Front wheels - bearings, something else, or nothing?

[edunn14]

So the howl I'm investigating definitely sounds at times like a dead ringer for a wheel bearing. In the air today, all 4 wheels and tires passed the side/side and up/down shimmy test (no play at all). Driver rear wheel bearing was recently replaced at a local shop; that same shop said the front lower ball joints/control arms are loose and should be replaced, I did not locate anything loose today that suggested that.

I rotated the front wheels a bit and let them spin freely. I noticed a different sound from the front passenger wheel, like a faint rhythmic tapping. Any thoughts would be appreciated - something to investigate further or no big deal? I'll post both sides for comparison.

Driver side:



Passenger side:

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[17MagMetal]

If you’re exceptionally bored could you pull the wheels/pads and then test for noise?

With no brake pad/heat shield to contact, if either hub was noisy I think most would agree you might get a whine.

 

[Buldawg76]

If you remove the front wheel and brake caliper/rotors so it's just the hubs you should be able to spin them by hand fast enough to either hear or feel noise/vibration if there is a bearing starting to go bad. You may want to use the screwdriver stethoscope trick by placing a screwdriver shaft on the knuckle close to the bearing housing and place your ear tight against the handle while spinning the bearing by hand and listen for any whine/groan or clicking noises. Also try rocking just the bearing hub by hand to see if you feel any play.

BD

 

[Ramairetransam]

it sounds to me like the rotor sweeping past the brake pads. i didn't hear any howling or growling like i would expect from a wheel bearing . With that being said it may be the start of a bad wheel bearing and it wont make sound yet when theirs minimal weight on it , you have a gt350 with a stiffer suspension and firm sidewall tires so abnormal sounds will show up sooner with that .

 

[raydog1]

" I noticed a different sound from the front passenger wheel, like a faint rhythmic tapping. "

I had this exact issue a few weeks ago. Wheel bearing was the issue.

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