I have a 2003 Chevy Blazer (4 door) with approximately 70,000 miles. Last week I began to notice a rubbing/flapping noise coming from one of the front wheel wells. At first I thought it was the engine sputtering, but despite the noise it continued to perform as usual. I decided to take it to a localairport taxi-way (my dad is an aircraft mechanic) to test its performance and noticed that the sound isn't present below 10 MPH and increases in frequency and noise as I speed up. I also noticed that the noise stops when I turn left, but not right.

I assume that something is either caught up under my front right tire or something is touching the axel or wheel while I drive. I looked into the wheel well with a flash light and noticed that one of the "mud flaps" which I assume keeps the axel/brakes from getting dirty was partially shredded and out of place. i returned it to what i thought was the right position, but the noise didn't change at all.

Any ideas what this could be? Is this something that someone with no mechanical experience could diagnose on their own? I would like to make sure that it isnt something benign before rushing to the mechanic to pay $500 for a easily repaired issue.

BTW it sounds like a card in the spokes of a tire on a bike..... only thicker and a whole lot louder. Thanks...

 

i have an 03 impala that was making just about the same noise. i likened it to the wheel on wheel of fortune. in any event, the sound didn't shift when the trans did. rather it accelerated with the car. low frequency around town, high frequency on the highways, and yes, no noise until probably about 15-20 mph. for my car, this was the wheel hub and it did turn out to be a $500 affair, but that was because i did both sides, even though it was the passenger side that was worn. hope i helped!

 

is the blazer a 4wd model??