Forgive me, i'm not very mechanical. My terminology may not be what you're all used to...

My issue started with new tires about six months ago. I got four new tires with heavy duty side walls for my 2000 LS 4WD two-door. At that time they felt out of balance. I went back two more times for rebalancing. Nothing seemed to remedy the rub.

At the same time getting new tires, I got new brakes and had the rotors turned. The pads are ceramic. At low-speed braking, while the truck is cold, I get a mild grinding noise from the front driver's wheel. I thought it could be a warped rotor. A friend (dealership mechanic) who does all my work assured me the rotors are primo. I saw them myself, they're fine. Anyway, I can feel the grinding in my foot when softly depressing the brake pedal. It's not a constant grind/scrape. It comes and goes; it's as if there is one rough spot that, when it passes the brake pad, it grinds as it goes by. When slowly rolling to a stop, it almost seems to creak as well? But again, the rotor is smooth.

Now, in the last month, I am getting a whirring, helicopter-like sound from the same front driver's wheel at all times and speeds, and the grinding persists. But now the grinding continues after the truck is warm. Originally it would go away after everything heats up.

My mechanic/friend told me the whirring sound could be the rough ride from the new tires that have the heavy duty side walls. But wouldn't the whirring sound would be coming from all four tires? I also think it's not an issue with the individual tire because they were rotated. the tire and rim are moved, but the noise/rub/grind/whir stays at the front driver's side wheel.

Creaking? Rubbing? Whirring? Grinding? Scraping?

Could it be a ball joint? Wheel bearing? Is it really just the tires? And what about that creaking when rolling to a stop? Could moving parts be seized up, causing all of this? I had a seized U-joint on my drive shaft once before, but that was near the rear end of the truck.

Help!!!

 

Could very well be a wheel bearing..I've replaced2 on my truck (and a whole rear end) which is a 2000 with 135,000 miles on it...I think wheel bearing sounds more like a soft roar though..If you do a search you will find the info on how to tell if it's a ball joint or wheel bearing..I'm sure you will get some more help!

 

Sounds like a bad wheel bearing in your hub assembly. Like Karin said, though, a bad wheel bearing will sound more like a thump every time the wheel makes a revolution. The sound will also get faster and louder with speed. It's about $150 for the part and installation isn't difficult. You could find a "How-to" on this sight or have your buddy install it.

It doesn't really sound like ball joints. Bad ball joints would give you a high-pitched squeak whenever the front of the truckbounced up and down.

If the sound is indeed the brakes, try some orange goo in the little clear bottle that you can find at your local Advance Auto store. It reduces the noise of pad to rotor contact. Try taking the shoe and caliper apart and investigate to see if there isn't a metal clip on your brake pad which is sticking out and striking your rotor when the caliper activates.

If none of that works, I'm sure there's somebody else around here with more ideas.

 

Synergy Offroad has a good price on wheel bearings if it turns out to be that...

You could always try the brake quieting stuff first, it's cheaper... But there's a good chance it's your wheel bearing...

 

Wow, only $85. I could have sworn I paid around $130 for mine. That's pretty good!

 

They're also the company that makes Timken bearings... Without the Timken name, which is why they're cheaper.

 

These are the same bearings that are produced by Kasper IndustriesWheel Bearings International division out of ******* MI. Even cheaper here:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Chevr...spagenameZWDVW

Read the About ME and scroll to the link The manufacture of my bearings

 

thanks for the suggestions; it was my front driver wheel bearing. all fixed!

 

thanks for the info!

- i had a grinding/squealing noise coming from the front end

- determined it was the passenger tire (laid on hood while wife drove up to ten mph)

- got a new bearing/hub assembly from orieleys that normally sells for $140 for $84.95 after they price matched that ad ^^^^

thanks for the helpful site and knowledgable advice