad I ran into your video before taking my car to the mechanic. Found a massive crack/split on the inside of both front tires by doing the inspection you showed. Probably saved myself $300-400 and a whole day of my car at the mechanic. Thanks a bunch for making this video!
Also, before thinking about replacing the bearing, there usually an option to buy a bearing and hub together for $50 more but much much easier DIY friendly install.
One thing you didn't mention that I will mention now is also to do with the tires and not the bearing. Some tires have a tread and compound that will make for a lot of "road noise". I have all seasons and I get typical noise from driving because of the tread pattern. When I switch to my winter tires, the noise is much more pronounced. Big time. The sound goes away when I switch back to my all seasons. My winter tires are brand new and they are in immaculate condition, by the way. So are my bearings. So in some cases, the type of tire you have can lead to a humming/howling sound similar to what people would mistake as a bearing issue. Up here in Canada, the noise gets even more pronounced the colder it gets as the rubber stiffens. So it may not always be a bad bearing or even a bad tire - it may also be just the type of tire and the weather as well. Something to be cognizant of. :)
This is hilarious you made this video. I had 3 alignments done on my car. The car STILL PULLED. The shop swapped the front tires left to right, and the pull changed sides. Brand new BF Goodrich tires. Manufacturing defect made the tire conical. Causing a pull because of a misaligned belt. You couldn't see the defect because it's internal. Talk about MADDENING!
David Hammett - Infuriating is right!! I was in the automotive/truck industry for 37 years, specializing in front end and suspensions. I found defective tires causing handling, vibration and noise issues SO often! Tires are a bad place to save money, and have recommended Michelin and Toyo tires for years. Even these can see an occasional failure, but they’re ROUND and easily balanced from day one.
Hopefully i can get a reply...i have this issue with my car pulling to the right. First thought is was the tires ( recently had bought new ones) and removed them, inspected them, and they looked perfect! But still a pull to the right with a wobble. Got an alignment, rotated the tires, and re-balanced. Now there is no wobble but still a pull to the right! I drive a 2004 acura tl. Someone plz help.
@@juliovasquez8718 try swapping your front tires left to right, if the pull changed sides, one of those is bad. In my case I think more than 1 of my tires is bad. I also have an 07 Acura TL. It's been aligned 3 times, and they said it's my tires. They have 11k miles on them. Apparently it's very common for manufacturers to sell "conical" tires. And if there is a large difference between sides, it causes the pull. Apparently Acura TL is super sensitive to this pull. It's dangerous, Because I constantly have to keep pressure on the wheel, to avoid other traffic. But this is the U.S. government regulations working. Psh.
@@ua7pyro591 thanks will do! Yeh my tires only have 9k on them if that..and yes very dangerous im constantly doing the same holding it alittle to the left and as soon as i let go hard right! Nothing more perfect than finding this video and comment section today! Thanks @DavidHammett
gr8 video, sweet I saw it a couple months ago. around 2 years my wife drove her car with a flat and stuff the tyre up. I replaced with a second hand tyre. well it had wheel bearing noise, which got worst a few months ago. paid $150 for a new bearing hub online, I jacked the car up to find a thick bolt in the tyre with the head wear off. (the increase in noise for last month) So I went and replace the back tyres as the other was near the end of it life too. Drive home and no noise. now I struck with a new bearing.
Hi just thought booth rear bearings were gone on a used car we just purchased. Saw your video and to my astonishment I tried the feeling the surface of booth rear tires, that looked good.....booth were bad ,you saved me $300. I was just going to order them online......Thank you
You saved my aaasss! I was shopping for new wheel hubs and looking for the procedure when your video popped up. Found that the inner liner had been bowed out due to a previous accident. It's on the right side and I only heard the noise turning left, classic wheel bearing, but the mind explosion you gave me solved the problem and a bunch of time and money. I appreciate the video!
Here's a tip! If you think it's a bad tire switch it out with the spare or rotate them to see if the sound changes location. This is a free test to save everyone money! Just dont ride on the spare long term.
I just had a issue like this. My friend and I where trying to figure out if it was a bearing or bad tires. In the end it was bearings. We never took the bearing issue for granted.
This happened to my Father with his car. He replaced the entire rear axle assembly, with one from a salvage yard. One of the drive axles was bent on the salvage yard one. Turns out that the noise was caused by a tire. He could have re-installed the original axle, but he would have had to pay extra for the labor.
Off topic, just did this. this pasted weekend. Before changing your battery or alternator. For dimming head lights while braking or just seeing your domes lights flickering.Press on the serpentine belt by the tensioner if your tensioner moves, Replace it.
Great overall explanation. I have a slight movement at 3 and 9 o'clock but not 6 and 12. I originally thought it was the wheel bearing. Now i know to check the tie rods. Thanks! I just assumed it was the bearing since i have 228k miles on my 2010 Rav4. I'll turn the wheel and hold the spring to see if i get any vibration.
Glad to see your back and making more videos. Have been watching you since I was 18 which was about 6 years ago. Thanks to your videos i learned how to work on cars and now do all repairs myself. All thanks to you keep up the great informative videos!
