Questions and Answers

Ford Tire Noise And Bearings Q. Hi Vincent. I have a couple of questions: A: My daughter's 1997 Ford Escort has a louder than usual road noise in the rear. It could be either a tire noise or rear bearing going bad. Is there a way to sense the noise source without disassemble the wheel and examining the bearing?

B: I was shopping a used mini van with 20,000 miles on it. Do you have good reports or sources on the performance of Mini-Van in terms of engine and frequency of repairs.

Ellis

A. Usually a close examination of the tires will reveal if they are a source of road noise. If the tires have cups in them, a sign of bad shocks, then they will make noise. If the tires were recently replaced, then it's a good bet the tires are the source of the noise.

To replace the rear wheel bearings, you have to replace the whole hub assembly. What I would try is to jack up the rear wheels and use a stethoscope against the hub while spinning the wheel. You may be able to hear a bad bearing.

I don't know if any studies were done on repair costs of Mini-Vans versus regular cars, but my experience doesn't seem to indicate that a Mini-Vans needs service and repairs any more than a regular car. The engines are most often the same used in regular passenger cars so there isn't much difference in that regard.

Additional Information provided courtesy of ALLDATA