possible wheel bearings issue

[Berns]

Hello All,
I have been reading through the threads and cannot pin point what is going on with my '06 9-7x. When I accelerate I can hear hum (like mud tires) and when I brake I can hear it hum louder and feel a vibration in my steering column and driver side. I have replaced the fluids including the transfer case. I do know that I have slight leak on the inner front diff seal which I noticed today.
I was able to get in a lift today and tried moving the wheels side to side and up and down but did not feel any play. The mechanic at the shop is telling me it is tire noise but I am not buying that since it just started making this noise and I do not remember hearing/feeling it before.
Any thoughts.

 

[Mooseman]

If you turn left or right, does the noise change?

 

[NJTB]

I had a tire throw a wheel weight, didn't notice it until I heard a similar noise and found the tire cupped. Tried re-balancing it, no go.
I've driven cars with cupped tires, you wouldn't believe the noise thy make.

 

[Berns]

@Mooseman - You hit the nail on the head. I never noticed the change in noise cause I never drove in a straight line on smooth pavement. This week we got the streets repaved and I took advantage of it. I drove and got up to 35-40 mph and while slightly turning the wheel to the right the humming got louder and no change when turning to the left.
I plan to get both replaced since I heard it is best to replace in pairs.

 

[Inferno333]

That noise gets a lot worse. Believe me. Haha.

And get the Timkin hubs. The Moog ones wear out fast.

 

[Mooseman]

As well as Raybestos (within days). Timken are the preferred brand here, best bang for the buck. SKF and ACDelco are considered as premium brands and too expensive for what you get. All other brands are hit and miss.

 

[Berns]

Thanks to all that responded. I do plan to get the Timkens. I plan to keep my 97x for while and plan on getting a tune from PCM of NC so I want to make sure everything else is on point.
Love this website, way more resourceful than any manual you can buy.

 

[DocBrown]

I plan to get both replaced since I heard it is best to replace in pairs.

Wise decision. One of mine on my Sierra went. I replaced it. Two months later I took a short trip to move my daughter out of state, 240 miles one way. The other wheel bearing blew out on that trip. Not good. Wish I had done both at the same time.

 

[Chickenhawk]

Two things I have learned from experience. (As you found out or will soon find out.) Bad wheel bearings just start out as a slight "feeling" of a hum that enters in the back of your mind on a quiet drive home that the noise is not normal. It progresses into a distinct noise that even your passengers will hear.

The traditional way to tell which one is bad - if you turn in the direction AWAY from the bad wheel bearing, the hum gets worse - does NOT always work. Many people, including myself, have posted that they ended up changing both because the worst one was on the side other than what they guessed. Good thing I ordered two Timken bearings!

 

[HARDTRAILZ]

Timken are the preferred brand here, best bang for the buck.

Seems the offroad guys get them to fail about as much as any brand though.

 

[Berns]

So I ended up getting the AC Delcos at a very good price on Amazon, cheaper than the Timkens posted. Hopefully I get them soon so I can get rid of that annoying hum.

Two things I have learned from experience. (As you found out or will soon find out.) Bad wheel bearings just start out as a slight "feeling" of a hum that enters in the back of your mind on a quiet drive home that the noise is not normal. It progresses into a distinct noise that even your passengers will hear.

I am experiencing the hum that you speak of and when I brake, I feel like something is grinding. Cannot be the brakes cause they are brand new, not even 200 miles on them. I had my girl on the passenger side and asked her to listen while I was turning the wheel to the right and she can hear it too.
I am just those annoying people that hear a noise and get paranoid and have to attack the problem and get it fixed. I think it comes from when a balljoint snapped on my Caprice and it ended up damaging the whole front end when it dropped. Big lesson learned there.

 

[HARDTRAILZ]

Its easy to check. Jack it up and shake the wheel. Or you can feel the vibration in the spring when you rotate the tire sometimes.

 

[carshinebob]

I noticed no one addressed the leaking front diff. Just a thought. If it's been leaking for a while, low fluid could cause the diff bearings to fail and make noise too. ~BOB

 

[Berns]

I noticed no one addressed the leaking front diff. Just a thought. If it's been leaking for a while, low fluid could cause the diff bearings to fail and make noise too.

 

[Berns]

Ended up getting the wheel bearings done and now it rolls better than before and quiet. Before there was some rotating restriction but now it moves and picks up better