Surfrunner

Hi folks, new here and though not particularly mechanically capable, I've been enjoying reading and learning. I have a 2003 Suburban with about 153,000 on it. It has not had an easy life between snow, salt, mud, and heavy long-haul towing, but the only problem I've ever had was the water pump went out at about 120k. However, I've recently been noticing a concerning sound, kind of a "whump-whump" that increases and decreases in speed with the vehicle speed. At first I thought bad alignment, but there is no vibration at speed. I also thought a bad wheel bearing but it doesn't seem to make a difference whether I'm moving in a straight line or putting pressure on one or the other wheels while turning. I described this to a friend who is a part-time mechanic (he has not personally heard the noise) and he said it could be a rear end going bad. I hope this is not the case. I know it's tough to describe a noise online, but any opinions? Thanks very much.

in2pro

Welcome to the forum..
Have you checked the inside of the tires for any bulges or de-laminating of the tire tread?
My sisters 03 Suburban had this issue...

Surfrunner

I gave the tires a cursory look, but they're new Michelin's with less than 3000 miles on them. I'll check them a little more thoroughly though. Thanks for the response.

magician

Might also want to take a look at U-Joints? Just a thought.

Zed 71

That sounds like a tire issue even though they are fairly new. How is the wear and pressure are you running at?

With that many miles when was the last tune-up?

Surfrunner

I checked the tires all over today, and they really look good. Pressure and tread are good on all four. The last full tune up I had was about two and a half years ago. As for the U-joint, it may be time to replace it. It is feeling a little bit loose.