You can't spin the wheels like that and hear bearing noise over the dragging brakes unless the bearing is real worn. Sometimes bearings go bad and make noise before you can feel the play in the unloaded wheel. Ideally, you want to find the bad bearing before replacement is crucial.
If you’re really suspect it’s your wheel bearing please listen to this guy he knows what he’s talking about, I was getting a humming noise and it turned out to be uneven inner wear on my front tires!
If your mechanic don't check your tires before calling on some job needed he ain't honest, could be also a faulty rim/mag that got bent during an impact or unbalanced tire. If all these checks out then it's the bearings or maybe brake (often calliper guides pin jammed up)
Another way to test for noisy tires is to drive it on the road, if it makes noise then find a large flat area with grass drive it on the grass at the same speed usually around 20 miles an hour if the noise is gone then it's the tires, a friends jeep compass had this issue and that is how i diagnosed it
Great video keep making them I just like to add that I have seen a lot of rear tires go bad as set due to bad shocks in the back. they usually get bubles on the inside part of the tire,it is also called having chopped tires and they feel bumpy when you run your hands through them just like how he explained on the video. Best thing to do is to replace the shocks wich are causing the tires to chop on the inside get new tires and a alignment at the end.
I had what I thought were bad bearings on a first generation Scion xB. I bought a pair of new bearings and spend an entire day replacing them myself. It didn't fix the sound at all. But while I had the tires off I noticed that their tread was really cupped. So I bought a new set of tires and that completely solve the problem. Meanwhile the rear bearings did actually go out on my Scion FR-S. The sound is completely different. When you got bad tires, it's a kind of growling warbling weird sound. But when it's bad bearings it's a hum. A nice solid steady hum. What's kind of funny is we were standing next to a lady's car one day and as she and my wife talked I looked at her back tires, and you could see that her tires were cupped. I told her that it would make her car sound like the rear bearings were bad. Her response was, so that's what that sound is! I think the problem is with front-wheel drive cars the rear wheels eventually get cups because they last so long and aren't used to drive the car or anything. I think a simple solution would be to rotate your tires a little more regularly than I do.
Thought is was my wheel bearing going bad because of the growling noise, but after watching this and checking my tire, it was the tire going bad. Thanks
I've watched many of your videos , i gotta say i just appreciate how detailed you are , you don't cut to the chase ,your honest on knowledge as a mechanic , you are what a mechanic should be and you really, help many people like myself ,to save money on these DIY jobs and get it done Right . I Thank you from the bottom of my heart and i totally Appreciate all you help. God Bless you and yours Always ..I Sincerely mean that !
The way I like to describe a bad wheel bearing is if you were in a vehicle that has big tread tires on it going down the road. That humming sound you would hear if Bigfoot was driving on the road with big tires. it also sounds like you know those slits along the side of the road they use to wake you up if you happen to fall asleep and start to veer off the road? in a way it can kind of sound like those as well. It just would not be quite as loud
Bought an audio listening device on Amazon... Clipped a microphone to each wheel and plugged the cables into the listening unit... Put on the headphones... Drove down the road... Moved the listening switch from wheel #1 to #2 to #3 to #4... There was a lot of noise coming from the left front wheel... It was making noise as soon as the vehicle started moving... The other wheels were quiet and smooth... There are two new Michelin tires on the front so it wasn't a bad tire...
my auntie's Lexus had this bad tire noise. She got bad tires from Firestone. One of the tires are makeing bearing noise. Lucky for her, I found a full size spare tire in her trunk. It's Michelin !!! The oem uses Michelin on all four wheels. So I put on the spare tire, and Noise is gone ~~~~~~
He should also suggest that a bearing and tire noise sound a lot different. A choppy tire will have an inconsistant thump thump thump thump sound every time it hits the high/low spot that increases the faster you drive. A bad wheel bearing will have a very consistant hum that gets louder the faster you drive. Also can put the car on jackstands and spin each wheel can usually hear a bad bearing when you spin the wheel by hand, or feel it feeding back through the coil spring on the strut .
I had two bad wheel bearings. They were almost defining at 40mph. I had literally no play or noise in any of my tires when jacked up into the air. The springs felt fine as well but under load the noise was pretty obviously a wheel bearing finding which one was the real problem. Had to turn left and right on the highway listing for the noise to get louder. Had to replace both right bearings (thought it was the left side initially). Hell of a job on a 08 civic with pressed bearings and rusty hubs and snaprings.
Same with my 07 TSX. I don't know if both of the rears were bad but replaced them both. I suspected the right was bad and replaced that first. Noise was still happening so replaced the left and noise went away. No idea if both were bad or not. Some dealers will just say booth are bad if they have no clue which one it is. Ask my sister lol.
Great tip! I had a chinese tire on my F250 go bad. Lots of tire hop just around 40mph. Tire looked fine, no bulges. Took the truck in to get all four wheels balanced, and this one tire could not be balanced. Replaced the one tire and all is good.
I've had cords in tires separate before. It is easy to see or feel. Wheel bearings don't always have any play or sound except with weight on them while driving. I would rather not have ABS and have the old style wheel bearings that lasted forever.
