2001 grand prix- loud humming sound while driving

[waxworm09]

I have a 01 grand prix with 255k on it. Car runs great, but about 3 months ago i started to notice a humming sound after i hit about 40 mph. 3 months later, it has gotten worse to the point the dash and doors rattle every now and then. The car doesnt shake or anything, just has the noise that is getting unbearable to listen to. I figured it was my tires, they were almost bald and were cracking along the sides. Well i went to the shop this morning and had 4 new tires put on, and it didnt help with the loud humming sound at all. Still when i get up to 40mph it gets very loud. It seems much worse on newly tarred roads, not sure why but it does. The tire guy showed me i had a broken sway bar on the drivers side but said its not an issue as far as tires go and doesnt have to be fixed unless i want to. Could the sway bar be making this loud noise? What else might be the issue? Im hoping to figure it out soon, i cant stand driving the car with the noise as loud as it is! Thanks for any help.

[waxworm09]

I almost forgot to mention that when i take a left curve it gets louder. All i have to do is slightly turn the wheel to the left and i can hear it gets a bit louder every time.

[Dozer]

Right wheel bearing

[JOHNBIGDOG]

I would also agree that it is most likely a bad wheel bearing.

Try to turn your head while driving to determine if its front or rear. after you have determined if its front rear, lift the suspected end of the car and "shake" (push, pull)the wheel at 12 and 6, then 3 and 9, a bad wheel bearing will feel loose in both directions. also you can try and rotate the tire quickly by hand. it may start making the same noise you hear going down the road.

[waxworm09]

Turns out it is the right front cv shaft. We took the tire off last night and looked it over, the bearing has no movement so it seems ok, but the cv shaft has a lot of play in it. At least the cv shaft is $35 less than a new wheel bearing, but also looks harder to install.

[Macgyver55]

A wheel bearing doesn't necessarily have to be loose to be bad. I wouldn't be surprised if you replace the axle and the noise is still there. Hard to say without hearing it, but a humming noise is far more typical from a bad hub and bearing assembly than that of a cv axle.

[Jeremy airjer W]

You should be able to put the trans in neutral and spin the tire by hand while holding the spring for the strut. If you feel the noise, yes if said feel the noise, the bearing is bad.

I also doubt it is the drive axle. They will make a clicking noise when turning or vibrate at higher speeds but they typically do not make a humming noise.