Just had a issue with my rear wheel making a loud humming noise at higher speeds. If i drive above 60km an hour it starts to hum, if i go on the highway and say maintain a 120km per hour speed then it's so loud it gives me a headache. Here is the issue i checked the tire for axial play like in and out play and there is none(while it was jacked up) . Just wondering if it was the wheel bearing that was making that noise any input would be appreciated.

 

When you jacked the vehical up to check axel play did you check All directions not just in and out? like picking up on tire while pushing in on the top or side to side "twisting" motion?
if there is no play at the rear wheel may be a posibility bearing race spinning in hug Maybe useallly highly unlikely but a thought

 

There's 2 ways for a bearing to fail. Too loose or too tight.

If you were to remove the brakes & spin the hub, I bet it would feel rough & grinding when you spin, with excessive drag, & not loose. It normally begins sounding like excessive tire-tread noise, gradually getting worse.

Rear wheel bearings are all about the same over many years of Accords (but not all). But you should always let us know what year/model you're talking about.

 

first chk all the tire threads.. badly cupped tires . if ok..
raise the rear on the side of the noise, DO NOT remove the wheel you can spin it faster that way, a lot of times you won't feel and grinding or roughness , spin the wheel as fast as you can and listen for noise ,, trust me if bearing is bad you will hear it

 

Yes, you can spin it easier with the wheel on. And yes, you should rule out tire-tread problems.

But I had a bad wheel bearing that was difficult to tell by spinning the wheel. The noise was getting annoying while driving, but it was not easy to tell whether it was coming from right or left rear. Very similar sound when spinning each wheel. When I removed the brake rotor, I could feel some roughness by spinning the bearing. I'm sure if I waited long enough, it would have gotten worse & then I could tell with the wheel installed.

 

Ya sorry... my car is a 2002 honda accord ex 2.3. thanks for all your help , i never thought to spin it fast while jacked in the air and listen to it, it only makes sense.

 

Thanks again for all the suggestions this forum is great! The problem was the hub/bearing assembly. I took it off and the outer bearing had in and out play as did the rear. Replaced it with a new one and it's great now. If you have a a similar problem and can't decide which side is bad. Get someone to drive and sit in the middle back seat and lean your ear to both left and right sides. This will tell you where the humming is coming from. Obviously the best way is to jack it up and pull the bearing out and check but if you want a quick way do this!