I just started hearing sort of a howling noise from front end of my 98 cavelier.i also feel a bit of a grinding sensation through my wheel when I start slowing down. I lifted the front tires one by one, checked the play, there’s a little on left side and couldn’t really feel anything on the right side. I then put the vehicle in neutral and then spun the tires by hand. The right tire spun with ease and the left side was a bit harder to spin. Just wondering if it is the bearings wearing out or if it could be cv joint problems. I also did check the boots on the cv joints for cracks in them but couldn’t find anything wrong. Can anyone help me diagnose the noise and feeling I get?
Most likely it would be the bearing, especially it it doesn’t sound like tire road noise. Howling and grinding are good indications. I had one I couldn’t tell if it was tire or not and seemed less in snow. Finally the shop determined it was the wheel bearing so guess I’d have it looked at. CV joints usually make a clicking noise while turning but I did have one that caused a vibration.
You think the right one? I should probably end up just replacing both shouldn’t I?
If one is bad and both are original to the vehicle, I’d replace both. Good idea to schedule a wheel alignment too.