Hello everyone,

I have just joined this board, because I have just purchased a 1995 Chevy Blazer to tow my boat.

Understanding that vehicles of this age do not come without problems, I have always sought out the wisdom of those whom have gone before me.

Therefore, here I am...

When I test drove this Blazer, I noticed that at highway speeds, there was a drone, somewhat like mud tires on pavement, at lower speed this drone desists. However, upon deceleration (slowing down) , there seems to be a very discerning sound...to me...if this wasn't a 4 wheel drive vehicle, U-joints would become suspect, but me thinks it may be something else, hence my presence.

I am thinking it may be something drive line related other than U-joints, and perhaps someone has experienced similar symptoms, and, could point me in the right direction.

And, yes I still bought it, because this vehicle has so many more outstanding qualities that I was looking for, other than a great price, and I have never been wary of picking up a wrench or getting dirty with greasy dirt.

I live for wrenching on cars, haven't had a new vehicle since 1967...HA

Regards to all,
SnowDaddy

To all my Southern Friends, have a great Holiday weekend, and remember to keep the shiny side up.

 

The first question I have is what type of tires do you have? Even AT tires will have a hum/drone on the road. If its not the tires, have you checked all the regular stuff like the CV axles on the front and the front hubs? both of those can make noise if they are wearing out. Does the noise get louder when turning a certain direction? That would indicate a hub. Those are the most likely culprits.

 

+1 on the hubs. Jack it up and check for excessive tire play going east and west.

 

+1+1

i agree sounds like a hub issue to me....these little riggs love to munch on hubs.

i buy mine from dearborn axle on their ebay store...cant beat the prices.

 

OK, in answer to your first question, I have Nokian/Vativa tires with really good tread left.

I get what your saying about the hubs, but this drone, which I call it for lack of a better word, seems to be coming from the rear, and why does it react to deceleration, and not when torque is present?

That's why I mentioned U-joints earlier.

I will jack it up tomorrow and have a look at the hubs as suggested, off hand what kind of expense are we looking at if it is those darn hubs??

Snowdaddy

 

You get what you pay for with hubs. I would reccommend timeken (sp?). I still suspect hubs. You may also want to check out the rear diff to make sure its not empty lol. I supose its possible that your shoes are sticking as well if its definetly coming from the rear, although sound travels funny.

 

External noises can be really hard to pin down on a vehicle. I had a droning noise that I was certain was coming from the rear axle that ended up being the front driver side CV. I'm no expert, but if it was U-joints, it most likely would be a clicking or clunking sound, rather than a drone.

If you're certain that the sound is coming from the rear, I'd mirror 50lb_cat's response and check out the rear diff. Has it been serviced recently? If you don't know then changing the gear oil is a good idea. You can check out the gears while you're doing that. Check the magnet on the diff cover for any metal shavings. This will tell you if there's any major wear to look for. Its also possible it could be an axle bearing going on you. A search will bring up walk-throughs on changing those if you find out that's the problem.