My 2003 Saturn Vue has a very strange sound coming from the front left driver wheel. I have to be careful in the morning when accelerating because the sound is really loud. I hear it when I turn to the left when the vehicle is still cold. Once the vehicle has warmed up, then the sound seems to go away or be less and it only affects the vehicle's performance in the morning. The CV axles have been replaced, front bearings have been replaced and I have new tires and alignment checked. Any ideas?

 

How long ago were the bearings done? Has it done this since right after bearing replacement?

Did you just put 2 new half axles in it, each a complete side w hub, bearing , and CV?

I'm not a suspension expert, but it literally sounds like the grease inside the sealed wheel bearing is insufficient (not enough) or it is contaminated such that it is not flowing properly until the friction of the parts heat it up.

If I'm correct, the bearing is already damaged and will continue to be damaged further each time you drive it cold.

 

Maybe I should start at the beginning. Purchased the Vue a while back and one day it stops dead with my husband - just will not go into gear. We had it towed home . We did not know what was wrong and thought it was transmission, but we were ready to purchase a transmission and it was suggested that we check the CV axles first. Take it in to a mechanic and yes, the CV axles needed to be replaced. That was about a year ago. Since after the CV axle repair, I have heard this whining sound, This is NOT bearings as I drove with bad bearings for a few weeks before the repair and the sound drove me nuts. Bearings only 2 weeks in and sealed units. This is a different kind of sound. It almost sounds like traction control is activated. Also I do not have AWD, only FWD.

 

Ok. Getting confused.

You did both half axles CVs. Did you do bearings at the same time? Was it a pre assembled hub bearing CV or were the parts separate? Either way if the bearing was not pressed in correctly or the hub was damaged during bearing replacement, you can have problems. Just because it's new doesn't mean it can't be defective.

You then mention later in your last post 2 weeks in on bearings. Is that a second bearing replacement or a reference to the earlier bearing replacement?

Bearings that are overly worn often make what I refer to as a jet airplane engine roar when you turn the wheel in the direction that pushes the two worn surfaces together.

A dry bearing or one with insufficient lubrication is probably going to make a different sound as it's smooth (for now) metal on metal.

Like I said, I'm not a suspension expert.

Someone please chime in on this one.

 

Reading your questions, here are my answers -
A: NO, only the driver side CV axles were replaced as they were the ones that were bad.
A: NO, the bearings were done almost a month ago now and the CV axles were checked by the mechanic and I was told they were ok.
A: Pre assembled hub bearing. Both bearings were replaced and was done by a certified mechanic who told me that it needed to be pressed in, so I trust he did what needed to be done. Again, I know the sound of a messed up bearing and this sound and as mentioned it makes a "roaring" sound, where this is more of a eeeeeee sound (just like when traction control kicks in) and it goes away once the vehicle has warmed up a little. Bearing sound will not go away, but it should increase if it had a problem. Our family is mechanically inclined. I am just trying to pinpoint the issue as the Vue is my daily driver.

When the vehicle is cold and I try and gun it little, I get this sound and it seems that my transmission is "fluctuating" according to my rpm's. Once the vehicle has been on the road for about 5 minutes, all is good and the sound is GONE and the rpm's are stable as should be.