Humming/droning sound coming from front wheels

[RyanB1]

Hello everyone, a new guy here.

I have scoured threads for something similar to the issue that I'm having, but haven't found a thread that goes as far as I've needed to go.
2011 Tahoe LTZ 4WD - 175,000 miles

I changed the driver side upper control arm back in August because there was a bit of vibration in the steering wheel and I did the wiggle test on the wheel and found some play in the upper ball joint. Replaced with an OEM from Autozone and the replacement went ok, but it was tricky getting the two bolts in the back maneuvered around the coil. I marked the locations of the 4 cam pieces and took pics so I could line everything as close as I could when done. Torqued the bolts after getting the wheel back on and on the ground using a "pre-loading technique" video from Youtube.

**The real issue** After the upper control arm was replaced we started having some noise from the front end (kind of sounded like road noise from the tires, but more of a hum or droning sound). I made some minor tweaks to the control arm bolt cam locations but it didn't help so we took it to get an alignment done. Numbers from the read-out weren't but a couple of degrees out of tolerance at the most but the adjusted to within spec and still the noise persists. There is a slight vibration in the steering wheel and the floor board at your feet, but nothing alarming.

The front tires have plenty of tread left and are evenly worn, but I have swapped the front to back to see if it made any difference and it did not. I did have to replace the wheel hub assemblies (driver and passenger) back in 2020 and we've driven less than 20,000 highway miles in that time.

One interesting thing to note* the noise is present when driving straight or turning right(doesn't get worse when turning), but if we turn left the noise completely goes away (also goes away if we go over a bump on the highway like at a bridge joint while the weight of the vehicle is suspended). The left turn can even be a slight jerk when driving straight on the highway and the noise still goes away. Back in September the noise was really only heard when going 60+ mph, but now can be heard 20+ mph very clearly and the vibrations have grown more slightly more intense. There is no mechanical grinding or anything knocking, but occasionally we can hear a quick ticking(not constant and it sounds like its under the steering column from the driver seat.

I pulled the wheel hub on the drivers side to check and it had a good bit of grease pushed outside the seal (more that I thought was normal) and when spinning I could hear the bearings knock together a little so I replaced that guy again, but the noise is still there.

My question to all you experts is what else can I check and perhaps how do I check it?

My list of what to check next:
CV axle on drivers side
passenger side wheel hub & axle

Are there any steering components I should also be looking into? I do most of my own repairs, but am not a mechanic and have not worked on this area before so any input is appreciated.

Thanks!

 

[B-train]

CV joints usually don't make noise unless they are contaminated from a hole in the boot, or damage from hard use. But, with 175k, there could be some wear there that is making noise.

You said it goes away when turning left. I would've done the same as you and inspected and replaced based on what you saw. I'd say you probably have a bad bearing on the right side and the noise is playing tricks on you.

I had a rash of bad wheel bearings from advance auto on my 2008 Lucerne. It was annoying and it got to the point that I'd replace the hub assembly in 20 minutes. I had what I thought was a LF bearing bad AGAIN based on the noise location and swerve test. Jacked up the LF, put it in drive and Viola! Not noisy! Went to the RF and repeated, damned thing was bad and had me almost fooled.

So, being that one failed at 20k, and they were both replaced at the same time, I'd look at the RF one as well. The fact that the noise goes away when the front end gets lighter is also a sign of a bad bearing. Make sure to torque them to spec when installed. Impact wrench Ugah-dugah won't cut it and you'll end up doing it over in a few thousand miles.

 

[tungsten]

Yeah Ive also had my share of changing the hub bearings,once you've heard the noise you know exactly what it is.

 

[OR VietVet]

Welcome to the forum.

Like @B-train said and I too would do the other hub/bearing. But I never would have installed anything but Genuine GM, AC Delco, or Timken, but that is just me. Noises travel in strange ways on these rigs. When you are unloading the front suspension and that cv joint changes angles, the worn after 175k miles bearings and races inside there are not rolling under the same pressure points and noise can change. Typically they don't cause problems unless the grease comes out but nothing is forever. Did you check the caliper pads and hardware and the rotors?

 

[RyanB1]

I have checked the caliper/rotors and they are in good shape with plenty of pad left. The RF pads seemed to be riding a bit tighter than the LF, but not so much as to keep the wheel from spinning a half to a full rotation when spun by hand.

Update from last night* I checked the RF hub and it had a distinct tinking noise when rotated by hand so I hurried to the parts store at 8:45 to get there before 9 closing (drove just a tad over the recommended speed) and grabbed another and swapped them out. Test drove last night and the noise was gone!!

I am praying it wasn't a dream and that I'll have the same result today when we go out. Thank y'all for the input. Definitely have a new appreciation for sounds and how they can travel side to side. I'll keep an eye on these hubs in the next few years and if I end up in the same boat I'll dish out for the genuine goods.

I did inspect the boots on the cv axles and they are in good shape with no signs of leakage, but if the wheel hub goes out again in a couple years do y'all think the axles might be causing them to prematurely fail?

 

[RST Dana]

Hub/wheel bearing is the ticket!

 

[Fubar0715]

Same - replaced both of mine last fall - whine/hum/mysterious road noise disappeared. I didnt bother just doing one - both at the same time although I found a recently changed left front from the previous owner, I wanted to know what I had in there.

 

[Joseph Garcia]

Welcome to the Forum from NH.

Lots of knowledgeable folks here who freely share their knowledge, experiences, and perspectives. Knowledge is power.

I hope that you will become a participating member in the Forum's discussions.

Pics of the truck, please.

You are already receiving sage advice from the knowledgeable folks on this Forum.

 

[OR VietVet]

I have checked the caliper/rotors and they are in good shape with plenty of pad left. The RF pads seemed to be riding a bit tighter than the LF, but not so much as to keep the wheel from spinning a half to a full rotation when spun by hand.

Update from last night* I checked the RF hub and it had a distinct tinking noise when rotated by hand so I hurried to the parts store at 8:45 to get there before 9 closing (drove just a tad over the recommended speed) and grabbed another and swapped them out. Test drove last night and the noise was gone!!

I am praying it wasn't a dream and that I'll have the same result today when we go out. Thank y'all for the input. Definitely have a new appreciation for sounds and how they can travel side to side. I'll keep an eye on these hubs in the next few years and if I end up in the same boat I'll dish out for the genuine goods.

I did inspect the boots on the cv axles and they are in good shape with no signs of leakage, but if the wheel hub goes out again in a couple years do y'all think the axles might be causing them to prematurely fail?

The cv axle assembly can cause a hub problem but the axle problem would need to be pretty severe or a problem that is ignored for a long time and the binding at different angles can then get at that bearing. If it gets that severe, you will likely do damage to the diff as well.