Whats up fellas, wondering if some you guys with a first gen AWD have had a rubbing noise coming from the front end. It's not a grinding (metal on metal) noise, sounds like rubbing even pulsating.
I have no vibrations on my steering wheel, you can hear it when coasting down the highway, gets a bit louder at high speeds, radio needs to be turned off in order to hear it. I wiggled my steering wheel from side to side yesterday while coasting at 50mph and the sound went along with the direction of the steering wheel.
Don't think its a wheel bearing, maybe bad tires? Checked the tires and they have plenty of thread, maybe they're cupping?
Btw, I have upgraded bbk, dropped on BC coils.

Any replies would be appreciated, did a search but didn't really find anything.

Thanks!

 

Sounds like your tires are feathering.

When parked, crank your steering wheel to the left, and get out and check the inner tread blocks, if every other block is higher then the last, they're feathering and you pretty much have two options: Get your tires shaved down, or replace them.

Then repeat for the other side.

I've had this happen to me before, and it's unfortunate that there isn't much else to do.

Best of luck!

 

^ Just replaced the tires with new ones all around and the damn car is still making the noise. Maybe my wheel bearings are bad. But it's not a whining noise, like a said more like a rubbing, almost like a exhaust noise, but radio needs to be off in order to hear it. Ugh, very annoying.

 

I think everyone should check their wheel bearings. It's like #2 behind the compression rods it seems. Kinda hard to e-diagnose with the symptoms you've stated, but having a sound and pulsating with the turning of the steering wheel while on the highway makes me think it's a wheel bearing.

 

Going to get my front wheels balanced tomorrow, the balancing machine at the shop wasn't working properly. Noticed if I jerk the steering wheel to the right, I hear the noise get louder on my driver side wheel. Seems like wheel bearing, but will balance wheels first and take it from there.

 

Replaced my drivers side hub bearing assy with dealer part and low and behold I still have that damn noise! What else can it be? Tires are brand new. I jerk the steering wheel to the right and the noise gets louder on the left. This is why I changed the left side.

Very annoyned.

 

Anyone ?

 

Tie rod, plastic cover, ..., ....? I don't know what it could be..

 

Don't know, we have a little snow storm out here on NYC and was doing a little drifting! Trying to keep my mind off the that damn noise!!
Not sure what it is, I guess it wasnt the bearing since its still doing it.

 

That's always fun, I was doing that last week in the snow. Haven't left the house today.

 

i am currently having the exact same problem if u figuered it out please post!! thank you

 

If you can detect the car pulling slightly under light braking on that side of the car the rubbing sound could be from a warped brake rotor or some other problem causing the pad to rub on rotor wrong

 

Try your compression rods. I had a squeak when I would go over speed bumps and things that would drive me crazy, till I changed them out

 

Not the compression rods, had them replaced a few months ago. Bad comp rods creak.
Got a wheel alignment a few days ago and still have the noise, was that my passenger side bearing can be the culprit.

 

Problem fixed!!! Wound up replacing right side bearing, also my inner axle boot was tore up leaking grease all over the place, got that fixed also.

So, I replaced both front bearings, new tires, alignment.......