Most definitely subscribed. I'm having this issue just replaced the front tires , have two old back tires I think that's it . But I'm going to follow your steps and find out. Just got two new front tires and all new brakes .
well, you just might saved me some bearings expenses. i lifter today the car, suspecting that the "strange " noise is coming from the bearings, or the brake disks, but i did not triet the spring vibration, and the tiers.. bumps. il lift it and trie that tomorow .thnx a lot
I changed the wrong wheel bearing I did not do that hold the strut spring test,now I know next time. I end up changing both sides and the humming noise is gone.Spend the whole Saturday changing it.
Awesome video as usual! Thanks for keeping it simple enough while still SHOWING the details. You're one of my favorite automotive channels because of this.
I once bought a set of wheels with some cheap brand tires on it (Sunny). They sounded exactly like worn bearings. Had them replaced by Michelin and the sound went away. Also found out that XL rated (dual radial) tires make more sounds like that then regular radial tires.
Also a stuck or sticky caliper can make a humming sound and cause the car to pull to a particular side. This feels and seems like a wheel bearing but is not. Usually happens more with rear calipers.
yes thats right once saved myself a lot of money when a main dealer diagnosed a bad wheel bearing. i went to another dealer and it turned out to be caused by a tyre not being round
That was me! :'( I was still learning about cars, but I ended up spending $600 on a wheel bearing, and still had the dang sound. Turns out, there was something stuck on my BACK tire (sounded like it was coming from the front).
Nice! Well done. I have an all wheel drive highlander. If the tires start getting a little old that thing gets a ton of road noise. New tires installed and quiet as can be. I think I would say in my experience that an all wheel drive is even noisier when the tires start getting bad.
Of course, a bad tire can also seem like an alignment or balance problem. I haven't tried it, but bet that you might be able to detect a significant difference in hub temps. on the same axle with a laser thermometer after driving the car, like checking for a dragging caliper.
If you suspect a bad wheel bearing, how about this for a test? Switch the wheels front and rear on the same side. If the noise and vibration switched ends, I'd call that a bad tire and/or wheel. I found a bent wheel in a car that way once.
I just replaced BOTH rear bearing assemblies on my Odyssey after having multiple people ride in it and tell me it's one of the rear bearings. Turns out it wasn't. Next step is to rotate the tires front to back to see if the noise moves. Sigh. Also, last time I ran my hand over a tire like that, I got cut by a nail that was in the tire even though it wasn't deep enough to cause a leak. Be careful out there.
Don't know if I caught mine early but other than noise the wheel had no other symptoms. Did all the other test & it seem fine. Replaced the bearing anyway & the noise stopped.
Yea a guy I know the car sounded like it was humming loudly like it was a bad bearing..so loud you couldn't hear the radio on normal. It wound up being his tires. Got different brand tires and it ran like it should...quiet and smooth.
Thanks Man for this Video. I have my Tesla Model Y Car ran into a Pothole my tire got flat, got a new tire and rebalanced, starting to Hear the whining noise specially when accelerating, tire and rims are good! Checked the Upper arm etc. looking good. so I guess its the wheel bearing for sure this time. But problem is nowhere to buy spare parts for tesla. Even Tesla is back order
Never heard of the spring trick before...gotta keep that in mind! I'm sure that there must be SOME tires made in China that aren't total junk but a few years back I bought a set of snow tires for my car (major name brand) and when they were delivered I saw they were made in China. Was tempted to send them back but didn't. Worst snow tires I ever owned...hard as a rock and lousy winter traction. Ended up finally replacing them with another brand (made in the US) and winter driving is much improved.
Like your videos and just want to share my experience with wheel bearings. I had the noise and was quite sure it was the bearing. Did all the stuff you show several time, while driving a few thousand kms in the car. I was never capable of confirm the fault by jacking up the car and doing what you do. Didn’t do the hand on spring thing though. Finally drove it to the mechanic and fixed it with a new bearing. Point - it’s not as easy to diagnose as I thought.
great video...I would add be very careful running your hands around the tires because sometimes metal or other sharp objects can be stuck in it and can cut you...also if the tire is really bad the steel belts can also stick out and cut or stab you....even with gloves on.
Good to know on how to check it out. How about if I hear noise while driving yet when I turn the wheel to the left, the noise disappears and it sounds like normal?
I had that problem on a Ford Explorer 2001, the noise was caused by tires unevenly worn. I solve my problem only by rotating tires. My tires were Firestone Destination.
So the tires on this car are basically brand new. Less than $3,500 mi on them at the most. They were a brand new set bought at a dealership. The car is a 2004 Toyota Corolla which was given to me by a friend who moved out of the country. I've only had this car for 3 months, but I've noticed it's super loud when it's being driven. It seems to be loudest around 45 miles an hour, but then it gets loud again around 65 to 70. I cannot tell if these are just loud tires, or if there's something going on with the bearings. Currently this car has around $250,000 miles on it. It was maintained perfectly. This woman took amazing care of this car! And it's like brand new inside. So I can't figure out what's going on here. With the amount of miles on it, I figure it could be bearings, but it's not shaking or doing anything else. It's just noise so that's why I'm suspicious it's tires. I did look online to see if these particular tires had a reputation of being loud but I can't find anything definitive. They are yokohama ascend gt...any ideas?
