I get this humming sound when driving (noticeable on highway). It doesn't sound serious, but its a nuisance when driving at night in silence. Weird thing is, it goes away when i turn slighly left when driving. What could this be? Wheel bearing? I know its not the tranny making the noise b/c I had just rebuilt it myself and there is no play in the cv shaft. It sounds like its coming from the driver side. Thanks.

 

sounds like tires. one may be out of round...when was the last time you rotated them? Try rotating the tires and see if the noise changes.

 

The second line here is what tells you is't the wheel bearing. When you turn slightly left you take some load off the failing bearing and it shuts up.

If your tires were to blame, the noise would be constant no matter what the load would be.

 

Yeah sounds like it could be a wheel bearing. I had this happen before on my old camry, when you turn the wheel one way it becomes quiet. Another test is jack up the car and try to wiggle the wheel. If it wiggles a little more then the other thats also a sign.

 

Thanks man. I had a dream that I blew my tranny. I remembered in the dream, damn im like that guy from the org, ericdwong, blowing my tranny all the time. HAHA, i though it was funny. How much is this bearing gonna cost me to fix? I have fsm and will do it myself.

 

I also think it sounds like a wheel bearing. The sound goes away while you turn left because you're taking some load off that corner of the car (physics and all that.) With time, the humming will get worse and will eventually be continuous, no matter what direction you're steering.

I used to think the 'jack up the car and tug on the wheel' method of checking bearings worked, but it's not totally accurate. The wheel bearings have to be totally shot in order to get any noticable play. Marginally failing bearings (like your left-front probably is) don't exhibit any significant deflection when tugging on the top and bottom of the wheel.

You might be best off having a trusted mechanic take a look to make sure. At all costs avoid the dealership on this one; wheel bearings aren't rocket science.

Good luck,
TOM