Front wheel rubbing noise ....driving me CRAZY (SOLVED: wheel bearing)

Ok so my GF has a 2005 Chevy Aveo with 40 000km on it. Here are the symptoms of the noise:

-Started our of nowhere yesterday (car had been parked for 3 days prior)
-Sounds like the wheel is rubbing against something plastic
-Sound starts at 15km/h and gets louder and pitch changes as speed increases
-Sound is loud in the car, almost cant hear it outside
-Sort of sounds like its coming from the front drivers side
-I jacked the front of the car up onto two jack stands and started it. You can hear the noise very clearly when the wheels are turning at about 40-50km/h...when its on the jack stands, the sound sounds like its coming from everywhere...cant pin-point location
-Sound does not vary with engine rpm...only actual speed
-no loose in the suspension, and when I turn the wheels with my hand, everything seems fine


I'm thinking it might be a wheel bearing but im not quite sure...and also im not sure what side its coming from since from the outside I cant pin-point it

Looking for some opinions on what it might be

Thanks

One way to figure out if it's a wheel bearing:

Try "slaloming" the car left and right. If the noise changes in volume (while keeping the same speed) as you compress & uncompress the suspension on each side, that's a big clue.

If it's a wheel bearing, the sound typically gets louder with suspension compressed, quieter uncompressed.

BTW: 2005 with 40,000 km? That's low!!

(25k miles, for our U.S. / Imperial measurement fans)

thank you for the conversion!

I have to agree with the wheel bearing idea to check that. It might also be cv joints? With that low of mileage look for a torn boot.

It could also be something stupid like flash rusted brakes, or rock etc in there.

No problemo. (Doesn't beat my '98 Firefly [Metro] though... currently 29k km / 20k mi... :P It was a barn find though. Bought by a little old lady who never drove it.)

Thanks for the help everyone!

It was a wheel bearing...passenger side. Used a screw driving on the steering knuckle to act as a stethoscope and hear which side was done. Was very clear that the passenger side is finished.

Changing it out today.

Glad you sorted it out.

A bit unusual that it went at just 40k kilometers though.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by MetroMPG

Glad you sorted it out.

A bit unusual that it went at just 40k kilometers though.

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I agree...but I can't see it being anything else. I checked all ball joints, tie rods, bushings, CV joints and boot, and everything is tight and looks good.

Anyways, we'll know soon enough...installing the new bearing tonight

You have access to a press? (Last time I went to change a bearing I had to give the hub to a buddy to press the old one out & new one in).

yep everything is fixed now and the car rolls great...was the passenger wheel bearing.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by petrified.rabbit

I have to agree with the wheel bearing idea to check that. It might also be cv joints? With that low of mileage look for a torn boot.

It could also be something stupid like flash rusted brakes, or rock etc in there.

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I had a rock in my disc brakes once. It was neat. The noise went away when I stepped on the brakes.

Glad you got it sorted out. Thanks for letting us know.

i just bought wheel bearing rtoday ,,ive tried higher grade ones with no luck so i picked one on ebay for 25.00,,,my car has 150000 mi, and its eat three of these im thinking all on passenger side ,,,if u guys have noticed aveo may not b best riding but they sure stick well to road ,,im thinking bearings and bushings on our aveos wear hard

Quote:

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Originally Posted by dlc70

i just bought wheel bearing rtoday ,,ive tried higher grade ones with no luck so i picked one on ebay for 25.00,,,my car has 150000 mi, and its eat three of these im thinking all on passenger side ,,,if u guys have noticed aveo may not b best riding but they sure stick well to road ,,im thinking bearings and bushings on our aveos wear hard

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Depends how you drive your car honestly. I know someone who tore out two bearings and two bushings with a weekend filled of drifts, donuts, slides, burnouts e.t.c

Abusing your car is hard on many parts, especially the bearings and bushings. So they wear down a lot fast during such fun.. Or shenanigans, whichever way you'd like to look at it.

Hmmm. I know you already replaced it, but wouldn't that be still covered by GM warranty at 25k miles? Could be different in Quebec though.

Yes that happened to my Aveo checked it and took tire off to seeif it was the tires it self and rotated and balance them then he noticed the wheel baring and the break is wharped. We have researched it and it's said that Aveo wheel baring and brake components are cheaply made parts that aren't meant to last long. Therefore a another reason I got
Rid of the Aveo. I miss it so very much though. But I'm having fun in my si. ;p ....

Wow, interesting thread to pop back up, My car is making the same exact noise. '06 svm 85k miles.

How much were bearings and did you need a press?

I had to do the bearings on mine too (04 hatch, now has 110k km, did the bearings at around 90k km). I've also done control arm/ball joints and tie rods, but I was pretty negligent and abusive with my car during those beginning times, so I really don't fault the car. However now I have some more annoying noises, which I suspect may be some worn out bushings.

It's pretty common for cheap cars to come with cheap parts, especially bearings. I wouldn't worry about it too much, the overall cost of driving the car is still much lower than many others.

It seems it's my turn for this fun job. It's really howling but I haven't been able to tell which wheel it is. I'll have to track it down with a stethoscope this weekend. I thought it was cupped tires till I put new tires on and it didn't go away. Hopefully Timken bearings will hold up better...41k is a way to soon to be dealing with this kind of crap.

Dam guess im up now

Just did bearing on passenger side and still making noise can't figure it out, defiantly coming from passenger side tho, got some rubbing on shock tower but no wear on tire, tire rod seems good, any suggestions?