😂 I had Fuzion tires and they sucked!!! They were LOUD and wouldn’t balance. Finally got rid of them and went with GT Radials, cost less, quiet and made in the USA.
When you did the test w/tire rotation, can you check it w/only front tires in the air, or all 4 should be in the air. The bad wheel bearing (actually it is wheel bearing & hub assembly on 2003 Chevy Cavalier, I don't know if you can remove just wheel bearing itself from that assembly) were bad on the front. There was exactly that typical noise on driving straight. I replaced the original ones w/new aftermarket just bcs of the mileage (~100K) about 2 years ago. Now they both failed, mechanic on alignment told me and I replaced them for the original ones I saved. Again the original ones had no issue and when I rotated them, they were rotated smoothly. That knocking sound gone, the car drives straight smooth, but now on turn it gives whining-scratching sound when turning to the Left (occasionally), and loud grounding sound when turning on the right. I did another alignment in the Dealer, but that sound didn't go away, and they didn't give me any recommendations this time. What that can be? I would appreciate any opinions on this matter. Thank you for the informative film. Yes, and when the wheel bearing were bad I couldn't feel anything by shacking the wheel side to side on in vertical direction.
I run 20" low profile tyres, after about 5000km on a brand new set of Khumo tyres on the front, swapped out the front wheel bearings myself, easy job, but $600.00 later, still noisy. Tyre guy said "oh yeah, those tyres get noisy as they wear....." Don't sell me crap. Go to another store now and only use Pirreli's, just a personal preference.....
Another good indication it's a wheel bearing and not something else; when you go into a turn, if you turn towards the side the bad bearing is on, the noise goes away until you stop turning, and gets louder if you turn in the other direction. I.e. your right bearing would stop growling for the moment in a right hand turn. Left hand louder. It's because of the weight being put on/taken off of the wheel when you go into a turn or manoeuvre.
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This man has integrity! He's an extremely smart, talented, and very honest mechanic. Love your videos and I wish you and your family the best of the best! I'm a huge fan!
All the thumbs down are from slimy mechanics who don’t like when honest mechanics expose them.
@@76kamikazi agreed
100% agree with you....
Are you him? Lol
@@elonmusk9666 haha no my good sir I'm not.
Chingon! I've made the mistake of replacing parts that didn't fix my problem haha. A smart man with integrity is hard to find. Gracias for your videos.
Hey no cursing.
@@Twobarpsi 😂😂
@@ChavezDIY 😃
@@Twobarpsithat’s not cursing 🤬 that’s a compliment
Warning! Just be careful running your hand along the tire with a buldge, sometimes the tire has exposed steel belt.
Good call. Nitrile gloves are so useful. Much better to tear a glove than your skin. I always wear gloves when I can, and not because I'm afraid of getting dirty. I still get dirty, but it let's me keep my tools cleaner and has saved my skin many times.
@@TheConstantComet Plus the wife or GF will appreciate not having greasy hands and finger nails touching her .
@@johnlopez3001 that's sweet :)
😟 why did you remind me.........
@@johnlopez3001 yes!! My gosh I have worked on so many cars and lost of from working without gloves...
I had this issue with Michelin tires 5 year old with less than 20k on them. Apparently not driving and leaving the car sitting generated this issue. Who knew tires that were not worn out could make such loud humming noise. So after spending $900 for 4 new tires the sounds has gone away and the car is a pleasure to drive again. Thanks for confirming I am not the only one with this issue
Rotating tires can also help determine whether it's a tire noise or bearing. If the noise moves after rotating the tires, it's a good indicator of tire noise.
This happened to me, now I know
Worth mentioning, especially if you live in an area prone to many or deep potholes in roads, check to make sure your brake backing plate(if any) are not damaged. I thought for a while I had a bad wheel bearing because I was hearing noise, turned out to be the backing plate was bent inward and rubbing on the rotor causing the noise, just bent back with pliers and was fine. Hope it helps
You mean a dust cover?
Relaxed guy, no music, good talker, good craftsman, like watching your tube ;)
🤨
Glad I ran into your video before taking my car to the mechanic. Found a massive crack/split on the inside of both front tires by doing the inspection you showed. Probably saved myself $300-400 and a whole day of my car at the mechanic. Thanks a bunch for making this video!
Also, before thinking about replacing the bearing, there usually an option to buy a bearing and hub together for $50 more but much much easier DIY friendly install.
Toyota wanted 305 for the hub assembly
One thing you didn't mention that I will mention now is also to do with the tires and not the bearing. Some tires have a tread and compound that will make for a lot of "road noise". I have all seasons and I get typical noise from driving because of the tread pattern. When I switch to my winter tires, the noise is much more pronounced. Big time. The sound goes away when I switch back to my all seasons.
My winter tires are brand new and they are in immaculate condition, by the way. So are my bearings.
So in some cases, the type of tire you have can lead to a humming/howling sound similar to what people would mistake as a bearing issue. Up here in Canada, the noise gets even more pronounced the colder it gets as the rubber stiffens.
