Whirring Noise When Driving: What Are The Causes & Fixes?

Causes of Whirring Noise When Driving

If your car is making whirring sounds only when you’re driving, identifying the source of these noises is crucial for safety purposes. So, let’s find out what are the causes of the noise.

1.     Worn Wheel Bearing

A wheel bearing connects your vehicle’s wheels to the axles, allowing them to turn with minimal friction. Over time, the bearings can wear down due to improper alignment, poor installation, and driving through mud or water.

When they start to wear out, you can hear a loud whirring sound coming from the rear or front of your car. This noise usually becomes louder or faster as you increase your driving speed. Typically, the whirring sound starts at around 30 mph and 45 mph.

Diagnosing and Fixing

To determine if you have a worn wheel bearing, jack up your car. Then, spin each wheel by hand. If one of the wheels has a fair bit of play, the bearing is faulty. Therefore, you must replace it, and here is how to do it:

• Step 1: Park your car on a level surface and loosen the wheel’s lug nuts.
• Step 2: Raise your vehicle.
• Step 3: Remove the lug nuts and the wheel with the faulty bearing.
• Step 4: Unscrew the bolts on the brake caliper and the bracket to remove the parts.
• Step 5: Take out the wheel bearing by prying off the dust cap, washer, retaining nut, and cotter pin.
• Step 6: Slide off the rotor and unfasten the inner wheel bearing.
• Step 7: Install the new bearing in reverse order.

2.     Differential Issues

A differential system is a set of gears that enable the drive wheels to turn at different speeds. If there is excessive lash in differential gears, you will hear a whirring noise coming from the center of your car. The noise is usually more pronounced when making turns on the road or decelerating.

Diagnosing and Fixing

You can tell that your car has differential problems if you are experiencing poor handling and control while driving. Generally, the common fixes for this issue include:

• Replacing the worn-out pinion.
• Resetting or replacing the pinion and ring.
• Top up the differential or gear oil.
• Install a new differential.

Unfortunately, differential issues can be hard to diagnose and repair. Therefore, you should leave the job to a professional.

3.     Transmission Problems

Sometimes, you may hear a low whirring or whining sound after decelerating and then accelerating. When this happens, the cause can be transmission problems or low transmission fluids.

As it turns out, it is common in vehicles with IVT/CVT type transmissions, such as the Subaru XV and Hyundai Venue.

Diagnosing and Fixing

You can diagnose transmission problems by inspecting the fluid levels. Alternatively, turn the parking brake on. Then, hold down your car’s brake pedal while stepping on the gas pedal for a few seconds. If the engine fails to rev up or does not stay revved up longer, you have transmission issues.

To fix the problems, here is what you can do:

• Add more transmission fluid if it is low.
• Replace the transmission fluid if it is dirty, burnt, or contaminated.
• Repair or replace the torque converter.
• Install a new or remanufactured transmission.

Unfortunately, replacing the transmission is a labor-intensive and complex task. It also requires the right tools and a bit of mechanical expertise. While you can do it if you have someone to help, you should let a qualified technician handle everything.

Below is a video of how to remove and replace the transmission if you choose to go the DIY route:

4.     Tire Issues

Tires that are under-inflated, incorrectly aligned, or with irregular tread can also cause whirring or whining noises when driving. The cause of the noise is erratic tire movement, which usually gets louder at higher speeds.

Diagnosing and Fixing

To confirm if the tires are under-inflated, use a tire gauge to check the air pressure. For the irregular tread, you can use a tire depth gauge to measure the tire tread depth. Alternatively, you can check for irregularities by lightly rubbing your hand across the tread.

After diagnosing tire issues, you can fix them through the following:

1. Inflate the tires based on the recommended tire pressure.
2. Take your car to an auto repair shop near you and have the wheels aligned.
3. Replace the tires if they are badly worn out. Here is how to do it:
4. Step 1: Raise your vehicle off the ground.
5. Step 2: Remove the lug nuts on each wheel.
6. Step 3: Deflate the tires to remove them from the rim.
7. Step 4: Clean any rust on the rims.
8. Step 5: Install the new tires on the rims using a tire machine.
9. Step 6: Inflate the tires and reinstall them onto your vehicle.
10. Step 7: Have the wheels aligned.

     5. Brake Problems

If you hear a decently loud whirring sound as you come to a stop or accelerate, it could be an issue with the brakes. This happens when friction occurs between the rotor and brake pads as the wheels turn. It can also arise when the brake pads become worn out, hitting the wear indicator.

Diagnosing and Fixing

Start by checking the pads and rotors for wear. If the pads appear thin, less than 1/4-inch, you should replace them. Alternatively, you can check if the wear indicator slot and if it is barely visible, the pads are worn down.

Also, check the thickness of the rotors. If they are worn to the minimum thickness specification, have them replaced. To replace the pads and rotors, follow these steps:

• Step 1: Lift your vehicle off the ground.
• Step 2: Unfasten the lug nuts and remove the first wheel.
• Step 3: Disassemble the brake caliper and slide out the old brake pad.
• Step 4: Next, remove the worn-down rotor and install the new one.
• Step 5: Re-assemble the caliper and install the new brake pad.
• Step 6: Put back on the wheel.
• Step 7: Repeat the process for the other three wheels.