Whistling Sound? Ball Bearing?

[-TunedDSM-]

Ok i just recently bought a 95 GSX and im trying to fix the little things. Well my car got brand new tires when it was at the dealership and i can tell i need an alignment. Now i get the louder "hum" sound hinting at an alignment. Yet now im also getting a faint whistling sound from the front tires (drive side i think). It only does it when i get to about 20MPH+ , i checked the belts and they are fine and im pretty sure its something with the tires. Could it be a ball bearing? Do you think an alignment would eliminate it? Just looking for any input. Thanks!

 

[MrBoxx]

Hi. Congrats on your purchase of the GSX. Welcome to a long hellish voyage on your way to achieving your perfomance goals. On to business...

Jack up your car one corner at a time. Start where you think the noise is coming from. You only need to get it up a few inches at most. Take one hand and put it on top of your tire and the other hand on the bottom of the tire. Try to wiggle it like you're trying to change the camber in and out. Like / and \ back and forth, pushing with one hand while pulling with the other. If it wiggles, the bearing is probably failing or about to fail. You live in Northern Michigan. Salt and snow aren't very kind to our bearings and they tend to fail and then seize onto the axle splines. When the car gets up to speed, the bearing can make a roaring noise, especially at highway speeds. It's good to check bearings a couple times a year to get them changed as early as possible. Our cars use a sealed hub/bearing design that doesn't require service like older bearings that needed to be packed and greased. If the bearing has seized, you can try to do the change yourself, but it's recommended to let a shop or dealership handle it if you don't have the experience or tools necessary. It's not an easy job, and unfortunately, it's not cheap, either.

Do a boost leak test. Sometimes a boost leak can make a whistling noise. 1g BOV's also sometimes whistle at 20-30ish mph speeds, but I notice you don't have one.

You can get an alignment just to check to make sure the alignment is in spec, and while the car is on the rack, the tech should be able to diagnose a problem with the wheel bearings or suspension parts like ball joints.

P.S. I looked at the pics of your car in your profile. It's so refreshing to see a totally stock engine bay, I'd almost forgotten what they looked like. I'm sure it'll change soon enough, though. Good luck.

 

[-TunedDSM-]

Im pretty sure its not a boost leak being that itll do this whistle sound when im not it boost at all. For example ill being going about 35 with the whistle sound (and remember its faint) and ill pop it in neutral to pull in to my driveway itll continue to make the whistle sound until i get to a relativley slow speed. But in case it is, how do i do a boost leak test? Im relativley new with DSM's and i dont have a bunch of tools. Also my dad gets angry when i start doing stuff with my engine. Thanks for the input!

 

[MrBoxx]

Put the following website in your bookmarks folder. You'll find it comes in handy more often than imaginable.
http://www.vfaq.com

Specifically, you'll want this page on how to make a boost leak tester. They're cheap to make and easy to use. Read pressure by an aftermarket boost gauge. Pressurize the intake system to about 20 psi and listen for leaks. Have a spray bottle of soapy water handy to spray any places where a leak may occur: throttle body (shaft seals, BISS screw, etc) intake manifold, any place where there is a coupler/hose clamp, even the fuel injectors seals. If the intake system can hold about 20 psi for 30 seconds or so, you'll be in pretty good shape. Use the boost leak tester whenever you change anything intake-related, or on a regular basis, or if you notice performance suddenly drops.

I can't think of anything else that can cause a "whistle", per se. Brakes can make all sorts of squealing sounds, some of which could mimic a whistle. Is there any way to have a friend try to listen to localize the sound?

Don't worry about Dad. Whenever something breaks, just upgrade it. For example: "Dad, my T25 turbo just died and the dealership wants over $1000 to replace it with another one. But I could buy a 16g for a lot cheaper and put it in myself, which would teach me a valuable life skill and be very financially responsible. Plus, it would increase the efficiency of my car, blah blah blah." Trust me, it works. Dad's don't like it, but it works.

 

[project15]

It could very well be your rear one even though it sounds like it's in the front. I know my rear passenger wheel bearing is bad, but the humming sound seems like it is more towards the front for some reason. Did that on my spyder too when the rear one was bad.

 

[-TunedDSM-]

It may be from the rear, thats where it sounds like i need the alignment. To better describe the sound its almost a chirp. Im praying its not a boost leak because i still owe alot of money and i cant afford to do major maitenance (i know then i bought the wrong car ). But i hear ball bearing jobs are pretty expensive... like 600 bucks? Thanks again for the input. I'll drop by an alignment shop when i get the chance and see what they say.

 

[MelloEclipse]

yes, someone else asked my question. =P

i have this same problem...my sounds like it's on the passanger's front side (although it may be the back) it's like a high pitched metal grinding basically (at least to me) and it does it when i'm coming to a stop (which obviously makes me think brakes) but then it also does it whenever i hit a slight bump or anything that jars it, so i guess i might have the ball bearing joint problem as well =\

 

[MrBoxx]

Yours may be the brake wear indicator, the dust shield bent to where it's hitting the brake rotor, a ball joint issue, or the hub. Or it could be something entirely different. Check for bearing play as I described above, then take off the wheel and check the brakes, front and back. While you're looking behind the rotor, check to make sure the dust shield isn't bent up and rubbing anything. If you feel up to it, take the calipers off and check for rocks stuck in the slots of the brake pads. Be careful of shearing caliper bolts. Getting replacement calipers from the dealer sucks.