Right Front Wheel Hum

[bwingler]

I have a 93 X 4x4 auto hubs, AT. I replaced the wheel bearings inner and outer along with the races. I replaced the front shocks. Ball joints are good. I have a hum in the right front wheel at all speeds and vibration at highway speed. The tires are new all the way around. Goodyear Wranglers. Also when i hit a bump it feels like the right front wheel thumps or bottoms out, The spring looks fine. The hum goes away with a slight turn of the steering wheel to the left. The vehcile pulls to the right. I was told that the tie rod ends are bad by a shop. It is a hum and not a whine. I have had bad wheel bearings before and the sound is different. Any ideas? This is driving me up a wall. The hum was the reason for wheel bearing replacement. It did not start after replacement, It just did not go away. No difference in hum.

Thanks,
Barry

 

[mikeinri]

Don't want to assume anything. Are the wheels balanced and have you done an alignment recently?

I would also look at the caliper and make sure it's not frozen.

Mike

 

[little x]

a U-joint starting to go bad maybe?

 

[awood]

Perhaps you have two issues here. First, there's another bearing in there...the spindle bearing if I'm not mistaken. It's a roller bearing that carries your front axle drive shaft through the spindle...different than the tapered bearings for your wheel. Replacement requires the axle to be pulled out. That could be the source of the humming. Next, the thumping is likely the Radius Arm bushings. Mine did the same thing. The right side is especially prone to the bushing going bad due to heat. The exhaust is very close to the bushing and the heat shield isn't adequate. When the bushing deteriorates, you're getting metal-to-metal contact on the arm, and if not corrected, it will be ruined in a short time.

 

[bwingler]

Thanks awood. You are correct. The radius arm bushings are shot. I did not know about the other bearing. Since i have to replace the RA bushings might as well replace the bearing. Still have major issues i think. I am going to post another thread.

Thanks Alot

 

[DeRocha]

Its very doubtful the spindle bearing is the source of your humming noise. The spindle bearing is a caged roller bearing within the spindle, but the axle shaft only rotates if your in 4x4 or the hubs are locked.

Most front end noises are related to Bad autohubs, or wheel bearings. Who changed out your wheel bearings and did the bearings get correctly torqued? How did you autohubs look? How much grease is in the hubs? Do any areas of the hub's splines show burrs or wear marks?

 

[bwingler]

Hi DeRocha, I changed my wheel bearings and yes they are properly torqued. I used the right ford grease. The autohubs look ok i quess. I do have a 91 for parts, it does not have the hum so i guess i could try the hub off of it. I did not see any burrs or worn spots on the spline. Could the bad RA bushing cause the hum? It is the same side.

 

[Mud Bug 94]

some new tires hum more than others...my$.02

 

[Mud Bug 94]

R/A bushungs wont cause hum but can lead to a pull or wander...

 

[DeRocha]

Did you grease the autohubs, if so how much grease did you put in? Have you tried going into 4x4? If the hub is the culprit engaging 4x4 can change or stop the noise you're hearing. Humming noises are related to constant motion as such the RA will have nothing to do with it... Worn RA bushings will cause noise (tell tail thump under the driver or passenger's feet) whenever you kit a bump in the road, or take a corner.

 

[gfisch]

Did you manage to figure out the cause of the problem?

I am having the exact same problem; a hum from the front right that seems to disappear when slightly turning to the left.

I was trying to determine if it is the hub bearings, axel/cv joint, or something else.

Thanks.

 

[DeRocha]

Did you manage to figure out the cause of the problem?

I am having the exact same problem; a hum from the front right that seems to disappear when slightly turning to the left.

I was trying to determine if it is the hub bearings, axel/cv joint, or something else.

Thanks.

You are posting in the 1st gen forum (91-94). You will get better results posting in the correct forum as the front end components are very different between 1st and 2nd generation Explorers.

 

[awood]

Its very doubtful the spindle bearing is the source of your humming noise. The spindle bearing is a caged roller bearing within the spindle, but the axle shaft only rotates if your in 4x4 or the hubs are locked.

Yes, I guess you're right on that point. Back to the tapered wheel bearings... You said you replaced them...did you replace the bearing "races" too. It's very important you replace them together.

 

[DeRocha]

Yes, I guess you're right on that point. Back to the tapered wheel bearings... You said you replaced them...did you replace the bearing "races" too. It's very important you replace them together.

Some members don't use new races, but (IMO) bearings and races need to be replaced at the same time. It maybe okay if your truck is mostly low speed off-road, but having new bearings contact old race surfaces will shorten the life of the bearings (especially at highway speeds).

As such when I replaced my rotors (which came with new races) I installed all new bearings and seals.. Check out my Dana 35 Restoration Thread for info and pics.

 

[bwingler]

Hi All,
My hum on the right side was caused by the left side wheel bearing. It fell apart. Replaced the races and bearings and now it is fine. no hum at all and handles so much better.

Barry

 

[mikeinri]

FWIW, I never re-use rotors. Drums maybe, but never rotors. Whenever I need to do a brake job, everything goes: rotors (with races), pads, slide pins, bearings and seals. OK, everything except calipers unless they're binding. Clean and lube the auto hubs, and good to go.

When I do rear brakes, I may re-use the drums, but always replace the pads, hardware, and wheel cylinders.

Of course, I usually run the brakes to the very end of their life, but I find it much easier and faster to go to the store once, plus I have the peace of mind that everything is new. I also really, really hate to have to go back in within a few months (that's happened to me before with wheel cylinders that sprung a leak 4 months after I had done the rear brakes on another car).

Mike

 

[awood]

Thanks for the feedback on the fix. Feedback is always appreciated.

 

[gfisch]

Yup, the bearing was the problem on mine too (right side).

Well, happy its working again. Can actually drive on the highway without feeling like I'll go deaf.