Caution: An assistant should drive the vehicle while the technician checks for
the location of the reported condition. Otherwise, personal injury could result.
Test drive the vehicle in order to determine the origin
of the wind noise.
Choose a regular route for the road test. The road should consist of
smooth and straight streets that run in all 4 directions:
The area should have little traffic or little noise in order to eliminate
interference with the test.
Important: Often there is 1 primary leak source and 1 or more secondary
leaks that contribute to the noise condition. Repairing only 1 of the
contributing leak sources may not completely repair the condition but
only reduce the condition.
Drive the vehicle at the speed in which the noise was noticed, or until
the noise is heard. Maintain safe and legal speeds.
Many of the waterleak diagnosis tests are used for the windnoise diagnosis.
Most of the windnoise is caused by either leaking seals or misaligned
body surfaces. The following are 3 basic types of wind noises:
When moving at highway speeds, the air pressure inside the vehicle becomes
greater than the air pressure outside. When a leak occurs, the escaping
air causes a hiss or a whistle.
Wind roar occurs when air passes over or through an opening between
the 2 body surfaces. In order to correct the condition, adjust the
alignment to the body surfaces.
Wind rush occurs when air presses over the vehicle's body, and is related
to the aerodynamics of the vehicle. Wind whistle and wind roar are serviceable.
Rule out wind whistle and wind roar before concluding that the wind
noise is due to wind rush.
Diagnose wind whistle or wind roar using the following procedure:
- Note the details for wind noise:
• | The location where the noise is loudest |
• | The position of the windows |
• | What the noise sounds like |
- Inspect the vehicle for the possible cause of the windnoise.
- Test drive the vehicle. Determine if the windnoise is external
or internal.
- Perform a visual inspection of the following components:
• | Sealer and/or adhesive skips |