1999 Ford Contour noise

1999 FORD CONTOUR
130,000 MILES • 6 CYL • FWD • MANUAL
Avatar
RUDYPUGS
  • MEMBER
  • 2 POSTS
hi guys, hope all is well. my car makes a grinding or vibrating noise when i turn right. i do not feel any shimmy in the steering and the car tracks straight. it does not go away or subside when i apply brakes. i just got 4 new tires hoping that was the problem but it wasn't, i needed them anyway. other side, drivers, had a tie rod end put on a couple years ago. could it be the passenger side needs one now? is what i describe a sympton? or possibly just an alignment? i had a four wheel alignment after the tie rod end was installed when i had rear struts put on. any help is greatly appreciated.
Dec 14, 2009 at 5:09 PM
Advertisement
Avatar
JACOBANDNICKOLAS
  • CERTIFIED EXPERT
  • 110,175 POSTS
If the sound is when you make a right turn only, chances are you have a bad wheel bearing. I would also check the brakes to make sure they are not worn down, but if you had the tires replaced, I would think they would have seen bad brakes.

Here is what I think is happening. When you drive straight, the vehicles weight is evenly distributed on all 4 wheels. When you turn right, more weight moves to the left side of the car. Therefore, I feel you have a bad left front wheel bearing. When the added weight is added, you hear the noise.

Have the wheel bearing checked. Also, a tie rid wouldn't cause a grinding noise.

Let me know what you find.

Joe
Dec 14, 2009 at 9:54 PM
Avatar
BILLHORTON777
  • MEMBER
  • 4 POSTS
I had a similar problem with noise only in a turn and discovered that the brake dust shield on the back side of the rotor had been bent toward the wheel. It only scraped the rotor when I turned and the noise disappeared after I bent the dust shield back to the straight position.
Oct 6, 2018 at 12:12 PM
Advertisement