Loud humming from car

joejoem

My car has started to give this humming noise recently and has gotten worse over the last week, now it is like the radio being on. It sounds like its coming from the front of the car and the faster I go the louder it gets. Would anybody have any idea what it is? Its my first car (an old renault clio) and im wondering if its a big job wheather to dump it or to go ahead and get it repaired.
Thanks lads

Ratchet

more info dude,

does it only happen when you drive?

or

happens even if parked but you rev the engine?

Dades

Is it someone in the passenger seat?

Seriously though. Have a look at your fanbelt or your fan itself. There may be something obvious down there. And as rachet says, does the car make the same noises when you just rev it?

joejoem

Ratchet wrote:

more info dude,

does it only happen when you drive?

or

happens even if parked but you rev the engine?

no its just when I drive. its definitly not the fan belt.

Any idea?

comanche

my guess would be wheel bearing

joejoem

is that expensive to repair?

BrianD3

Does the loudness of the humming increase/decrease as you go around a bend. If you have a worn passenger side bearing, you'll probably get increased humming going around right hand bends and decreased humming going around left hand bends. With a worn drivers side bearing, you'll get the opposite.

A wheel bearing will set you back around 60-70 quid from renault or cheaper if you get a non genuine part. Add a couple of hours labour on top of that if it's a front bearing or 1 hour if it's a rear bearing.

BrianD3

Gerry

Definitely sounds like a wheel bearing. Drove 1000 miles of a roadtrip on an expired front wheel bearing in my old saab 900, that was pretty rough on the ears

AMurphy

Ditto on the wheel bearing. However, they can sing a long while before they collapse into shrapnel. If you cannot hold a conversation with your passenger(due to the noise) it's close to collapse.

to determine which side, jack up the wheel and with the wheel stil in place, try rocking the wheel/tyre top and bottom. Usually you should detect the most slack in the worn one. All of them will have a little, you are looking for the "rattling good fit" one.

Depending on car, the bearings/hub could be anywhere from $30 to $150. and allow 2 hours to change.
If it FWD, it has to be replaced. on a RWD, the front may be adjusted or replaced easily.

Also, as they get near to collapse the break disk on that side begins to drag, so to save other parts, ie the brakes, it is best to get it attended to.

comanche

Would it be possible to go to a breakers and get a whole unit (hub?) if its the front wheels. Just wondering - most likely talking absolute rubbish.

peasant

ahemm ...this may sound stupid ...but have you checked your air vents? Had a humming sound in my car once that drove me and several mechanics crazy until we discoverd a bit of sturdy plastic bag that had lodged itself in an air vent and vibrated ever louder the faster you went ...

buzz

air leaking from air intake (filter) or intake manifold?

AMurphy

peasant wrote:

ahemm ...this may sound stupid ...but have you checked your air vents? Had a humming sound in my car once that drove me and several mechanics crazy until we discoverd a bit of sturdy plastic bag that had lodged itself in an air vent and vibrated ever louder the faster you went ...

I've heard of roof racks (not very aerodynamic ones) cause annoying humming of the type you describe.
Coil springs and grooved concrete roads will also set up a humming vibrations.

I'd venture that those air speed generated humming is not accompanied with clicking/clacking of damaged bearings and may tend to appear "all around you", wheras bearings may be louder and more focused to one location.

Green_Martian

This may sound really stupid!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

But when i was having the same problem, i brought the car around to my uncle, who is my mechanic, just as he was checking the wheel he noticed that the wheel nuts had not been properly tighten.
I was shocked as i had left the car (not with my uncle) in to get a puncture fixed and presumed everything would be ok ( nuts tightened properly).

Tighten the nuts and sound went away..............

joejoem

Crap, no I'm sure its the wheel bearings now, will drop it in to be fixed, although the car is only worth about €800, I should nearly dump it really?

Interceptor

It is rarely possible to diagnose problems by reading about them - a noisy wheel bearing can be checked by jacking the car up and spinning the wheels by hand. Any noise will only get worse when the car is being driven. If you can rock the wheel on the hub then the wear is serious. Don't dump it until you are sure it isn't a problem and don't jump to any conclusions until a mechanic has quoted for the repair. German French and Swedish on the Long Mile road will sell wheel bearings for your car and it shouldn't cost much to fix - €120-€150 if it needs both sides.

I have had a noise from the back of my Espace for two years now - sometimes sounds like the wheel about to fall off when driven over bumps, but turns out to be a missing shim from brake caliper causing it to rattle. Nothing to worry about and not going to cost me another thought...

'c