1992 Ford Tempo humming sound when I drive and shutter when

BIGRIG1976

MEMBER
1992 FORD TEMPO
4 CYL
FWD
MANUAL
227,000 MILES

Hi im Kinda Green when it comes to car troubles my Tempo has been really good to me this year ive owned it but now all off a sudden i have noticed a humming sound when i drive sounds like a 4x4 with luged tires i am unsure if its tranny problems or in the front pass tire i cant really tell plus since i noticed the sound i have also notices a slight shutter sometimes when i downshift at a low RPM....... Am i in big trouble or is it a simple fix?? i have a good mechanic but need to get advice if its worth fixing a car like this or not??

Thanx

1 Reply

FIXITMR

MECHANIC
9,990 POSTS

Quick guess is bad front wheel bearing although it is sometimes difficult to determine which side while inside driving car. Park car and jack up 1 wheel get in and start and put in gear and get wheel spinning fast then slip into neutral and shut off engine leave wheel spinning. And have someone listen by wheel and compare 1 side with the other. You can put ear on fender if necessary. Loudest side wins!Also most bad wheel bearings act like this. When you drive and make slight turn in 1 direction or other the noise gets quieter/goes away. Shudder may be brake rotor/wheel wobbling due to bad wheel bearing. If the bearing is really bad, you can grab jacked up wheel top and bottom and it will move back and forth.