ok,
ive been plagued with this humming noise for quite some time now..i thought (among other people) that the humming was caused by my tires being bald..i have now since installed/balanced and everything perfectly 4 brand new tires and rims, humming is still present..i have though broken my ebrake cable(2nd time in 2 years) and when it broke i was pretty high up, now ive checked all my brakes, no visiable wear marks or "scores", it seems that this illusant hum, may be coming from the front of the car or even the middle(near the tranny), i have lowered my car about 4 inches but the dampening is still in factory specs..i have narrowed it down to a few possibilities..could it be one of these?? and if you have any other possiblities, please respond..(also if you have questions so you can repsond better feel free to leave them as well)
POSSIBILITIES
1.brake caliper/s sticking in the on position or some brake problem
2.driveshaft is on its way out
3.transmission is on its way out
4.badly balanced weighted tires/rims
5.rims/tires rubbing somewhere
6.rear end is outta joint
7.clutch plate is on its way out

it only happens at speeds above 10km/h and it goes away briefly sometimes for up to 10 second intervals..

any help is very appreciated

iroc2nv

 

Does the frequncy (pitch) of the noise vary with road speed or engine speed? You can maintain a given road speed and switch between OD and DRIVE to vary the engine speed to help determine this.

 

the faster i go, the faster the noise goes..i have a 5 speed not auto so i dont know if that makes any diff?

i am taking my wheels off tomorrow and checking the brakes and rotors..hopefully its not that..or it is depending on the price..

any other opinions would be great.

thanks

iroc2nv

 

One thing I did in the past is I had my car put on a dyno test. That way I could stand outside of my car while the drivetrain was working to see if I could pin point the where the noise was coming from. Granted this will only help you if the problems is engine, trans, driveshaft or rear end. Doesnt help with front tires and brakes. Just a thought.

 

maybe the ball bearings? I''ve got all sorts of under chassis noise... it's just. great