Thread: Impala - grinding noise that goes along with speed

Thought it might be a wheel bearing as the abs started acting up lately. I got it in the air, the left wheel is a little loose in all directions. Thought OK, this is it. Just for a test I put it in drive and heard the noise in the air too. I blocked the right wheel from turning, got the left going and heard it. Did the opposite tire, and still heard the noise...that's not good. I'll get a video up, but as it stands I hear a grinding related to wheel rotation, and it makes the noise no matter what front wheel is spinning.

http://vid760.photobucket.com/albums...31_encoded.mp4

Any ideas? Am I right to point towards internal transmission issues? It sounds more to the right of the car, I can hear it louder when standing by the passenger side. I can't help but think the diff might be messed up, but I was just in there putting a shift kit in, and I used the differential lube line retainer so that couldn't have popped out. That was last fall. The noise pretty much just started randomly when driving, pretty suddenly.

Edit, got the stethoscope out. Can't hear it on the differential housing. Its loudest in the car for sure. Of everything I've listened to, its loudest in the rf strut. Hardly audible on the wheel bearing bolts. This is so confusing.

The question is, if I block the right wheel, get the left spinning, is the noise still on the rf strut? Gonna go back and try tomorrow. The left CV boot dumped all its grease out just now, cool.

Although you can still hear the noise with either wheel turning, it was on the right strut the loudest, so I just went ahead and replaced the rf wheel bearing. Turns out that's what it was. Which is weird because I blocked that wheel and spun the left and still heard it. That side is loose though, so all in all I believe both wheel bearings were making noise, with the right side being loudest.. This is what happens when you let stuff make noise for years before trying to diagnose it, you have multiple problems lol.

It wasn't a normal case though, it did go with wheel speed, but turning and putting different loads on them made no difference. And spinning in the air was just as loud as on the ground. Usually you can turn and one way will make it louder. Which is what my neighbors blazer is doing, which I'll be fixing too.