Didnt know where else to post this and I was hoping someone in here might know something. My fiancee' has a 96 Taurus GL with 140,000 miles on it. Lately she has been getting a loud hum/vibration that corresponds with mph. I have driven it and it is almost like driving a pickup with big mud tires, like Super Swampers. It does not change with engine speed or with the transmission shifting. But it matches ground speed perfectly.

Do CV joints do this when they go bad? My family has never owned a front wheel drive car and neither have I so I have no idea what happens when the CV joints go bad.

The only other thing I can figure is that it is the transmission...maybe the planetary gears going out. Since the car has had about 86,000 miles on it the transmission has had some problems that she has never had the money to repair. Plus from what we have heard the rebuilt trannies will have the same problem. The forward clutch piston cracks and causes it to slip out of gear when at a stop. Then when you try to go and hit the gas the engine revs until the tranny shifts into gear, chirping the tires. Basically its doing a neutral drop at least 1-3 times a day for the past 2 years.

If its the tranny then we'll have to get rid of it, if its the CV joint how much do they generally cost to fix?

Thanks in advance for any help.

 

I've owned a number of FWDers, but never had that problem.
I'd get the tires balanced, and the alignment checked to start with. Then check out the hubs, CV's and axles, and then the tranny.
CV's aren't that hard, you may be able to do it yourself if you have the ability. Otherwise, it'll depend on where you take it, and if you get a hook up.
HTH

 

It sounds like a wheel bearing. You can check by loading it with the weight of the car.

To check the right front, go into a left turning curve and force the weight of the car onto the right bearing. If the noise disappears, then it's the right front.

Do the same thing with a road that curves to the right, to check the left wheel bearing.

I've been through this with my truck. It would make a very loud humming and fast vibration in the steering wheel unless I were driving around a road curving to the left. The right, front wheel bearing was bad.

 

I agree with AJ. Without hearing it firsthand, I would recommend jacking it up at each of the corners and give the wheel a spin. See if it makes any noise. Check for play in the bearing by tring to rock the tire/wheel side to side and up and down.
Another area to check is brakes, if it has 4 wheel discs, check all 4. For ridges and grooves on the disc surface.

 

had this happen on a high mileage volkswagon gti, it was wheel bearings also.

unless you have the tools to press them in i dont think that will be a 'do at home' job.

 

cv joints don't usually make noise at speed they show their ugly head when you make slow turns say from a stop sign you hear and feel clunking.

it sounds like you have never rotated your tires FWD cars need to have the tires rotated every 6-7000 miles or the back ones will cup real bad because they don't really do anything. run your hand palm side down over the tread on your back tires if it feels rough you have cupping at this point and depending on how miles are on the tires i would not rotate them because they will cause more problems up front.

also check for loose plastic pieces of the body because they can cause noise at speed.

and yes it is possible that you have a bad bearing but I kind of doubt it

good luck and let us know what you find.

 

Sounds like bad wheel bearing or cupped tires!

 

Thanks for the help guys. I will let you know how it turns out.