So it may not always be a bad bearing or even a bad tire - it may also be just the type of tire and the weather as well. Something to be cognizant of. :)
This is hilarious you made this video. I had 3 alignments done on my car. The car STILL PULLED. The shop swapped the front tires left to right, and the pull changed sides. Brand new BF Goodrich tires. Manufacturing defect made the tire conical. Causing a pull because of a misaligned belt. You couldn't see the defect because it's internal. Talk about MADDENING!
David Hammett - Infuriating is right!! I was in the automotive/truck industry for 37 years, specializing in front end and suspensions. I found defective tires causing handling, vibration and noise issues SO often! Tires are a bad place to save money, and have recommended Michelin and Toyo tires for years. Even these can see an occasional failure, but they’re ROUND and easily balanced from day one.
Bf Goodrich sucks on 195-65-15 size that go out of round after a while.And start making noise.
Hopefully i can get a reply...i have this issue with my car pulling to the right. First thought is was the tires ( recently had bought new ones) and removed them, inspected them, and they looked perfect! But still a pull to the right with a wobble. Got an alignment, rotated the tires, and re-balanced. Now there is no wobble but still a pull to the right! I drive a 2004 acura tl. Someone plz help.
@@juliovasquez8718 try swapping your front tires left to right, if the pull changed sides, one of those is bad. In my case I think more than 1 of my tires is bad. I also have an 07 Acura TL. It's been aligned 3 times, and they said it's my tires. They have 11k miles on them. Apparently it's very common for manufacturers to sell "conical" tires. And if there is a large difference between sides, it causes the pull. Apparently Acura TL is super sensitive to this pull. It's dangerous, Because I constantly have to keep pressure on the wheel, to avoid other traffic. But this is the U.S. government regulations working. Psh.
@@ua7pyro591 thanks will do! Yeh my tires only have 9k on them if that..and yes very dangerous im constantly doing the same holding it alittle to the left and as soon as i let go hard right! Nothing more perfect than finding this video and comment section today! Thanks @DavidHammett
gr8 video, sweet I saw it a couple months ago. around 2 years my wife drove her car with a flat and stuff the tyre up. I replaced with a second hand tyre. well it had wheel bearing noise, which got worst a few months ago. paid $150 for a new bearing hub online, I jacked the car up to find a thick bolt in the tyre with the head wear off. (the increase in noise for last month) So I went and replace the back tyres as the other was near the end of it life too. Drive home and no noise. now I struck with a new bearing.
When no test is perfect, you get multiple pathways to diagnosis. Even professionals sometimes have trouble making the correct diagnosis.
Do the cheap one first.
@spelunkerd. great advice, as always from you.
Hi just thought booth rear bearings were gone on a used car we just purchased. Saw your video and to my astonishment I tried the feeling the surface of booth rear tires, that looked good.....booth were bad ,you saved me $300. I was just going to order them online......Thank you
You saved my aaasss! I was shopping for new wheel hubs and looking for the procedure when your video popped up. Found that the inner liner had been bowed out due to a previous accident. It's on the right side and I only heard the noise turning left, classic wheel bearing, but the mind explosion you gave me solved the problem and a bunch of time and money. I appreciate the video!
This guy knows what he is talking about. Noises can be difficult to deal with. Thanks for your tips.
Here's a tip! If you think it's a bad tire switch it out with the spare or rotate them to see if the sound changes location. This is a free test to save everyone money! Just dont ride on the spare long term.
I just had a issue like this. My friend and I where trying to figure out if it was a bearing or bad tires. In the end it was bearings. We never took the bearing issue for granted.
Changed wheel bearing and it turned out it was the damn tire all along.
Same thing happened to me. Didn't find out until I got a blowout on the highway.
The other way around,Changed all four tires but it was the ball bearings.
This happened to my Father with his car. He replaced the entire rear axle assembly, with one from a salvage yard. One of the drive axles was bent on the salvage yard one. Turns out that the noise was caused by a tire. He could have re-installed the original axle, but he would have had to pay extra for the labor.
@@kmath50 so, he's driving with a bent axle...not making sense.
@@ernieestrada5774 Once he found out that the drive axle was bent, he had it replaced. It was cheaper to do that, than to swap the axle assembly.
Thank you. You did exactly what you said you would do. Just one quibble. Please elaborate on what you felt and found with the bad tire.
A big quibble. He glazed over it like he was stoned.
Off topic, just did this. this pasted weekend. Before changing your battery or alternator. For dimming head lights while braking or just seeing your domes lights flickering.Press on the serpentine belt by the tensioner if your tensioner moves, Replace it.
Great overall explanation. I have a slight movement at 3 and 9 o'clock but not 6 and 12. I originally thought it was the wheel bearing. Now i know to check the tie rods. Thanks! I just assumed it was the bearing since i have 228k miles on my 2010 Rav4. I'll turn the wheel and hold the spring to see if i get any vibration.
Mine is major thumping noise. Getting worse, but no wobble, and the noise is getting louder. 2000 Ford focus (2 door, hatchback).
Great tip on the checking for a bad wheel bearing by feeling the vibration on a coil spring!
Glad to see your back and making more videos. Have been watching you since I was 18 which was about 6 years ago. Thanks to your videos i learned how to work on cars and now do all repairs myself. All thanks to you keep up the great informative videos!
