Strange noise from left rear tire.

[aaronsnocker1]

I just started having a noise that is coming from my left rear tire. When I first heard it I thought I had blown the tire but when I got out to inspect it the tire was fine. I drove around for about half a day with the noise and now I can't stand it. It really sounds and feels like the wheel is flopping around on the hub but the lugnuts are tight. Might I have broken a suspension piece. Please help I have to drive about 12 hours on Sunday so I can get home for christmas.

[NISTECH]

you need to look at all your suspension components real close. does the car have any vibration associated with it?

[scotty-2-forty]

Does the car progressively gain vibration with throttle speed and/or is there an intermitent humming noise associated with the vibration? Have you recently run over something in the road or hit a curb? Could be a busted radial belt.

[p00t]

just out of curosity, and i dont mean to thread jack. If the left rear has a strong hum sound that is very loud at crawling speeds (5mph), and is intermittent/quieter at around 50mph what could be the cause? When hitting a bump it stops for a half second, then resumes its music. This happened after the owner taking it to sears and getting new tires, i would think thats all they touched but it is sears....who knows! Car is a mid-ninties maxima.

Thanks!

[NISTECH]

rear brakes most likely. there is a bulliten on it for 95 to 99 max which requires replacing the rear e-brake cable and brake hardware(pad shims and gliders) as well as performing a rear brake service.

[aaronsnocker1]

yes it does have some vibrations in the steering wheel at speeds above 45. Not to strong but constant nonetheless. thanks for the help

[NISTECH]

reach underneath and grab the axel shaft ,try to pull it forward and back. should not move. it will travel a slight bit in and out of the hub and diff(very slight) but should not move up and down or foward and back. if thats ok check your tire for a bubble by runing your hand along the tread surface, becarful because you could have cord showing if you do have a bad spot. you could also have bad u-joints in the drive shaft. these would require checking with the shaft removed from the car.