Chirping/Squeaking Noise From Wheel

jackdog1

New Member
I have a 97 Civic ex coupe, and just today I noticed an intermittent rhythmic noise that sounds like a cross between a squeak and chirp from the front driver's side wheel. It is in sync with the tire's rotation, and gets a bit louder when I turn left.

I've also noticed that at slow speeds (e.g. when coasting to a stop with neither pedal pressed) the car goes up and down slightly, specifically the front driver's side of it.

I considered an imbalanced rotor, but I just replaced both sets of pads and rotors a month ago, and only started having issues today. I also considered bad tires, but those are brand new too. So I'm guessing it's some kind of axle issue. My cv boots on either side are intact (the ones at the wheel shaft actually look new-ish). The ends of the third boots (rods from steering system I think?) are torn, but those don't rotate so they're obviously not the problem.

Any ideas?

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Diana Nam

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jackdog1 said:
I have a 97 Civic ex coupe, and just today I noticed an intermittent rhythmic noise that sounds like a cross between a squeak and chirp from the front driver's side wheel. It is in sync with the tire's rotation, and gets a bit louder when I turn left.

I've also noticed that at slow speeds (e.g. when coasting to a stop with neither pedal pressed) the car goes up and down slightly, specifically the front driver's side of it.

I considered an imbalanced rotor, but I just replaced both sets of pads and rotors a month ago, and only started having issues today. I also considered bad tires, but those are brand new too. So I'm guessing it's some kind of axle issue. My cv boots on either side are intact (the ones at the wheel shaft actually look new-ish). The ends of the third boots (rods from steering system I think?) are torn, but those don't rotate so they're obviously not the problem.

Any ideas?

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looks like your wheel bearing is starting to go on you
 


jackdog1

New Member
Diana Nam said:
really depends how you see it, for me its not hard but annoying to do
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That's the impression I got when I looked at the instructions for replacing it. I just wish I knew there were problems with it back when was replacing the rotors.

Should I go ahead and do both sides, or just wait until the other side starts to go too?

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Diana Nam

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jackdog1 said:
That's the impression I got when I looked at the instructions for replacing it. I just wish I knew there were problems with it back when was replacing the rotors.

Should I go ahead and do both sides, or just wait until the other side starts to go too?

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noooo do them asap. you don't want to ride on those like that begin its already making it feel like the car is bouncy it will get worse rather fast i had bad one on both side on my old civic got to a point where the wheels just sat cambered from it and on highway the front swayed a lot from side to side at speeds above 45mph on the highway its rather really scary. only thing that kept my wheels held together was my axle nut
 

jackdog1

New Member
Diana Nam said:
noooo do them asap. you don't want to ride on those like that begin its already making it feel like the car is bouncy it will get worse rather fast i had bad one on both side on my old civic got to a point where the wheels just sat cambered from it and on highway the front swayed a lot from side to side at speeds above 45mph on the highway its rather really scary. only thing that kept my wheels held together was my axle nut
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I just realized that I worded that wrong. I'm going to replace the driver's side this weekend regardless, but should I go ahead and replace the passenger side one too?

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Diana Nam

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jackdog1 said:
I just realized that I worded that wrong. I'm going to replace the driver's side this weekend regardless, but should I go ahead and replace the passenger side one too?

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yea might as well instead of doing that side on a later date
 

jackdog1

New Member
I got so tired of trying to get the seized bolts and joints apart that I finally just took it to the dealership. Good thing I did, because the issue wasn't the bearing. Apparently my back driver's side brake drum had a slight manufacturing defect and was rubbing, causing the sound. The dealership swapped it with another aftermarket one for free, and the sound went away. They said some aftermarket parts just don't work well in certain cars, and if it happens again they'll order the OEM drums.

I'm not holding them at fault, since it was a problem with the part itself, and they got it through the same place I would have if I had done it (Advance Auto).

On a side note, apparently the number of doors affects which grille emblem fits (the four-door one is wider than the two-door).

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Diana Nam

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jackdog1 said:
I got so tired of trying to get the seized bolts and joints apart that I finally just took it to the dealership. Good thing I did, because the issue wasn't the bearing. Apparently my back driver's side brake drum had a slight manufacturing defect and was rubbing, causing the sound. The dealership swapped it with another aftermarket one for free, and the sound went away. They said some aftermarket parts just don't work well in certain cars, and if it happens again they'll order the OEM drums.

I'm not holding them at fault, since it was a problem with the part itself, and they got it through the same place I would have if I had done it (Advance Auto).

On a side note, apparently the number of doors affects which grille emblem fits (the four-door one is wider than the two-door).

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you might as well just get one for 4 door sedan. if its slightly different size then hatch/coupe
 

jackdog1

New Member
Diana Nam said:
you might as well just get one for 4 door sedan. if its slightly different size then hatch/coupe
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By slightly I meant the shape and pins are about a 1/4in wider, so it wouldn't fit at all. (I could have cut the pins and superglued it, but that would have just looked tacky). The parts guy at my dealership actually ordered the correct one for free, since even he was surprised by that.

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Diana Nam

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jackdog1 said:
By slightly I meant the shape and pins are about a 1/4in wider, so it wouldn't fit at all. (I could have cut the pins and superglued it, but that would have just looked tacky). The parts guy at my dealership actually ordered the correct one for free, since even he was surprised by that.

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as long as its not that much bigger then the bumper opening you'll probably be fine. my aftermarket one doesn't have those side mounting tabs and it doesn't screw onto the bumper like the oem does but does have a lip or edge that it goes into the slots
 
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