This is really irritating me. Everytime I come to a stop, there would be this buzzing sound coming from the front of the car. This occurs about when I hit 10mph and slowly inch to a full stop. I can feel the steering wheel and front end shake a little bit also. The noise gets louder as the temperature gets colder. This only occurs in cold weather because during the warm seasons, the noise goes away. This is the 3rd winter that is doing this. And I hate this....everytime I take it to the dealer, the noise disappears. I know it's not the tires because if it is, it would occur regardless of the outside temperature. Anybody have any clue? I'm desparate for any advice or help.

 

Have your CV axle boots inspected. You may have to replace an axle or two, there could be any number of factors causing them to vibrate, its a common symptom. Also, a slipping tranny may accentuate this effect, you should make sure you've done a flush and refilled the automatic system to adequate volume, as tranny fluid can impair torque converter lockup at low operating temp. Hope this helps.

 

Thanks for your quick reply. I'll check the CV axles and do a tranny flush and fill. What are the most common sypmtom for a slipping tranny? As far as I know, the tranny shifts smoothly without any hesistation or any abnormal sound.

 

If you or your mechanic diagnose the problem as an axle, let me know. I have a brand new, ABS compatible 95-99 Maxima axle for sale $60 shipped to you in 48 states. Just make sure you don't have a limited slip differential, because thats why I couldnt use it (>_<)

 

I'll wait until the temperature drops lower so the noise is more prominent and then take it to the dealer. Will let you know how it goes and if I do need an axle, you'll be the first to know.

 

A slipping tranny is tough to truly diagnose unless you subject your ride to intense runs on a frequent basis. Under those conditions, a slipping tranny, would just become apparent. But in mostly city driving (40mph and under) its a tough call, since so many other parts can mimic the symptoms at such low-load operation. What is the mileage on your transmission? Are you the original owner? If you're not and the car has over 100k miles and you DON'T know the last time service was done to the transmission, you should save up some money to freshen it up, rather than shell out dough later on an overhaul. Such modifications such as a Valve Body mod and tranny cooler have proven to extend the lifetime of auto transmissions. And although I personally only run it through my oil system, Auto-Rx (www.auto-rx.com), apparently can be applied to your automatic transmission to clean it out as well.

 

Yep...I'm the original owner. It's 98 max with 91K miles on it. The last time I did a tranny flush was about 2 years ago. Maybe it's time to do it again. I just hope it's nothing major.

 

Do you have ABS? How's your brake fluid level?
Jae