Road Noise

[vicnation]

I recently purchased a 2006 Yukon Denali XL with 175K miles. I don't think too much has been done to the truck other than general maintenance. I'm hearing and feeling some road noise that feels like friction in the front end when going highway speeds. It has a low-pitched roaring sound.

On a typical import, I would find a parking lot and drive around in circles, putting a load on each wheel hub. In adition, when accelerating in an import with bad hub bearings, the noise gets louder the faster you drive. In the Yukon, it doesn't seem to work that way. How do I tell if my hub bearings are going bad? Is there anything else that could make that noise? The tires are new and definitely not the cause of the noise. I've rotated them just to verify.

 

[MassHoe04]

Get it up on jack stands and give it the old look, listen, feel test.

Could be hubs...
Do the wheels feel like they are bound up?
Push/pull/rock the wheels up/down and side to side... Is there too much play?
Do you hear any noises when spinning the wheels by hand (chirp, grind, squeak)?

Could be brakes...
Calipers aren't locking up on you are they?
How do the pads, rotors and calipers look (newer or all crusty)?
Are rotors smooth or scored?
Pads good or are they worn down to metal?
Do you feel dragging or hear sounds like metal or rocks on steel?

I would probably bet more money on brakes than the hub. Mileage isn't crazy high.

Let us know what you find. Photos of some stuff might help.

Good luck!

 

[vicnation]

When I rotated the tires, I got a good look at the brakes. The fronts are almost new. The rotors are probably original and a little dished but there is no vibration when braking. I don't expect the Yukon to brake as well as my small pickup and it definitely doesn't. But I don't see anything wrong with the brakes other than a leak around the hydoboost/master cylinder area. Being from the south, this vehicle is completely rust-free. I didn't remove the calipers so I'm not sure if the slides are stuck or not.

With the Yukon in the air, I did spin the tires and just felt what I would consider typical drag because of the AWD. I didn't hear anything like metal-to-metal or grinding/squeeling noises.

But this vehicle is new to me so I'm not exactly sure what is normal or not.

 

[wjburken]

Based on what you are sharing, keeping in mind the fact that I am more than 100 miles away and can't see, hear or feel what you are, my money would be on a wheel bearing. You have 175K and 15 years on those wheel bearings so it would not be at all surprising that one is giving up the ghost. If you change one, I would do both.

If you can get the front wheels up off the ground again, I would grab the wheel at the 12:00 and 6:00 position and see how much play there is or if you hear a clunk when you to it. Spinning the wheel may not tell you much since you don't have the bearing loaded.

 

[Doubeleive]

jack up the front wheels and grab them at 12 & 6 and wiggle them in & out if there is any movement/play then it's the hubs, you can wiggle them at 9 & 3 but there will be some play there because of the steering but it shouldn't be excessive.
also spin the wheels forward and backward and listen, it should be pretty much dead silent if you hear any ticking/clicking/grinding that is also the hubs (or brake pad) but the pads should not be rubbing.
other than that get a flashlight and get under it and just look, look at the axles, diff, drivelines, etc any leaking fluid or grease coming out is a tell tale sign of a potential problem. check the front diff fluid level. it should be level with the fill hole, remove the filler hole bolt and finger it.

 

[rockola1971]

Growling in the front is typically a hub getting ready to throw up on you. 175k on original...be prepared to do both and while I had them out I would toss in new CV halfshafts and be done with it. Be sure to properly torque the axle nuts to the correct value!

 

[MassHoe04]

OK. So my betting instincts might be wrong on brakes, but I'll revert to the first of the two possible causes mentioned in my earlier post... Strong possibility it is a hub.

As @Doubeleive hinted at, issues with CV on front drive shafts could also feel and sound weird. Especially, if boots ripped water got in or grease got out...
The CV joints grinding dry can feel like they are binding and make noises. Good inspection on the front shafts might identify an issue or eliminate them as a possibility.

 

[Doubeleive]

OK. So my betting instincts might be wrong on brakes, but I'll revert to the first of the two possible causes mentioned in my earlier post... Strong possibility it is a hub.

As @Doubeleive hinted at, issues with CV on front drive shafts could also feel and sound weird. Especially, if boots ripped water got in or grease got out...
The CV joints grinding dry can feel like they are binding and make noises. Good inspection on the front shafts might identify an issue or eliminate them as a possibility.

same if the front diff fluid is low or empty......could be a box of glitter

 

[S33k3r]

If you aren't used to AWD, that may also be what you are experiencing. We have a Sierra Denali with AWD. You might just visually inspect the transfer case.

 

[vicnation]

I checked everything out last night. Doubeleive might have nailed it. The shafts and boots look fine. There are no leaks anywhere. I looked for play in the hubs and didn't find any. I drained the front differential fluid and that was a problem. Doubeleive used the term glitter and that seems to fit. The magnet had a nice beard too. I filled the differential with new 75W-90 and drove it and much of the noise/feel that I thought was excessive was now gone. Looks like I may have a new front differential in my future. I've got to check the rear fluid next because now I'm sure that was never changed.