5ks front end noise

[Steve Burke <sburke@wvu.edu>]

Last week my brother dropped my old 86 5ks auto back in my lap after borrowing it for
about a year.  He put in a new windshield and struts, but now it makes a terrible noise
that I can't track down.

It is directly speed related, beginning at about 10 mph, peaking at 40 mph, and inaudible
above the other noises at 80 mph.  It can best be described as humming, and the vibration
can be felt inside the car, especially through the steering wheel.  It goes away
completely during the slightest left turn, and remains the same during right turns.  I
thought it was a wheel bearing, so I pulled the left front strut assembly out of the car
with the intent of swapping in the junk one I have.  However, the current hub feels
tighter and smoother than the junk one, and I don't want to create more problems.  Now I'm
not sure it is the wheel bearing.  It is a humming noise, not a howling noise.  It is more
audible inside the car than out.  The hub feels tight.  Being an automatic, I've already
dealt with the diff once.  Could it be bad again, in a different mode?  It was replaced at
80k, now has est. 180k.  I'm just looking for some input before I needlessly replace
parts.  What are the other possibilities besides the bearing?

Steve Burke
87 5ktq
86 5ks