97 front end noise
 

Yesterday while driving to work loud clicking almost knocking noise developed on highway. Gingerly driving i noticed noise disappears when accelerating or stepping on the brake. when coasting the noise comes back. if i try to maintain a steady speed the noise is there. only while stepping on gas or brake does it go away. axles and carrier bearing replaced 10 months ago. MEch cant quite figure out source but i maintain it is axle or wheel related possibly hub bearings?

thanks for any help, just hope to get it fixed for not a lot of money.

Noise only on the hwy?

Is the knocking in sync with car speed and tire rotation RPM?

At hwy speeds gently move the steering wheel left and right to transfer chassis weight from one side to the other, determine if the noise changes.

Make left and right 90 degree turns at low speeds plus 180's each way. Determine if the noise goes away or gets louder.

If possible lift front tire off the ground one at time. Rotate tire, also grab tire at 3 and 9 o'clock and shake. Feel for binging when rotating, play, etc.

Knocking/clicking is in sync with vehicle speed. I jacked it up and tried each wheel with nothing out of the ordinary. Even ran it with the wheels off the ground and could not hear the sound but I think because wheels/axles werent loaded. Turning wheel does seem to change the sound as it almost goes away. At slow speeds up to 40 it can be quiet but as soon as I hit a bump it may start the noise again. After 40 it definitely is there unless I accelerate or hit the brakes. No wobble or shimmy.

Mech cannot find anything yet but hasnt pulled wheels. Hub bearings?

Which side of the car is noise on?

Did the noise get louder or softer when turning one direction more then the other direction?

Bad hub bearings typically make a roar or howl at lower speeds that blends into the road noise at higher speeds. The noise would change when the cars weight is shifted left and right in moving the steering wheel. They typically don't make a banging noise and if they did it would be at all speeds, perhaps less pronounced at higher speeds.

If the axles installed were rebuilt it is has happened one can fail prematurely.

The upper strut mounts can fail resulting a knocking or banging noise, same for the sway bar bushings. These noises typically happen only when going over bumps.

Have you checked the tires for damage?

You or the mechanic need to remove the tire on the side the noise is on and look at the suspension, brakes, etc.