Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Okay let's see if I can describe this effectively I've got a 1994 Chevy S10 4x4 with manual trans. About 175k miles on the odometer. I am not the original or even the second owner and I do not have repair or maintenance records from before I got the truck.
In the last few months I have intermittently had a loud howling noise from the front end on the passenger side area. It happens for ten or fifteen seconds once or twice a week and then I won't hear it again for several days. Speed does not matter, it's happened at 25mph and also on the highway. I had the tires checked, and checked to make sure everything had proper lube and fluids.
The first time it happened I thought I had a flat tire because of
the loud "woooo" noise a tire will make at high speed if it's going flat. That's what it sounds like. It's not the engine, and if I shift (manual trans) into neutral during the noise it does not go away. It stops if I pull over. I don't know if it would stop by itself because I've pulled over every time. I don't know if it happens in 4wd mode because so far it's only been in 2wd mode that i've heard it. It does not sound metallic like a bad bearing, and I can't seem to make it happen by doing anything in particular.
I'm strapped for cash atm and it's a beater truck anyway so I don't want to spend a lot getting it looked at. Anyone give me opinions on where to start looking for the culprit? Thanks in advance.
Sometimes a bad wheel bearing will make a noise that many people mistake for a tire noise.
If you can do this safely - next time it starts howling, weave back and forth a bit. If it really is the passenger's side wheel bearing (most common one to fail, hitting curbs and etc.) as you swerve to the *left*, the noise should get louder, as you swerve to the *right*, it should be quieter.
Do you have aftermarket locking hubs on this truck?
If you are strapped for cash, DIY should save you some $.
Sometimes a bad wheel bearing will make a noise that many people mistake for a tire noise.
If you can do this safely - next time it starts howling, weave back and forth a bit. If it really is the passenger's side wheel bearing (most common one to fail, hitting curbs and etc.) as you swerve to the *left*, the noise should get louder, as you swerve to the *right*, it should be quieter.
Do you have aftermarket locking hubs on this truck?
If you are strapped for cash, DIY should save you some $.
No aftermarket hubs. Strictly the dash pushbutton vacuum system that engages the 4wd. I had thought bearings too but then dismissed it because I thought it would constantly make the noise? If bearin noise can be intermittent then I should be able to jack it up and pull on the top of the tire, see if there's excessively play, which means bearings gone bad, correct?
Hopefully it's the bearings because that's something I should be able to do without taking it in to a shop.
Well if it was FWD like our VWs, it would just about have to be a front wheel bearing.
With this being a 4X4, I am not nearly as certain...
You're right. I'd still bet on the wheel bearing though. If I recall right, the 4x4 set-up on that pickup is essentially like a FWD car - half axles & CV joints.
I'm just not sure what else it's apt to be. CV joints would make a different noise, as would dragging or broken brake pads.
The lug nuts should probably be check ASAP too. I've seen a time or two when they had worked loose, and were causing all kinds of racket - not to mention safety problems.
No aftermarket hubs. Strictly the dash pushbutton vacuum system that engages the 4wd. I had thought bearings too but then dismissed it because I thought it would constantly make the noise? If bearin noise can be intermittent then I should be able to jack it up and pull on the top of the tire, see if there's excessively play, which means bearings gone bad, correct?
Hopefully it's the bearings because that's something I should be able to do without taking it in to a shop.
Actually in my experience with FWD bearings, which are a somewhat different type of usually double-row ball bearing, so long as the axle tension is on the bearing, if it's unloaded, you can't feel any roughness or looseness, just the noise.
The Toyota has a noisy wheel bearing, I'm driving it while I have the 'roc apart for a head gasket change - it's annoying but the bearing does not heat up - in my experience a wheel bearing can be pretty damn loud but still work OK in terms of no play and not heating up.
If you can take the bearing apart, you may possibly feel some roughness by actually feeling of the bearing race itself with your fingers. It takes surprisingly little roughness to make a lot of noise.
Don't take all the above to mean "F it, just drive it" - firstly we don't know it's the bearing, secondly if it is the bearing we don't know what's wrong with it.
My suggestion is to try the weaving trick, assuming you can find a road with low enough traffic that you can do this...
As I see it you can do 2 things. One is to jack it up and inspect it or number 2 do nothing and wait for it to get much worse and the problem become MUCH easier to locate.
As I see it you can do 2 things. One is to jack it up and inspect it or number 2 do nothing and wait for it to get much worse and the problem become MUCH easier to locate.
Well yes, the whole point of asking is so I have a better idea of where to start looking. If it was a normal rear-driven 2wd vehicle I'd be pretty comfortable getting under there and knowing what I was looking at. But, I've not worked on a 4wd before with all the added mechanical stuff it has under there Heck, I was getting ready to pull off the front drive shaft to see if that was the culprit.
In any case, looks like consensus is to start with the bearings, so I suppose I have a date for this weekend. Again thanks to all for your suggestions.
Normally I'd be suggesting wheel bearings, but since it's only doing it occasionally, I'm not so sure. Wheel bearings are normally a whine, or rumble which increases with road speed.
It's a manual box, so I'm thinking it could be clutch related, or possibly gearbox.
My Volvo 240 wagon has a whine from the gearbox at 30 mph when it's cold, but it goes away once it's warm.
Check all the drive belts too, just in case one is loose, or worn.
Hard to say from the word "howl", but check all the exterior trim too, if a piece has worked loose, it's possible it could be wind noise.
Have a safety check done, on bearings etc, and check the oil levels in the transmission, if they all check out ok, then all you can do is allow it to progress to get worse.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I've got a 1994 Chevy S10 4x4 with manual trans. About 175k miles on the odometer. I am not the original or even the second owner and I do not have repair or maintenance records from before I got the truck. 
