97 odd noise at speed

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Captain Coleman - 04 Jun 2006 06:04 GMT

I have a 97 2wd 4.0 OHV 4-door with 120K miles. In the last few weeks, I
have had a sound at freeway speeds (greater than 65-70 MPH) that sounds like
it is coming from the right front end. It sounds like "mwah" so when I'm
going down the freeway and hit about 70 MPH I hear a mwahmwahmwah.
My brakes had been squeaking and I can't remember the last time I replaced
the pads so I went ahead and put new front brakes on. The right front was a
little more worn than the left, but they weren't terribly thin. I havent
heard the squeak again, but the freeway noise is still there.
The sound has gotten somewhat louder as time has gone on. I only hear it at
freeway speeds, and it seems to be speed dependent. The faster I go, the
faster and louder the sound gets.
Could this be wheel bearings, or should I be checking into something else.
I jacked up the front end and gave the front tires a good shake. Nothing
seemed too loose.
Any suggestions appreciated as this has left me scratching my head.

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JohanB - 04 Jun 2006 17:04 GMT

Bad/cheap tires ??????

Try rotate and see if the noise moves

Also try rubbing your hand slowly over the tire tread , if it feels smooth
going 1 way and choppy going the other that can cause noise.

> I have a 97 2wd 4.0 OHV 4-door with 120K miles. In the last few weeks, I
> have had a sound at freeway speeds (greater than 65-70 MPH) that sounds like
[quoted text clipped - 11 lines]
> seemed too loose.
> Any suggestions appreciated as this has left me scratching my head.

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Captain Coleman - 04 Jun 2006 19:59 GMT

I'll try swapping the front and back tires. The noise is somewhat
intermittent. It's less prominant on the long flat straightaways. It picks
up a little when the crown of the road gets to steep or going around the
slightest of curbs.

> Bad/cheap tires ??????
>
[quoted text clipped - 24 lines]
>> seemed too loose.
>> Any suggestions appreciated as this has left me scratching my head.

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Mikepier - 06 Jun 2006 12:26 GMT

> I'll try swapping the front and back tires. The noise is somewhat
> intermittent. It's less prominant on the long flat straightaways. It picks
> up a little when the crown of the road gets to steep or going around the
> slightest of curbs.

It could be the wheel bearings. If you only hear the noise on a crowned
road or on a curve, thats a classic sign of worn bearings because you
are putting a load on the outer edge of the bearings, as opposed to a
flat straightaway when the load is more centered on the bearings.

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Captain Coleman - 24 Jun 2006 19:18 GMT

Wheel bearings it was! Replacement took about 1.5 hours for the right side.
When I removed the outer bearing, one of the rollers fell out of the
bearing! Hand packing bearings is a pain. I'd buy one of the tools if I
had to do it very often.
Thanks for everyone's help.

>> I'll try swapping the front and back tires. The noise is somewhat
>> intermittent. It's less prominant on the long flat straightaways. It
[quoted text clipped - 6 lines]
> are putting a load on the outer edge of the bearings, as opposed to a
> flat straightaway when the load is more centered on the bearings.

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Al Williams - 05 Jun 2006 23:24 GMT

Not sure this is it, but there is an issue with " IAC intake moan" known as
the moose horn issue in Explorers of that vintage (no joke). Usual solution
was to replace the IAC valve. I think that noise showed up at idle as well
though so it may not be it...

Signature

Allan Williams

>I have a 97 2wd 4.0 OHV 4-door with 120K miles. In the last few weeks, I
> have had a sound at freeway speeds (greater than 65-70 MPH) that sounds
[quoted text clipped - 14 lines]
> seemed too loose.
> Any suggestions appreciated as this has left me scratching my head.

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