Hi Guys,

I have this strange humming noise, that sounds like it's coming from behind the steering wheel. I went to the dealership and they can't figure out what could be causing this. It only happens when i'm driving between 30-35km/h or while I'm braking and slowing down (when the speedo reaches 30/35 km/h). It's driving me nuts.

The only thing that changed is that I swapped the summer wheel set with summer RFT's, with a winter wheel set with winter tires (RFT's also). I don't feel any vibrations or the car pulling to the side at any speed.

Please help.

 

Might be a wheel bearing going bad on the front corner, but that gets louder with movement. Low growl. Or a bad axle in the front. Only other things could be badly cupped tires which are low on air or out of alignment ?

Good luck, those are my thoughts.

 

Maybe it's the tires? Have you tried putting your other set of wheels/tires on to see if the noise goes away?

 

Thanks very much. I'm gonna try swapping the wheel (left to right and right to left), caz the tires are asymmetrical. I think that might isolate the problem.

 

You're welcome. Let me know what you find out.

 

Welcome.

 

So, I swapped the wheels. The humming/buzzing is still there. I listened to it bit more closely this time, and it's almost like a grinding noise and I feel a very very faint vibration on steering wheel. But only occurs at 36km/h speed. So strange. Any ideas?

 

Check that front axle, check the back of the dust shield on the brakes, also the wheel bearing, seems weird at on 36km/h, maybe that when it just at its loudest.

 

Check your suspension components for wear. The axles have been known to cause vibration at certain speeds if they're bad. When you change direction/go around a turn at that speed does the noise change? Or is it only when going straight? And you're only hearing this on the driver side?

 

I have only noticed it while I'm going straight. But I will try turning at that speed. And yes, it is on the driver side only. I do wanna mention that one of tires has less tread wear than the other three (a very slight differences) . I had popped a tire last winter, and got a used tire with very similar tread on them. I was looking at all the tires yesterday, I can't even tell which one is the newer one.

 

I actually have the same problem and i can not find out where is this noise coming from.
Don´t want to throw parts at it.
I did a quick check the other day (lifting the car up) and nothing, could not find the noise.

 

" I have only noticed it while I'm going straight. But I will try turning at that speed. And yes, it is on the driver side only. "


The wheel bearing when straight at the early sign of failure will make a low hum growl, and when you turn the wheel against it the bearings set straight with the inner and outer metal , when you go straight the bearings drift a little apart on the track and causes the hum. Had this happen in my R52 many times.

Pull the wheel off and the rotor, twist the whole wheel bearing on that side by hand, back and forth, and feel for friction and slight un-smoothness, then compare it to the other side.

 

A faulty wheel bearing can exhibit a few warning signs. The most obvious would be a howling or grinding noise from a front wheel while in motion. This noise would get louder when you steer side to side. If worse when steering to the right, the left side bearing is usually at fault and the opposite holds true for when steering left. You can check for a noisy wheel bearing with the vehicle stationary too. Jack the front of your vehicle and rotate the front wheel; while rotating, place your hand on the front coil spring. You should be able to pick up a vibration in the spring. There may also be free-play in the bearing. You can check for free-play by jacking the front of your vehicle and wiggling the wheel up and down. If there is any free-play, replace the bearing.

 

You guys are the best! Thanks so much spending the time and answering all my questions. I'll try your recommendations and get back to you. The car is still under warranty and I want all my basis covered. I don't want them to come around and say, it's your wheel and dish out $1000 to fix it.

 

You are welcome, let me know if you need anything else.

 

ECS and Pelican hit it on the nose. I've had wheel bearing and tire issues in the past (non-Mini vehicles) and drove myself insane trying to identify the cause.

In case the bearings and/or wheels are not the answer I would also recommend checking your exhaust hangers if you've ever had undercarriage impact. I once drove over frozen snow, trying to get out of a parking spot, and bent my front-end exhaust hangers ever so slightly. At 3k rpms the exhaust would ever so slightly touch the lower support bracket and its vibration caused a very loud humming noise.

Good luck. Post back and let us know what the issue ends up being.

 

Thanks , good info.