Loud noise during interstate travel

[hobbstisdaman]

Talked to the guys at my local dealer and they couldn't answer it. Any where passed 70 mph I get this high pitched hum that I can clearly hear in the cabin. Sounds like its coming from under the hood, but can't diagnose for obvious reasons. It's not constant as in I will always hear it but briefly it will stop and continue on. Makes me feel like wind hitting something just right because of the speed of the car. Anyone have this problem?

[navigator]

I doubt your issue is the wheel bearing but it is an easy check.
Try slightly bumping the steering wheel left and right when you start hearing the noise.
If it gets quieter when bumping one way vs the other it could be that wheel bearing on it's way out.
With mine they started making a loud noise almost like mud tires way before there was any play in the bearing itself.

[hobbstisdaman]

It still seems to do it when I change lanes and the bearing doesn't seem loose. It sounds like it's coming from dead center under the hood. as in I hear it my right ear when on the driver side unless I lean my head to the center like where the stereo head unit is.

[HARDTRAILZ]

I heard mine at interstate speeds first as well. I vote wheel bearing

[navigator]

you won't feel it in the bearing, or I didn't.
Even when I pulled mine off I wasn't sure they were bad.
There was a little friction when turning almost like the grease was thick.

if it is the bearing it will get worse, you can just keep listening for it.
you should know it is bad well before it fails.
I bought 2 off of ebay for $76 and have had them on a couple months. I doubt they are as good as say a timken but I figured I would try them.

[hobbstisdaman]

So you should change them out at the same time? Like break pads. Or you just bought 2 anyway?

[HARDTRAILZ]

I have not had issues changing one at a time. I have about 30k miles on one of my ebay hubs without issue.

[hobbstisdaman]

That seems strange that the wheel bearing will make that noise. A lot of friction. How do you locate the one that seems to be going bad this early in the game? Just which one looks more rusted and the most resistance to rotate?

[Trail X]

Probably too early for you to determine.

Only two methods... lift vehicle and rotate by hand and listen carefully (normally takes some wear before you can do this).

If the noise changes when in a left or right turn, it can sometimes signal one side or another.

[The Roadie]

I use one of those infrared temp sensor guns ($40 at Harbor Freight or less on sale) and I've found a bad trailer bearing before. Might also work on the truck front end. When I had a Roadiemobile bearing let loose after too many hundreds of miles of deterioration, it was a good 50 degrees hotter when I had to quit driving on it. Don't do what I did and let it go quite that far.

[navigator]

with mine if I was driving in a straight line I could just rock the steering wheel from like 12 oclock to 1 oclock or from 12 to 11 , just enough to bump it a little and I could hear the change.
Mine would change when bumping to the right which means it is the left bearing.

On changing 1 vs 2, a lot for me would depend on mileage. I was at about 90k miles and I could get 2 on ebay cheaper than one at the parts store so I got two. If I didn't have so many miles on it, I might would change one at a time.

[hobbstisdaman]

I've only got 60k on the truck... and I'm pretty sure I haven't beaten the hell out of the wheel bearings. JD, If I only hear it going around 70-80 mph would I even be able to hear it just by rotating the tires?

[navigator]

you are early enough, if it is a wheel bearing you aren't likely to notice it by spinning the wheels.

If you haven't rotated your tires recently you might try that it could be the tires themselves.
Honestly outside of rotating the tires I wouldn't do too much right now except keep an ear out for it and see if anything changes over the next few weeks.

[hobbstisdaman]

Sounds good.

[The Roadie]

... I wouldn't do too much right now except ...

... start beating the hell out of the bearings because otherwise you might as well own a Pinto.

[hobbstisdaman]

On my jeep I broke both front (two separate occasions), but the tb hasn't been harassed quite like that yet.

[navigator]

yeah when the ones on my son's jeep started going bad there was definite play in the wheel, that is why I didn't think mine were bad until I changed them.

[hobbstisdaman]

Same here. I could jack it up an move the wheel a ridiculous amount.