You can't spin the wheels like that and hear bearing noise over the dragging brakes unless the bearing is real worn. Sometimes bearings go bad and make noise before you can feel the play in the unloaded wheel. Ideally, you want to find the bad bearing before replacement is crucial.
If you’re really suspect it’s your wheel bearing please listen to this guy he knows what he’s talking about, I was getting a humming noise and it turned out to be uneven inner wear on my front tires!
Unlike some other bad mouthing Toyota fanboys on their channels this mechanic is spot on and he knows his stuff. Thumbs up!!
If your mechanic don't check your tires before calling on some job needed he ain't honest, could be also a faulty rim/mag that got bent during an impact or unbalanced tire. If all these checks out then it's the bearings or maybe brake (often calliper guides pin jammed up)
Another way to test for noisy tires is to drive it on the road, if it makes noise then find a large flat area with grass drive it on the grass at the same speed usually around 20 miles an hour if the noise is gone then it's the tires, a friends jeep compass had this issue and that is how i diagnosed it
Great video keep making them I just like to add that
I have seen a lot of rear tires go bad as set due to bad shocks in the back. they usually get bubles on the inside part of the tire,it is also called having chopped tires and they feel bumpy when you run your hands through them just like how he explained on the video.
Best thing to do is to replace the shocks wich are causing the tires to chop on the inside get new tires and a alignment at the end.
I had what I thought were bad bearings on a first generation Scion xB. I bought a pair of new bearings and spend an entire day replacing them myself. It didn't fix the sound at all. But while I had the tires off I noticed that their tread was really cupped. So I bought a new set of tires and that completely solve the problem. Meanwhile the rear bearings did actually go out on my Scion FR-S. The sound is completely different. When you got bad tires, it's a kind of growling warbling weird sound. But when it's bad bearings it's a hum. A nice solid steady hum.
What's kind of funny is we were standing next to a lady's car one day and as she and my wife talked I looked at her back tires, and you could see that her tires were cupped. I told her that it would make her car sound like the rear bearings were bad. Her response was, so that's what that sound is! I think the problem is with front-wheel drive cars the rear wheels eventually get cups because they last so long and aren't used to drive the car or anything. I think a simple solution would be to rotate your tires a little more regularly than I do.
Thank you for this video. I have sent it to my mechanic, I just pray he comprehends all you said here.
We here a wobble sound at low speeds. It goes away if you turn right while driving. It’s on front passenger. Changed tires already.
Every time I watch when your videos of your straight to the point no BSalways feel like I learned something from you and ty very much
Also check for LOOSE LUGNUTS!
They do make the same sound, happens more often than one thinks ...
Thank you, nice to see you! I've had fuzion touring tires, they're junk
Thought is was my wheel bearing going bad because of the growling noise, but after watching this and checking my tire, it was the tire going bad. Thanks
Lipped brake rotors can sound like failed bearings too.
True!
I've watched many of your videos , i gotta say i just appreciate how detailed you are , you don't cut to the chase ,your honest on knowledge as a mechanic , you are what a mechanic should be and you really, help many people like myself ,to save money on these DIY jobs and get it done Right . I Thank you from the bottom of my heart and i totally Appreciate all you help. God Bless you and yours Always ..I Sincerely mean that !
The way I like to describe a bad wheel bearing is if you were in a vehicle that has big tread tires on it going down the road. That humming sound you would hear if Bigfoot was driving on the road with big tires. it also sounds like you know those slits along the side of the road they use to wake you up if you happen to fall asleep and start to veer off the road? in a way it can kind of sound like those as well. It just would not be quite as loud
I’ve been subscribed for 2 years about and I thought you just stopped making videos. RUclips needs to fix their issues
It's good to see a video again. I always learn something when I stop by.
Bought an audio listening device on Amazon... Clipped a microphone to each wheel and plugged the cables into the listening unit... Put on the headphones... Drove down the road... Moved the listening switch from wheel #1 to #2 to #3 to #4... There was a lot of noise coming from the left front wheel... It was making noise as soon as the vehicle started moving... The other wheels were quiet and smooth... There are two new Michelin tires on the front so it wasn't a bad tire...
Link to product?
my auntie's Lexus had this bad tire noise. She got bad tires from Firestone. One of the tires are makeing bearing noise. Lucky for her, I found a full size spare tire in her trunk. It's Michelin !!! The oem uses Michelin on all four wheels. So I put on the spare tire, and Noise is gone ~~~~~~
Thank you brother. found the bad tired. changed it and the noise is gone.
He should also suggest that a bearing and tire noise sound a lot different. A choppy tire will have an inconsistant thump thump thump thump sound every time it hits the high/low spot that increases the faster you drive. A bad wheel bearing will have a very consistant hum that gets louder the faster you drive. Also can put the car on jackstands and spin each wheel can usually hear a bad bearing when you spin the wheel by hand, or feel it feeding back through the coil spring on the strut .
Also if you have a bad wheel bearing the noise will decrease when turning to the right meaning it’s a bad bearing on the right and vice versa
I have never heard of checking for vibration by touching the spring and spinning the tire, great video!!
