Noise

The three most common causes of conditions that sound like axle noise are exhaust, tires, and trim mouldings.
- The pitch of the exhaust may sound like gear whine.
- Tires, especially snow tires, can have a high-pitched tread whine or roar similar to gear noise. Radial tires, to some degree, have this characteristic. Any non-standard tire with an unusual tread construction may also emit a roar or whine-type noise.
- Trim, grille, and mouldings can also cause whistling or whining noises.

Make sure that none of these are the cause of the noise before proceeding with axle teardown and diagnosis.