Could use an expert opinion
 

Hi All-

This is my first post. Thanks for welcoming me to the board.

I have a 2002 Blazer. I hear a very low, higher-pitched whining/humming when driving. The noise is most obvious while slowing down or decelerating. It is hardly noticeable while accelerating. Its usually worse after a cold night. When stopping the noise disappears, and winds up or down depending on speed.

I do not think its the transmission. Would anybody have any idea of what this could be? From searching around Ive seen answers ranging from transmission to a bad rear.

I really appreciate any advice.

Thanks,
Jim

Several possibilities, can you tell what area the noise comes from?

Thank you for the reply.

It seems to be coming from closer to the rear almost directly in the middle.

Its worse in cold weather. I just drove out to lunch and it warmed up and the noise was noticeably quieter. It mainly happens when decelerating and is somewhat inconsistent. Some days are worse than others.

Rear is my first guess. A whine is not as bad as a howl, so it may just be low on gear oil (be sure to look for why if that is the case). Think back to something that may have caused force to the driveshaft. If nothing, my second guess may be U-joint.

U-joints would be my first suspect.

just throwing my two cents in, but have you checked the power steering fluid?

Some of the symptons don't add up for this to be the problem, but the front hubs are super common failure on the Blazer. The only thing, it usually gets noiser/ higher pitch on acceleration, not decelleration. I looke at my front hub/ bearings first. You mention noise from rear, and the hubs are in front, so if you identified the noise correctly, please disreguard this post- but make sure the source of noise is accurate.

Could use an expert opinion
 

Buy low.
Sell High.


Oh, I'd go with U-joints too.
Mine squeaked when the '97 Blazer's went out in 2006.
Couldn't pinpoint the noise, but it sounded like the center of the truck.
Crawled under, and wiggled the rear wheel drive shaft. Sure enough, quite a bit of play.

thanks again for all the responses guys.

What do you think I should do? Is this an absolutely necessary immediate repair? Is there a safety risk? I dont really feel a difference in how she drives, i just hear the noise.

Would anyone be willing to estimate a dollar amount?

Thanks.