Bad install? 'Singing' noise after axles replaced

External Since: Mar 18, 2004 Posts: 33

I paid a mechanic to install replacement axles I bought for my 93
Sentra. On the driver's side now, you can hear a small "whistle" or
singing noise. It comes and goes, but I worry that he didn't follow spec
and there will be a problem.

And it isn't bcz the car is happy, no. : ) I just want to know what
might cause this noise.

Thanks,
JPM

External Since: Apr 17, 2007 Posts: 31

On Mar 4, 11:58 pm, "DemoDisk" <pack... DeleteThis @nospam.com> wrote:
> I paid a mechanic to install replacement axles I bought for my 93
> Sentra. On the driver's side now, you can hear a small "whistle" or
> singing noise. It comes and goes, but I worry that he didn't follow spec
> and there will be a problem.
>
> And it isn't bcz the car is happy, no. : ) I just want to know what
> might cause this noise.
>
> Thanks,
> JPM

A whistling sound tends to imply air moving rapidly through a small
opening. One possible cause might be that one of the plastic panels
that surround the wheel well is not secured tightly someplace. These
panels often employ plastic anchors and plastic screws that thread
into the anchors. These fasteners are fragile and often are not
reusable. If one or more broke and replacements were not available, a
plastic panel might be a bit loose somewhere resulting in a slight
opening through which air could rush when the vehicle is traveling
fast enough. The metal spash shield behind the brake caliper is a
possibility too as these often get bent during such a job. In that
case, though, a scraping sound usually results. You might try jacking
both front wheels off the ground, put the car on good jack stands and
run the engine with the transmission in gear to cause the wheels to
turn. If there is no whistling at any speed, that pretty strongly
implies an air flow problem. It also implies that it is not a
mechanical problem and hence nothing serious. Good luck. Al