Greetings,
Our '04 Suburban with a healthy 230k miles, has started to make a quiet grinding/groaning noise from the area of the left front wheel from time to time. It seems to more often show up on a left turn, but sometimes appears when driving straight. It's not very loud, but is absolutely present and new. I think I can feel a grinding vibration when the noise happens. Touching the brakes doesn't change the noise.
I immediately thought of the wheel bearing, or maybe the CV joint, so I jacked up the front left wheel. The wheel has no play that I can feel, and rotates smoothly and quietly. This is still true when I turn the steering to full lock both ways. The CV joint boot is intact, and I'm sure the noise is not from the power steering pump.

I was quite surprised that I didn't feel a problem with the wheel bearings, so I'm now scratching my head... Any thoughts?
Thanks
Doug

 

bearings can be noisy with no noticeable play in the bearing. I verify noisy bearings with a mechanics stethoscope. I put the vehicle on a hoist or jack stands and bring the wheels up to 50mph.... put the stethoscope tip on the wheel bearing....compare both sides.

 

So, it sounds like you think it's plausible the noise is from the bearings? When it appears, it's a low grumbling sound, that I think I can just about feel the grinding grumbling through the steering.
Is there any other plausible source for the noise? I'm tempted to replace the bearing because of an upcoming trip of about 300 miles which, in the winter, I'd prefer to not have to worry about the bearings on.

 

Figured it out! It was a wheel bearing, but it was on the other side of the car. Weirdly enough, the sound appeared to be coming from the left side of the car to both me and my wife, and that was when we were in either side of the car... The right hand bearing had a load of play and clearly is the culprit.
Thx,
Doug