I got a new prob with my '85 RX7 -- around corners, mainly when im turning left, I get a humming/vibrating sound-- its a sometimes sustained pitch... I usually notice it when taking corners quickly. any ideas?

 

How old are your tires? Good tread?
Turning both directions or just one?
Define quickly.

I'm guessing tires based on general automotive knowledge. An FB expert will be along shortly to tell me I'm wrong and to get you fixed up right.

 

Run your hand/a few fingers across the tread of your car in both directions perpendicular to the tread.

| / \ |
| \ / | ---->
| / \ |
| \ / | <----
| / \ |
| \ / |

If the tread feels sharp when you slide your hand/fingers across it one way, but not the other, you need to get your wheels realigned.

 

Is it humming, like you're too low, and your tires are actually bottoming into the fender?

 

You might need a new muffler bearing, they seem to start humming before they go out.



Really though, if it's not something suspension related, the exhaust mounts could be worn out. So when you corner hard, the exhaust moves a bit too far to the side and vibrates against another part of the car.

 

Sounds like a classic symptom of a wheel bearing failure to me.

 

I had a similar problem and found that one of my sway bar top link bushings was completely destroyed. Replaced the bushing- No more groan on turns. Worth a peek under the car, for sure.

 

I would say wheel bearings. Thats what it sounds like to me. Putting different amounts of pressure on the bearings can make them sound strange when they go out. Yours are still in the early stages if you only hear it under heavy cornering.

 

yeah, I have worn-out wheel bearings, so they make that noise all the time... it started out with just doing it around corners, and at high speed before....

sounds kinda like you have a freight train following you all the time.... very annoying.... I'm going to get around to replacing those once I have some spare change to even insure the car to drive it....

 

Sounds like a wheel bearing to me also. Good test for this is to jack the front of the car up, put it on jack stands (for saftey sake you shouldn't have to shake REALLY hard), then grab the tire at like 10 and 2 and attempt to shake it back and forth. If the bearings are ok this should cause very little to no movement. If they are bad the tire should noticably wabble.

 

wheel bearing++

 

alright-- thanks for the input guys... but today I noticed somthing important-- they still do the humming thing but what I noticed was that it happened when I break going around turns. I am guessing that it is the break pads...

 

brake pads, wheel bearing, idler arm bushings (no clue why), misaligned tires. I've had all four cause the same (or highly similar) sound. Give it a once-over just to make sure.