Rubbing/thunking noise while turning

My 91 Accord has developed this quiet but very annoying
"whunk-whunk-whunk-whunk" noise, complete with rythmic vibration in
the floor boards (not horrible, but noticable), and small steering
wheel vibration when I am moving and turn the wheel, even slightly.
I've had the tires balanced and rotated since this has started and
that did not seem to cure it, but it didn't exacerbate it either. I
also checked the CV boots last time I did an oil change, and they
looked slightly dry, but were not split or loosing grease. The car
has 131,000 on it, and had brakes done about 20,000 miles ago. I'm
also starting to develop quite a bit of road noise when holding the
wheel straight, a sort of whirring noise like you would get with
studded tires at highway speeds. Could this be caused by wheel
bearings needing to be repacked?

Thanks!

-moitz-

 

Check your struts!

 

Why the struts?
I'd go for the bearings.
Are the noise function of the car speed only? I mean no change caused by the
engine speed and it stays the same if you shift into neutral. Doesn't change
if you apply the brakes slightly.
Normally, changing the bearings is not a DIY job as you need a press to push
the old one out and the new one in.
You could stop by the local shop and ask their opinion. They should give you
an estimate for free.

 

You *could* have a problem with broken tire belts.


Vuarra

Quid quid latine dictum sit altum videtur.
(That which is said in Latin sounds profound.)

 

Does the Whunking sound comes on particularly noticeble when you turn your
steering wheel? If it does, it could very likely that the power steering
pump is playing up.

I'm about have mine reconditioned; there's no apperant problem on my, only
that the rubber seals are getting old and needa be changed. If you goto a
dealer, they'd ask you to replace the whole damn thing.

 

How are the tires wearing - no cupping wear? The two noises may be
unrelated - the whir/whine is fairly common an some all-season tires after
they get >50% worn.

For the rythmic vibration - no clicking on turning a slowish corner under
load? C/V joints can go bad without any damage to the rubber boot. You
also want to check the ball joints and the rubber suspension bushings.

Rgds, George Macdonald

"Just because they're paranoid doesn't mean you're not psychotic" - Who, me??