3 distinctive noises: Boiling kettle, taping shoes and a squeek

Maintenance/Repairs
1

I have a 2003 PT Cruiser.

I noticed 3 distinctive noises; All of them coming from the front weel(s).

  1. While driving, the car makes a boiling-kettle like sound, all the time.

  2. Also while driving, it occasionally makes a taping sound (like tapping shoes). I checked all four tires and none have pebbels or nails/metal stuck to them. I do not know how or why it is making such sound

  3. Finally, while breaking, the front wheels (specially the front left; driver side) makes a horrible loud squeaky sound.

After a long drive, I stopped worrying about the noises. I inspected the tires and noticed that both front wheels (rims) were super hot. I compared the temperature with the ones on the back and they where cold.

Please help!

2

You almost surely have front wheel bearings that are dry and could seize at any time. This is a genuine safety issue, because when one of those bearings suddenly seizes, it will be like locking the brake on that one wheel, which will probably cause you to lose control of the car.

This car needs to go to a competent mechanic tomorrow, before you cause an accident.

3

VDCdriver is correct. Do not drive this car faster than 10 MPH and get it inspected as soon as possible.

4

+2 for VDCdriver.

5

Yikes!
I vote for a tow truck ONLY. This car is definitely unsafe.

6

You have a problem with your brakes and/or wheel bearings, and possibly with a CV axle.
I suggest you bring the car to a competent local independent garage tomorrow for inspection and repair.

After a long drive, I stopped worrying about the noises.

Why on earth would you take a long drive with your car making three noises that obviously shouldn’t be there, especially a horrible loud sound. That would be like complaining about chest pain, shortness of breath, and numbness in your left arm and deciding to jog around the block to see if they go away.

7

Good analogy ASE. I probably shouldn’t have driven myself to the ER when I was having my first heart attack… :blush:

8

Once you find out what’s causing the front wheels to heat up you’ll likely be rid of the other symptoms too. Could be either, but I think it is the brake locking up more likely than bearings. This is commonly caused by rubber brake hoses that collapse internally.