My '05 Jimmy has been making a very loud road noise that grew gradually worse over the past several weeks, and gets louder proportionally to speed.

The factory GM spec Goodyear made tires had 80,000 km (50,000 miles) on them and had some tread left but also had bulges and some cracking on the sidewalls, so I decided to put (just today) new Cooper Hercules Terra Trac AT tires on it ($135.00 per tire fully installed and balanced plus government levies and taxes). They look good and seem to handle well. I had hoped that would have fixed the noise issue but the noise remains as loud as before!

So now I am thinking it must need an alignment, although I've never heard that much noise from other vehicles before that needed an alignment, unless what's causing the noise is an alignment parameter I haven't needed before!

Is there something else that can cause loads of road noise other than an alignment? I was told last year at a garage that I don't fully trust that I needed new ball joints but the steering wheel has no play in it, so I doubt that would be the problem.

Any suggestions as to how to get rid of this noise?

TIA,

quickcurrent

 

Could be wheel bearings or wheel hub check it out.

 

i agree to check the bearings and hubs. and i also wanted to tell you that i also put some terra tracs on my blazer and they are very noisy. so dont expect to get rid of all the noise now thst you have them

 

Well, I've replaced the rear wheel bearings just last year.

The noise seems to be coming from the tires, sounds like rubber on asphalt type of noise, not metal or grinding noise. The funny thing is when I looked at the old tires, looking for uneven wear, I couldn't see any, but then the noise started coming on just a few weeks ago, not really long enough for uneven tire wear to manifest itself.

As far as the new tires being noisy, from what I read before buying them they are supposed to be fairly quiet for SUV tires (can't compare them to sedan tires)! I realize those large treads will always be noisier than smaller treaded tire designs, but the noise I have now is much louder than what would be expected from properly running SUV tires (even the noisier ones).

When front bearings wear out, I think the wheels are supposed to feel loose when one grabs the wheel with both hands and twists. It's quite cold here (Toronto) these days, but it's getting warmer. I'll have to jack up the front wheels and check the bearings when it's a bit milder, but I have a feeling that is not it.

I keep wondering if perhaps the toe alignment adjustment is out of whack. Out of the three adjustments - camber, toe and caster - it seems to me that the toe being in or out could cause excessive road noise. The other two likely would not, albeit they can cause uneven tire wear over time. I've never had the alignment checked on this vehicle. Does anyone know if the alignment can be adjusted on all four wheels or just the two front ones?

Thanks for your suggestions, BAM1369 and nismo_2005.

 

OK, it appears that it's my left front wheel bearing that is shot.

Can anyone tell me how big a job it is to replace this bad boy? i.e. I've read this:

http://mibearings.com/Replace-Wheel-...-Assembly.html

and it doesn't sound too bad, but if I'm likely to encounter delay type problems (as seems to happen most often than not), then I'd rather take the truck to a local garage, seeing how we're in the thick of winter here in the great white north.

thanks

 

Here are a couple of links that show the process. The last two are actually for balljoints but since it requires removal of the hub, a lot of the info is still relevant.

https://blazerforum.com/forum/tech-articles-diy-29/how-4wd-front-hub-replacement-43644/ hub replacment
https://blazerforum.com/forum/tech-articles-diy-29/factory-ball-joint-replacement-27627/ ball joint
https://blazerforum.com/forum/steering-suspension-drivetrain-36/flux-ball-joints-11603/ ball joint

 

mdehoogh, that is a very good link and this looks like a fun job to do in better weather conditions. Looking at all that rust, I can imagine some delays are inevitable in my home garage. I'll see if I can get someone to do it for me this time around.

Looks like prices for the hub assembly vary all over the map. Some are about US $45 on fleaBay (likely from China, yachhh) and the last time I had a hub bearing assembly replaced I paid the garage about $450 for the part (for a sedan) plus a couple of hours labor charge! Obviously ripped off.

 

It seems everyone is closed for Xmas now, but found a mechanic (through a previous contact) that will replace my inner and outer bearings in the hub for an $80 labor charge (cash) plus the cost of the bearings (about $35.00 plus tax), early in the new year. Hopefully the bearings will come out of the hub (not too badly rusted in), otherwise I'm looking at having him replace the entire hub/bearing assembly.

I'd hate to even ask the dealer for his price to do the job !!!

Happy New Year.

 

I replaced 2 hub assemblies on my 1999 Blazer 2wd. What is the torque specs for the 3 bolts that hold the hub to the axle? The manual I have says 115 ft lbs. Another dealer told me 133 ft lbs and I have read 77 ft lbs. Does anyone know what it should be and where the info came from? Thanks

 

quickcurrent, do yourself a favor and replace the entire hub assembly. I have never seen someone be successful at rebuilding them. And do not cheap out if at all possible. In my experience and the experience of many on this forum, the cheap ones do not last. Stick to a known name like Timken or SKF.

buggyman20, the 3 bolts that hold the hub to the steering knuckle get torqued to 77ftlbs.