# Whomp - Whomp noise **URL:** \ **Category:** Maintenance/Repairs\ **Tags:** explorer, ford\ **Created:** [June 19, 2010, 9:09pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/whomp-whomp-noise/50571 "2010-06-19T21:09:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![dknutson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/47e85d/32.png) [@dknutson](https://community.cartalk.com/u/dknutson)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2010, 9:09pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/whomp-whomp-noise/50571/1 "2010-06-19T21:09:58Z")
I’ve got a 99 Ford Explorer 4x4 that is making a whomp-whomp-whomp noise in the front (probably right side) How can I determine if this is a bearing or the differential? ---
**Author:** ![Joseph\_E\_Meehan](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/joseph_e_meehan/32/21_2.png) [@Joseph\_E\_Meehan](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Joseph_E_Meehan)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2010, 9:13pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/whomp-whomp-noise/50571/2 "2010-06-19T21:13:34Z")
How can I determine if this is a bearing or the differential? … or tyres or CV joint … ---
**Author:** ![dknutson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/47e85d/32.png) [@dknutson](https://community.cartalk.com/u/dknutson)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2010, 1:31am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/whomp-whomp-noise/50571/3 "2010-06-20T01:31:32Z")
I pretty much know how to determine if it’s one of those. At this point I’m leaning more toward the bearing, but I was looking to see if there as something I could do to test - like seeing how the sound changes turning right or left. If it changes does that eliminate the differential? ---
**Author:** ![edb1961](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/edb1961/32/122_2.png) [@edb1961](https://community.cartalk.com/u/edb1961)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2010, 2:29am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/whomp-whomp-noise/50571/4 "2010-06-20T02:29:24Z")
Bad front bearings on my 2000 Blazer sounded like tire noise. The pitch and volume of the noise changed when the steering wheel was moved off-center (i.e. changing lanes). ---
**Author:** ![Caddyman](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/caddyman/32/23_2.png) [@Caddyman](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Caddyman)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2010, 5:56am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/whomp-whomp-noise/50571/5 "2010-06-20T05:56:09Z")
This sound is usually a tire with tread separation or a broken belt. The sound is caused by the unsupported tread slapping the pavement…With the wheel jacked off the ground, spin the tire and see if you can detect any distortion in the tread as the tire spins… ---
**Author:** ![mark9207](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71c47a/32.png) [@mark9207](https://community.cartalk.com/u/mark9207)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2010, 7:28am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/whomp-whomp-noise/50571/6 "2010-06-20T07:28:43Z")
Agreed. The description of the noise fits a tire defect to a T.