LOUD humming noise coming from my tire... pics

[shaahid]

I'm getting a loud humming noise from my rear driver's side tire. The tire has a little play in it if you move it side to side, but I don't think it's my wheel bearing. I was taking a look back there and noticed a control arm bushing was torn. You guys think this is what's causing the noise? Can I just replace the bushing or do I gotta get another control arm? And which one?? Thanks in advance.

[Broncoman75]

no. I highly doubt that a torn track/tie rod bushing is making any noise.
Its probably your wheel bearing.
could possibly be the tire if it was toed way in or out, but even that wouldnt make much noise. I put my money on wheel bearing

[petera4]

thats a toe link, looks like the grease boot is ripped, that would not cause a humming. check cv joints, check diff oil level, check bearings and check the front diff mount cause if its broken, there will be improper driveline angles which will cause the humming you are hearing

[southpaw10]

thats the rear tie rod and with that torn boot I'd recommend getting it replaced. Im not sure if that would cause the humming, but if you can move the tire left and right then it should be replaced.
http://www.purems.com/products/product.php/II=2110

Dealer price is about twice that. When removing take note on the position of the eccentric washer as that adjusts the toe. Getting an alignment after this would be wise as there's a good chance it wont be in the same position. Also, the washer is only adjustable up to 90 degrees to the left and right from neutral position in the middle. So dont go anymore or you will ruin the bolt and washer and wont be able to get the full adjustment for toe. Speaking from experience

[pja0750]

X2 on the wheel bearing

[shaahid]

For all you guys saying it's the wheel bearing, from what I've read, the noise would happen when I'm turning right? Or get louder when I'm turning? Because, that doesn't happen...

[shaahid]

How do I check if my bearings are bad?

[Broncoman75]

For all you guys saying it's the wheel bearing, from what I've read, the noise would happen when I'm turning right? Or get louder when I'm turning? Because, that doesn't happen...

when mine went out they were loud all the time, it didnt matter what direction i was turning. the noise got loader if i went faster, but it started out pretty loud as soon as you were moving also..

If it sounds like there is a 747 jet, or a cement truck driving right on your ass then its definately the wheel bearing going...im 99% sure thats your problem, unless somehow your brakes are dragging, but you could lift the wheel and check that pretty easy too.

if you really want to check it out lift that corner up and take the wheel off, and also take the brake rotor off, because you cant really wiggle the hub around with the rotor still on it. If the bearings are really bad you might be able to wiggle the hub back and forth or up and down and see the play.
but its also possible that it can make noise and not have much noticeable slop..

ps. I have one of those rear tie rods, brand new in box as I ended up not needing it. pm me if you are interested in it...

[somebody5788]

Wow.... guys if that boots torn and he can feel movement then its very very very likely its all caused by that. That bushing is causing the toe to not stay true and will cause chopping in the tire. The chopped tire will cause a constant hum on the road very close to what a wheel bearing sounds like. Rub your hand on the tire do you feel the inside or outside edges rise and fall?

[Broncoman75]

Wow.... guys if that boots torn and he can feel movement then its very very very likely its all caused by that. That bushing is causing the toe to not stay true and will cause chopping in the tire. The chopped tire will cause a constant hum on the road very close to what a wheel bearing sounds like. Rub your hand on the tire do you feel the inside or outside edges rise and fall?

That isnt a bushing. That is a grease boot.
It is possible for that tie rod to have enough slop in it to be noticeable, but unlikely... even if the grease boot is torn like that as long as there is still grease inside.

Its just as likely that the slop felt is the wheel bearing. He really needs to just get a friend to wiggle the wheel back and forth, and up and down while he takes a look to see EXACTLY where the slop is. then we wont need to make more guesses for him.
I agree, if wheel is scrubbing that can make noise.. but he said this is LOUD.. and that sounds way more typical of a wheel bearing going out than tire scrub...

[markcm]

I've had several tie-rod ends go bad just like in your picture, with torn grease boot and extememly sloppy ball-joint and never had a "wheel bearing" like noise from it.

A bad CV joint would be louder when you turn the car but that's usually a clicking or grinding sound.

Dragging breaks would make the wheel real hot, you'd probably smell the heat.

My guess is on the wheel bearing. Unfortunatly with all wheel drive it's not as easy to just jack it up and spin the thing and listen. Is it getting progressively worse? When my wheel bearings have gone out, it got progressively worse over a few months and then much worse even quicker to the point that there was no question it was a wheel bearing.

[somebody5788]

That isnt a bushing. That is a grease boot.
It is possible for that tie rod to have enough slop in it to be noticeable, but unlikely... even if the grease boot is torn like that as long as there is still grease inside.