I had two bad wheel bearings. They were almost defining at 40mph. I had literally no play or noise in any of my tires when jacked up into the air. The springs felt fine as well but under load the noise was pretty obviously a wheel bearing finding which one was the real problem. Had to turn left and right on the highway listing for the noise to get louder. Had to replace both right bearings (thought it was the left side initially). Hell of a job on a 08 civic with pressed bearings and rusty hubs and snaprings.
Same with my 07 TSX. I don't know if both of the rears were bad but replaced them both. I suspected the right was bad and replaced that first. Noise was still happening so replaced the left and noise went away. No idea if both were bad or not. Some dealers will just say booth are bad if they have no clue which one it is. Ask my sister lol.
i cant find the bearing or the spin balance; But I do hear it on smooth residential roads. two mechs say ; just wait till it gets worse: :)
A1C
I learned this after changing rear bearing and spending 750 dollars. The problem was tires. Thanks for the video
😂😂😂
That’s what mine is doing and just checked and it’s the tires. Now I am watching this videos 😁
Great tip! I had a chinese tire on my F250 go bad. Lots of tire hop just around 40mph. Tire looked fine, no bulges. Took the truck in to get all four wheels balanced, and this one tire could not be balanced. Replaced the one tire and all is good.
I've had cords in tires separate before. It is easy to see or feel. Wheel bearings don't always have any play or sound except with weight on them while driving. I would rather not have ABS and have the old style wheel bearings that lasted forever.
Yeah that true it happened to my car , when I changed the tire no noise and it drives very smooth.
Most definitely subscribed. I'm having this issue just replaced the front tires , have two old back tires I think that's it . But I'm going to follow your steps and find out. Just got two new front tires and all new brakes .
well, you just might saved me some bearings expenses. i lifter today the car, suspecting that the "strange " noise is coming from the bearings, or the brake disks, but i did not triet the spring vibration, and the tiers.. bumps. il lift it and trie that tomorow .thnx a lot
Hey I have a question. Why is my car right front wheel push more to the front than the other tire on the left?
I changed the wrong wheel bearing I did not do that hold the strut spring test,now I know next time. I end up changing both sides and the humming noise is gone.Spend the whole Saturday changing it.
Hands down, you have the best car repair/info/diagnosis videos on RUclips.
Glad to see you back!
Awesome video as usual! Thanks for keeping it simple enough while still SHOWING the details. You're one of my favorite automotive channels because of this.
I once bought a set of wheels with some cheap brand tires on it (Sunny). They sounded exactly like worn bearings. Had them replaced by Michelin and the sound went away. Also found out that XL rated (dual radial) tires make more sounds like that then regular radial tires.
Also a stuck or sticky caliper can make a humming sound and cause the car to pull to a particular side. This feels and seems like a wheel bearing but is not. Usually happens more with rear calipers.
yes thats right once saved myself a lot of money when a main dealer diagnosed a bad wheel bearing. i went to another dealer and it turned out to be caused by a tyre not being round
That was me! :'(
I was still learning about cars, but I ended up spending $600 on a wheel bearing, and still had the dang sound. Turns out, there was something stuck on my BACK tire (sounded like it was coming from the front).
Nice! Well done. I have an all wheel drive highlander. If the tires start getting a little old that thing gets a ton of road noise. New tires installed and quiet as can be. I think I would say in my experience that an all wheel drive is even noisier when the tires start getting bad.
There’s rock that some how got behind my brake pad and it sounded like bad wheel bearing, my mechanic removed the rocks and noise disappeared.
Of course, a bad tire can also seem like an alignment or balance problem. I haven't tried it, but bet that you might be able to detect a significant difference in hub temps. on the same axle with a laser thermometer after driving the car, like checking for a dragging caliper.
If you suspect a bad wheel bearing, how about this for a test? Switch the wheels front and rear on the same side. If the noise and vibration switched ends, I'd call that a bad tire and/or wheel. I found a bent wheel in a car that way once.
Good show. Loving the background, it's like you're in the garden of Eden working on cars.
What do you feel on the tire that indicates that it's bad?
I just replaced BOTH rear bearing assemblies on my Odyssey after having multiple people ride in it and tell me it's one of the rear bearings. Turns out it wasn't. Next step is to rotate the tires front to back to see if the noise moves. Sigh. Also, last time I ran my hand over a tire like that, I got cut by a nail that was in the tire even though it wasn't deep enough to cause a leak. Be careful out there.
Don't know if I caught mine early but other than noise the wheel had no other symptoms. Did all the other test & it seem fine. Replaced the bearing anyway & the noise stopped.
Yea a guy I know the car sounded like it was humming loudly like it was a bad bearing..so loud you couldn't hear the radio on normal. It wound up being his tires. Got different brand tires and it ran like it should...quiet and smooth.
Thanks Man for this Video. I have my Tesla Model Y Car ran into a Pothole my tire got flat, got a new tire and rebalanced, starting to Hear the whining noise specially when accelerating, tire and rims are good! Checked the Upper arm etc. looking good. so I guess its the wheel bearing for sure this time.
