rumble at highway speeds

[Luk3]

I searched but couldn't't find anything that describes my symptoms exactly.

Between 45mph and about 60mph the car makes a rumbling sound kind of like a low pitch vibrating sound but the car doesn't shake and the steering wheel is steady. I recently put new wheels and tires on. They were all balanced and a 4 wheel alignment was done...just had to adjust the toe he said.

Maybe the wheels weren't centered right when mounted?

 

[M4rk]

Could be the tires you just got. Search around to see if other owners reported the same thing.

 

[Luk3]

I chose them because reviews said they were quiet but, they were cheap...

I was having symptoms of this before but I thought it was the old mismatch, unbalanced tires I had.

 

[dunndarryn]

I had this issue when I had my LS, changed my tires 3 different times, never fixed the problem, so it's probably not the tires. It also only happened sometimes, not always. I always thought it might be coming from my exhaust but I really hadn't a clue as to what it was. Hope you figure it out!

 

[BlackLS06]

If the wheels have the same hub bore as your factory wherls it's impossible for them to not be centered. And if they weren't centered all you would get is a vibration.

 

[joegr]

Have you looked at the CV joints in the rear?

 

[Luk3]

Have you looked at the CV joints in the rear?

No. What would I be looking for?

Don't know if it could be related but I am creaking over speed bumps on both front and rear left side.

 

[Andrizzle]

Creaking usually means something is dry (giggity). Check into sway bar end links and ball joints, especially since you have a gen1.

 

[joegr]

No. What would I be looking for?

Signs of wear. Roughness in rotation. Inadequate grease. Split boots. Any ticking sounds at low speed.

 

[dunndarryn]

(giggity).

]

 

[Luk3]

No clicks or ticks at low speed. I'll check them out when I get home

 

[Kumba]

In my case it was a bad rear drivers side wheel bearing. You didn't hear it till about 45-50, and it got louder up to about 55-60 then seemed to get quieter cause the wind-noise over took it.

No real vibrations in the wheel like it was the wheels, but the whole car hummed and you could tell it was coming from the rear.

No clue if that's your issue, but something else to check. It was found with a mechanics stethoscope while letting the car run on jack stands with suspension loaded. Not a set-up for the faint of heart.

 

[pragmatic]

Possibles include: wheel bearings (front or rear) or center bearing on driveshaft.

 

[Luk3]

that's what's going on. a hum coming from the rear with no vibration.

 

[regiment1]

I get a similar hum from the rear between 35 - 45, but only when the car is driven in ambient temperatures under 45 degrees and only when the car is first driven. It fades away after about 10 minutes. There is no vibration.


Now, I haven't been able to confirm this, but I think it is better since I replaced the rear brake rotors.

 

[LS4me]

that's what's going on. a hum coming from the rear with no vibration.

I would suspect a rear wheel bearing. Then again, I thought I had a front bearing failing due to where I thought I heard the sound. Turns out it was a rear. The right was very close to total failure and the left was on the way out.

 

[blwnbyu]

that's what's going on. a hum coming from the rear with no vibration.

I have the same rumble.. I'm pretty sure it's a rear wheel bearing.. It seems to do it when the car is cold, and starts at exactly 45 mph.. It's quite frustrating. I will do the stethoscope test and see what I find. I can also feel a little grinding like feeling thru the gas pedal.

 

[Luk3]

Oddly the hum was a lot less today.

I lifted the car and check for play in the wheels. All 4 were tight. Also looked at the cv joints. The boots looked good, no cracking or splits.

Scope test next.

 

[Kumba]

Just be careful. You will need two people. One to crawl under the running car with the mechanics stethoscope and someone else to get the rear wheels spinning up to 45 or wherever the noise shows up. We loaded the suspension on mine in case it was a CV axle.

Go slow too in case the brakes are sticking. The wheels should look like they are more or less spinning evenly. If one drags then the other wheel will be spinning significantly faster. Just make sure you got something to chock the front wheels good, and use a couple jack stands under each side in the rear in case something goes wrong.

Ohh, and your ABS will get all bitchy but it goes away once you drive the car for a little bit.

 

[blwnbyu]

Just be careful. You will need two people. One to crawl under the running car with the mechanics stethoscope and someone else to get the rear wheels spinning up to 45 or wherever the noise shows up. We loaded the suspension on mine in case it was a CV axle.

Go slow too in case the brakes are sticking. The wheels should look like they are more or less spinning evenly. If one drags then the other wheel will be spinning significantly faster. Just make sure you got something to chock the front wheels good, and use a couple jack stands under each side in the rear in case something goes wrong.

Ohh, and your ABS will get all bitchy but it goes away once you drive the car for a little bit.

Thanks for the advice. Hopefully it's nice tomorrow when my roommate gets back so I can check this out.

 

[DET_LSV8]

I get this same vibration in my gen 2. No idea what its from but exactly at 40 until 60 MPH, regardless of the weather conditions. Let me know if you find anything out. Thanks!

 

[2006LincolnLS]

I posted this in another thread. Before I purchased the 06, I was looking at a very sharp 03 or 04. Long story short the guy had a similar issue and had it "High Speed Balanced" wonder if this is something that could help you?

 

[Luk3]

I was under the car yesterday checking for loose parts in the rear and noticed this cracking and splitting. Could this be causing my problem?

 

[Andrizzle]

Yup, rotting boots.

Those toe links are shot (top photo). You can order new ones for both sides around 70 bucks a piece, IIRC.

Second photo is your control arm(s).

 

[Kumba]

A vibration is usually the result of something spinning. Worn boots and joints would result in klunks and funky stability. I've never really had one cause a humm/vibration.

My money is still on wheel bearings, CV Axles, or Driveshaft.