"whirring" noise

[BrandonB8]

I have a '95 XLT and am having an intermittent noise that seems to be coming from the driver's side front tire area. The noise sounds like a cross between a bird noise and a oscillating fan on high. It sounds rotational with it being able to be heard the best at 5-10 mph. It can be heard up to speeds around 30mph. It continues with deceleration until the vehicle stops. I have searched this forum for about two months now and have not found anything that seems to diagnose the problem. I am not sure if it is the dust boot cover noise, a bearing going out, or something else. It does not sound like a metallic grinding noise so I don't think it is a bearing. I had the tires rotated and balanced, presssure checked, and have tried to push the tires in and out to "check" the bearings. I also changed the brake pads. The noise seems to come and go which makes me think it may be the boot covers. It is really annoying to not be able to find this problem and fix it. If anyone has had this problem fixed, I would appreciate any information as to the cause. Thanks in advance.

 

[Alec]

I would have the bearings checked just to be sure. I had a similar problem a few months ago, checked everything myself and found nothing wrong, then my wheel fell off a few days later!

 

[BrandonB8]

Thanks for the quick reply. Did the noise I described sound similar to yours. I am kinda worried about the tire falling off, but the auto hubs are about 200 bucks and if I take it somewhere I am afraid they will tell me they need to be replaced just to make money. Being 23, the mechanics love to see people my age come in.

 

[Alec]

Honestly, I don't remember the exact sound.