Its just as likely that the slop felt is the wheel bearing. He really needs to just get a friend to wiggle the wheel back and forth, and up and down while he takes a look to see EXACTLY where the slop is. then we wont need to make more guesses for him.
I agree, if wheel is scrubbing that can make noise.. but he said this is LOUD.. and that sounds way more typical of a wheel bearing going out than tire scrub...

I'm not ruling out the wheel bearing but tire noise can easily be mistaken for it. And if the boots been torn long enough there is likely a bit of wear in there. Also who's to say his alignment hasn't been off for some time now?

[shaahid]

Ok so I'm gonna order a new bearing and tie rod. Should I spend the extra $30 for an OEM tie rod or is this one fine?

Wheel bearing - http://www.ecstuning.com/Audi-B5_A4-...earing/ES1488/
Tie Rod - http://www.ecstuning.com/Audi-B5_A4-..._Rod/ES259977/

Now, onto my next problem . My car is misfiring. I changed my spark plugs, checked the MAF, and did a boost leak test, and they're not the problem. There are random misfires on all cylinders.

I wanna be sure its the coil packs before I waste my money replacing them. But how likely is it that all 4 would fail at once . So, I don't think thats it. Can it be my o2 sensor? And if it could be, how do I go about checking it. I'm gonna do a compression test tomorrow and I'll let you guys know how it goes.

[JPJ2007]

I didn't really read the thread.

Do you rotate your tires every 5,000-6,000 miles?

If not I'm going to bet it's whats called, Cupping.

Feel your tires, Normally on the inside but can happen anywhere, do you feel
the tread going in an almost wave motion? Up and down and up and down around
the tire?


I work for Discount tire, if you have one local stop by. Inspections are free.
Along with Free Rotations and flat repairs.
PS:I know you have tons of them in chicago. Go let them take a look! It's free...

We get this problem allot and it's from not rotating often enough.
And there is no way to get rid of the problem.

It causes a loud humming noise.


Please post some pics of the tire....
From the top and the side (I wanna see the tread on the inside...)

[Siena]

Misaligned suspension wouldn't cause a humming noise - if it was truly that bad, and far out at the rear, you'd soon find out, as the rear end would have a tendency to "step-out". Driving would also require a lot of driver correction and compensation on the wheel, as the rear would attempt to steer the car.

I'd say it's a wheel bearing issue. Worn wheel bearings on driven wheels seldom have excessive play in them, as the central outer joint bolt will hold it pretty firm. If it's mega worn though, then yes, it'll have appreciable movement.

The arm with the torn grease boot will of course need to be replaced, as the boots are not available seperately, and it would fail pretty soon, once all the packing grease has escaped.

[nyca4tqm]

If it sounds like there is a 747 jet, or a cement truck driving right on your ass then its definately the wheel bearing going...im 99% sure thats your problem, unless somehow your brakes are dragging, but you could lift the wheel and check that pretty easy too.

That is funny......I have a 747 on my ass right now...LOL

I'm voting for wheel bearing but you also have a host of other issues on that corner. If you jack up the rear safely and use jack stands before you do anything also chock the front wheels. Now slowly turn the non suspect wheel and pay attention to the sound. Now turn the suspect wheel slowly and listen, if it is a wheel bearing there is a distinct difference in the sound. Obviously the bad wheel is louder.......good luck.

As for the misfiring, what plugs are you using? and how many miles are on your car? Coil packs usually don't all go at once....usually......

Good luck let us know how you get along.

[shaahid]

So I did the compression test and all 4 cylinders are at 120psi. Isn't that low?

As for the misfiring, what plugs are you using? and how many miles are on your car? Coil packs usually don't all go at once....usually......

Good luck let us know how you get along.

I'm running NGK BKR6E spark plugs gapped to .28 and torqued to 22lbs. My car has a little over 90k miles.

[GFRRS3]

How do I check if my bearings are bad?

Jack up car...move wheel sided to side with out turning the wheel...if there is play its your wheel bearing...this noise is most likely tire or bearing noise.

[kevin12]

Yes that is very low. But where they 120 all across the board? I'm assuming so because that's what you said so its time for a rebuild.

Normal Pressure Range: 130.5psi - 203psi
Wear Limit: 108.75psi (If any of your cylinders are even 10psi near this range, start listing that car for sale on eBay ...or start saving for that rebuild you've been talking about.)
Maximum Difference Between Cylinders: 43.5psi

Cliff's Notes: What you want to see are CONSISTENT numbers where the difference in pressure between cylinder are within a few psi from each other. A healthy 1.8T engine should typically be within around 170-180psi (testing conditions will vary). If your results show lower (130-140psi) across all cylinders, do not panic. Though your engine may not be working like "new", your numbers are consistent and the engine is simple "getting tired" However, seeing 140psi is very unlikely. There are engines out there with well over 150k that still test 160psi+. However, if you have one (or two) cylinders that test especially lower than the other cylinders, this is something that you may need to address.

