Expert: Tim hagan - 9/18/2009

Question
I am getting a whining noise in the front end of when travelling at any speed. I am wondering if you thing it would be a hub and if so how can I check it.

Thanks

Answer
it could be a hub yes, you can check to see if it is loose by jacking up the front of the car and pulling on the top and bottom of the tire, if it is loose then you should replace the bearing.  However, most times they are not loose but still noisey, if it appears tight see if you can identify when driving which side of the car the noise appears loudest, then replace that bearing.  I usually run the car when it is on the hoist and use a stethiscope to listen to the bearings to isolate which one is bad.