hi

my 2000grand am has been making a rubbing noise from front end for over a year now and has gotten progressively worse. no-one can find out whats wrong.in reading other forums i find that a lot of people are experiencing the same thing and dealers are replacing rotors and brakes to no avail. i,ve had the front bearings replaced over a year ago to no avail. my "low track" light has been coming on a lot lately seemingly when i turn the wheel but then it goes back off. can you tell if drive axle is bad by just hoisting it? i,ve been told that everything in front end looks good . i,m afraid the wheel is going to fall off. i,m also afraid to take it to the dealer and be ripped off.



thanks

This could be any number of things. A few questions:

Can you tell where the noise is coming from?
Are there any signs of rubbing on the tires or in the wheel well?
Does it make the noise all the time or just when you are turning?
Is is a 'clicking' noise or more of a rubbing noise?
Does the noise stop when you press on the brake pedal?
Do you feel any 'pulse' in the brake pedal when you apply light pressure?

the noise sounds like its coming from front left wheel.
i don,t know if theres rubbing wear on tire.
it happens all the time,i hear it at low speeds (25 mph)
its a rubbing noise.
no it doesn't stop.
theres no pulsing.

If it is a CV joint, it would make a clicking noise when you turn the wheel. A warped brake rotor would be something you can feel as you press on the brakes so that rules that out. Have you had any brake work done on the car before the noise started? Are the wheels and tires stock?

stock meaning racing? no they are the original tires and wheels.

I am hearing the same rubbing noise on my 99 Oldsmobile Alero, which is essentially the same car as the Grand Am. My dealer says it is the tires rubbing against the rims. It is caused by the way the tire is made and there is nothing you can do about it. He said he would live with the noise until the tires were worn and need replacing. I am 39000 miles so I know that is coming up but they are fine right now.

I want to know if there is any safety problem with this. Is there a possibility that this rubbing will cause wear that will result in a flat or blown tire?

Here is some info that I found from another Grand Am owner:

The horrible "rubbing" noise coming from your front tires are not the brakes and rotors... so STOP replacing them. The noise is from the tires rubbing on the rims. I have been told by my dealership that Pontiac has had new tires re-engineered to stop this problem. All 4 tires need to be replaced and Pontiac should go good for the cost. I have been waiting over a month now and haven't gotten my new tires yet. There is such a demand (because every Pontiac Grand Am has this problem) that it could take months for them to come in. Until then I will have to live with the grinding noise.

Please don't take this the wrong way, but if that is exactly what the dealer is telling you, they have no idea what they are talking about. I can see a noise from the tire rubbing on the suspension, wheel well liner, or something else in the wheel well. There is no way for a tire to make noise by 'rubbing on the wheel'. This service manager is full of it. I just don't see how the wheel is going to come in contact with any part of the tire other than the bead where it seals on the wheel. That does not slide around on the wheel. The bead seals very tighly on the inside lip of the wheel and does not move. There is simply no way the tire can be rubbing anywhere on the wheel. That just doesn't make any sense. :eek7: I would ask the guy to show you where the marks are on the tire from this 'rubbing'. If anything is contacting the tire it will leave a scuff mark of some type on the shoulder or sidewall.

Can you tell me what you did to get Pontiac to come through with new tires? I've had the problem, like the rest of you, for a year and have spent over $1000. Now I'm looking at another $400-$500 for new tires. It would be nice to have Pontiac step up to the plate. I like my GA, but am embarrassed by the noise it makes.

I say just buy my 17" rims/tires that Im trying to sell and that will solve all of your problems. :)