If you come across one cylinder that is lower than others, you can start by trying to narrow down the causes. The first and easiest test is to see if the leak is coming through blowby (worn piston rings). To see if your rings are worn, simply pour about 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of motor oil into the spark plug hole of that cylinder in question. The oil will help a worn ring seal itself. Then retest that cylinder. If compression numbers now read higher, your piston ring is worn. If results are still the same, then your rings are fine, and the leak is coming from the valve train and/or head gasket (leak-down test will confirm).

Some Typical Results:

165, 160, 170, 165 <~ Healthy Engine
180, 145, 175, 170 <~ Cylinder #2 is questionable, but engine should still be okay
130, 140, 125, 130 <~ Engine could be old and tired, but still considered healthy
180, 180, 175, 180 <~ A Healthy and Strong Engine
170, 165, 180, 105 <~ Something is definitely wrong with Cylinder #4, perform a leak-down immediately
170, 120, 120, 170 <~ Cylinders #2 and #3 are lower than normal, which could be caused by a faulty head gasket. Perform leak-down.
95, 105, 100, 100 <~ Your engine is throwing in the white towel, time for a rebuild.

Cylinder compression tests should be done occasionally as a general health assessment for your car. It's good practice to perform a test every few months, and record the test results through the life of your car.

[onemoremile]

Rotate the tires back to front and see if the noise is still coming from that area. If it is then it isn't the tire.

[shaahid]

Yea its 120psi across the board. Is there anything else that could be causing this? Can my o2 sensor or something be bad? What do I do now?

[shaahid]

So I did another compression test today but this time I added a cap of oil into each cylinder. They were all at 160psi after doing this.

[belinko]

Ok so I'm gonna order a new bearing and tie rod. Should I spend the extra $30 for an OEM tie rod or is this one fine?

Wheel bearing - http://www.ecstuning.com/Audi-B5_A4-...earing/ES1488/
Tie Rod - http://www.ecstuning.com/Audi-B5_A4-..._Rod/ES259977/

Now, onto my next problem . My car is misfiring. I changed my spark plugs, checked the MAF, and did a boost leak test, and they're not the problem. There are random misfires on all cylinders.

I wanna be sure its the coil packs before I waste my money replacing them. But how likely is it that all 4 would fail at once . So, I don't think thats it. Can it be my o2 sensor? And if it could be, how do I go about checking it. I'm gonna do a compression test tomorrow and I'll let you guys know how it goes.

This could be caused by multiple problems. I had a multiple misfire/random misfire that was caused by the combination valve for secondary air injection (It is the metalic diaphragm valve bolted to the back of the block, toward the firewall).

I replaced all spark plugs, new coil packs, cleaned throttle body + adaptation, amongst other things prior to replacing the combi valve.

[tunaglove]

Should the compression be tested with the engine hot or cold??

[Broncoman75]

Should the compression be tested with the engine hot or cold??

I believe it should be up to operating temp, so the rings and such are up to temp and able to seal like they would with the car running.

[shaahid]

.....

[wesleyfbm]

i have the same noise i believe. does not sound like wheel bearing due to the fact ive already had that problem.. leaves me stumped at well.

[s4killer]

this friday i replace driver and passanger wheel bearing

cost................ $130 driver and passanger with tax wheel bearing
shop cost......... $ 100 each

total 330 doll for everything its a good deal?????????????

[VMRWheels]

Rotate the tires back to front and see if the noise is still coming from that area. If it is then it isn't the tire.

+1, that would be the cheapest, easiest way of narrowing it down. Tires can get louder if they're not wearing correctly. If we can eliminate that, it's just 1 more thing you know isn't causing the issue

[Mouse4]

I have the same issue and I've already replaced all 4 wheel bearings. I also just put on 4 wheels with tires I purchased from another person. I still have the noise.
Did you find the cause of the noise?

[VMRWheels]

I have the same issue and I've already replaced all 4 wheel bearings. I also just put on 4 wheels with tires I purchased from another person. I still have the noise.
Did you find the cause of the noise?

what's the wear pattern like on your tires?

[Mouse4]

I found the solution to my problem.

I've found the noise was associated to the tires. There was some cupping and uneven tire wear. This uneven ware hitting the surface of the road caused the humming/grinding, or knobby noise as I refer to it.
The other contributing factor was the tire pressure was well below what is should have been.
I recently purchased the rims with the tires on them and I didn't bother to check the pressure. WRONG! Having 20psi of pressure in high performance tires, will make a knobby or humming noise too.

It's nice to be quiet once again.

[wikid57]

I was actually just reading about some of the issues with the '01 a4 and one of the VERY common ones was the coil packs being bad so maybe yours were never properly fixed? I'd definitely look into that as a place to start if you havent already figured out the problem!