Chirpy squeak from driver's side wheel

[lobo411]

1996 Explorer w/ 4.0 and 180,000 mi. 4x2. I've got a chirpy squeak from my driver's side wheel. It's quiet from 0-10 mph, and erratic above that speed. The faster you go the more insistent it gets, but turning, braking, coasting, or accelerating doesn't affect it. Speed is the only determinant.

I thought maybe it was a wheel bearing, but youtube videos make that sound more like a droning. I repacked them with grease about 10 years ago, purely as overkill.

I'm hoping it's just a worn brake pad, but shouldn't the sound change when I apply the brakes if that's the case? The pads are 6 year old semi-metallics w/ about 30k on them. I know front pads wear faster, but I'd still think they're kinda too new to be worn out already.

Other ideas: The rubber on all the control arm and ball joint bushings is shot, but I can't imagine that's the problem. The sound is too rotational.

The rotors are galled from years of use but I don't see anything severe (as in a stuck caliper), but I guess I can't be sure until I get the wheel off. Other ideas?

 

[BrooklynBay]

Take off the wheels to inspect everything.

 

[lobo411]

Thanks for the reply! I'm gonna take the wheels off in a bit, but...this morning I slathered silicone grease on the tie rod ends, sway bar links, shock absorber mounts, and all bushings covering the control arm and ball joints where they meet the wheel.

The wheel still made the noise at all speeds from 5-75 for the first 10 mins of a 15 min cruise, but then, miraculously, it disappeared 10 mins in! I drove around some more, and the noise is gone.

I guess the silicone grease worked its way into one of the above items and that's where the clicky/squeaky/chirpy sound was coming from. I don't get it...the noise sounded totally rotational to me, and it definitely was speed-dependent so I'm really surprised.

 

[BrooklynBay]

Replace the rubber boots to keep the grease in, and the dirt out.