Hey guys, so I have been hearing this noise coming from my front wheels/brakes? Its like a whirring or "whom" "whom" noise. Call me stupid, but maybe it's the bearings? Or the rotors are going bad? This only happens when I brake to about 20-25 mph and it starts to make this noise. I'm at a loss, I had a tire shop look at it (against my better judgement) while the tires were getting rotated and they said I needed a complete replacement of rotors and pads. Quoted me over $900+. So if u guys know anything about this, please chime in.

 

$900 is absurd. At our shop I couldn't see that being more than $250-$300. Is the truck also shaking when braking? If so, it's likely the rotors. If you could jack the front end up and put one hand at the top of the tire and one hand at the bottom and alternate pushing/pulling the top and bottom of the tire out and in that's somewhat of a simple test for play to see if the bearing is going bad. The whom whom sound is what makes me think it may be the bearing. Is your 04 the heritage or the 04-08 body style?

 

The truck does not shake or shudder while braking, I just get that noise. My truck is the 04-08 body, and I may try that method you mentioned. And no kidding, $900 is absurd (was at a Firestone unfortunately)

 

Hmm... Does the noise occur only when you hit the brakes? Or will it do it if you just let off the gas for 5 seconds or so and not hit the brakes? Just kind of letting the truck slow down by itself. I was wondering which body style your truck is because on the models before your body style the rotors and bearing were all put together. On the body style that you have, the rotor is separate. On the models where they are together the rotors cost more plus the cost of cleaning and packing the bearings. I was still just trying to figure out why they quoted you so much. I know that sometimes pads will squeak or squeal if they have a bad spot in them but I'm not sure if a bad spot would cause the noise that you're hearing. Just to rule that out, you could either replace the pads or pull the caliper off and pull the pads off and scuff them up on the ground. Personally I'm thinking bearing.

 

Well, it's not really a squeak or squeal. But yes it does make the noise when Im just crusing through a parking lot or something, its quite loud at those speeds. But only at a slow speed, maybe like 20-25 mph, as I described earlier. I may have misspoke about what I was quoted, it was a while ago when I did it. I do apologize for that. Honestly, I'll keep driving it until: A) wheels fall off, or B) it really becomes a major issue. Seems minor right now, but what do I know, I'm no mechanic lol.

 

With a repetitive woa,woa,woa type noise
Bearings will typically be noisier when loaded (right side loaded when going around left corner)

Tires wearing unevenly typically an alignment issue, possibly from a failing/failed part (might have gotten louder or quieter after tire rotation)



How many miles on the truck?

 

Patman makes 2 very good points. I forgot to mention the sound increasing when turning in a certain direction if it is a bearing. Also it could be the tires if the noise isn't there when turning. If it's the tires it could be caused by lack of rotation as well. The tires could be cupped or feathered.

 

To answer patman's question, the truck just turned 97,000. And yes, when I turn a corner, the noise is not present. So you may be right about it being the tires. I've had problems with them having uneven shoulder wear. Weird part about it is, I have always gotten my tires rotated every 5k miles, along with the oil change. I've only had the truck aligned twice, once when I first got it, and twice before I went on a long trip. The guy told me on the second alignment that it was barely off. So I don't know what to do. But I do appreciate the info though, helps a lot.