But problem is nowhere to buy spare parts for tesla. Even Tesla is back order
Never heard of the spring trick before...gotta keep that in mind! I'm sure that there must be SOME tires made in China that aren't total junk but a few years back I bought a set of snow tires for my car (major name brand) and when they were delivered I saw they were made in China. Was tempted to send them back but didn't. Worst snow tires I ever owned...hard as a rock and lousy winter traction. Ended up finally replacing them with another brand (made in the US) and winter driving is much improved.
Like your videos and just want to share my experience with wheel bearings.
I had the noise and was quite sure it was the bearing. Did all the stuff you show several time, while driving a few thousand kms in the car. I was never capable of confirm the fault by jacking up the car and doing what you do. Didn’t do the hand on spring thing though. Finally drove it to the mechanic and fixed it with a new bearing.
Point - it’s not as easy to diagnose as I thought.
Did it only hum at highway speed in pulses?
@ don’t remember. It’s too long ago,
great video...I would add be very careful running your hands around the tires because sometimes metal or other sharp objects can be stuck in it and can cut you...also if the tire is really bad the steel belts can also stick out and cut or stab you....even with gloves on.
Your videos are awesome. Many thanks from your viewers here in the U.K.
I had loose lug nuts on a front wheel diagnosed as a bad wheel bearing.
Good to know on how to check it out. How about if I hear noise while driving yet when I turn the wheel to the left, the noise disappears and it sounds like normal?
I'm glad your channel is doing good bro! Props for the quality content Joe Mantegna!
Noise started for me after put new tires on cruiser..so coud be BAD tire..ill have to check again..thanX
I had the problem with some Nitto tires. Made crazy noise. Changed all my bearings and still same thing. Wished I had seen this video first.
Thank you for posting this! I'm been wondering my bearings are going out, now I know how to check them.
We miss you Ratchets
Usually humming noise is a CV joint,Tyres or a bad wheel bearing.
you saved me a lot of money today, thank you.
I had that problem on a Ford Explorer 2001, the noise was caused by tires unevenly worn. I solve my problem only by rotating tires. My tires were Firestone Destination.
Im watching this while im having the same problem and was planning to do my bearings. Thanks man.
So the tires on this car are basically brand new. Less than $3,500 mi on them at the most. They were a brand new set bought at a dealership. The car is a 2004 Toyota Corolla which was given to me by a friend who moved out of the country. I've only had this car for 3 months, but I've noticed it's super loud when it's being driven. It seems to be loudest around 45 miles an hour, but then it gets loud again around 65 to 70. I cannot tell if these are just loud tires, or if there's something going on with the bearings. Currently this car has around $250,000 miles on it. It was maintained perfectly. This woman took amazing care of this car! And it's like brand new inside. So I can't figure out what's going on here. With the amount of miles on it, I figure it could be bearings, but it's not shaking or doing anything else. It's just noise so that's why I'm suspicious it's tires. I did look online to see if these particular tires had a reputation of being loud but I can't find anything definitive. They are yokohama ascend gt...any ideas?
😂 I had Fuzion tires and they sucked!!! They were LOUD and wouldn’t balance. Finally got rid of them and went with GT Radials, cost less, quiet and made in the USA.
This was very helpful info. Your channel has taught me a lot.
Thank you! My Audi started making a loud humming noise. I’ll try doing this first.
When you did the test w/tire rotation, can you check it w/only front tires in the air, or all 4 should be in the air. The bad wheel bearing (actually it is wheel bearing & hub assembly on 2003 Chevy Cavalier, I don't know if you can remove just wheel bearing itself from that assembly) were bad on the front. There was exactly that typical noise on driving straight. I replaced the original ones w/new aftermarket just bcs of the mileage (~100K) about 2 years ago. Now they both failed, mechanic on alignment told me and I replaced them for the original ones I saved. Again the original ones had no issue and when I rotated them, they were rotated smoothly. That knocking sound gone, the car drives straight smooth, but now on turn it gives whining-scratching sound when turning to the Left (occasionally), and loud grounding sound when turning on the right. I did another alignment in the Dealer, but that sound didn't go away, and they didn't give me any recommendations this time. What that can be? I would appreciate any opinions on this matter. Thank you for the informative film. Yes, and when the wheel bearing were bad I couldn't feel anything by shacking the wheel side to side on in vertical direction.
I run 20" low profile tyres, after about 5000km on a brand new set of Khumo tyres on the front, swapped out the front wheel bearings myself, easy job, but $600.00 later, still noisy. Tyre guy said "oh yeah, those tyres get noisy as they wear....." Don't sell me crap. Go to another store now and only use Pirreli's, just a personal preference.....
You always have great video's. I don't watch you enough! Thank you. You are a great teacher and obviously a skilled mechanic and troubleshooter.
Another good indication it's a wheel bearing and not something else; when you go into a turn, if you turn towards the side the bad bearing is on, the noise goes away until you stop turning, and gets louder if you turn in the other direction. I.e. your right bearing would stop growling for the moment in a right hand turn. Left hand louder. It's because of the weight being put on/taken off of the wheel when you go into a turn or manoeuvre.
Thanks for some great tips! I love these kind of hand feel diagnosis techniques