Greetings. I'm new to this forum. I have a 2001 Monte Carlo I just purchased last summer. It's in excellent condition all things considered. Only has 125k miles on it. Was only owned by 2 previous owners who took immaculate care of it. The "Traction" thing doesn't work. The message center always says to "Service Traction System" (or whatever it's called. I forget now) and it always says to change the oil when I start the vehicle. I haven't been able to do anything to the car yet since I bought it. I am in the process of getting a loan to get it a complete tune up and fix anything wrong with it.

A couple of weeks ago the road noise I always heard (which I read online that excessive road noise is normal for a Monte Carlo) stopped for a second or 2 and then started back up. And since then it sounds like there's something rubbing or scraping somewhere when the car is in motion. Occasionally I'll hear a click from the front left side of the car if I turn to the left too far. That's another thing, the noise lessens when I turn to the right but increases when I turn to the left. Now, this could just be road noise (I hope it's just road noise) from the tire on the road but I'm concerned that something could be wrong.

The front left tire is also losing air slowly. I have to put air into it every week or 2. It goes down to around 20 PSI and I have to pump it up to 40 PSI. Unfortunately I can't afford to replace the tire right now nor can I afford to not drive the car. Fortunately I only have to drive it about 5 miles per day, twice per day (take my girl to and from work) and go shopping occasionally which is close to the house too. But I'm still concerned that something is wrong and it's extremely stressful every time I drive.

If anyone has any information on this, whether it's just an educated guess or actual knowledge on what it could be I would appreciate any help. Even if you think it's just road noise. I know no one can tell me for sure if it's something rubbing or not without seeing the car and hearing it drive, etc. but again, any suggestions, even educated guesses would be great.

Thanx a million!

 

Have you tried mixing up some soapy water to hose over the tire to see where its leaking from? May not need complete replacement, may just be a valve stem issue or has a screw or something thats a simple patch/plug job.

 

You can get a tire plugged for about $10. If you need to get a loan to get your car tuned you need a better job. You better address the noise in the front end before you spend money on a tune up.