isears

I have an 04 RX330 FWD (120K miles) with a moderately loud whine coming from the frontend starting at ~ 25 mph, peaking @ ~ 55 mph, and softer after exceeding 70 mph. It is definitely related to wheel speed. It is not wind noise, blower noise, or anything else inside the cabin. It is most noticeable when driving on very new, slick asphalt when the road noise is at a minimum. I can shift the trans into neutral while traveling down the road and the noise remains constant. I can even rev the engine up and down while coasting in neutral and the noise remains constant with wheel speed. I recently changed the tires, thinking the old worn out tires caused the problem, and the noise remains the same. I now have brand new Mich Energy MXV4 S8 and a 4-wheel alignment. I think it is the front wheel bearings. At the speed when the noise is peak, I can feel a high frequency buzzy type vibration in the steering wheel (not similar to out of balance wheels). Does this sound like a bearing or maybe a transmission issue? If a bearing issue, are these bearings pressed in? Does anyone have access to a illustration on the assembly or instructions for bearing replacement?

Fivewilds

I have 2004 that I had to change the front wheel bearings at around 100K. They are pressed on and expensive. I found both front hubs used on "car-part.com". They were very low milage and paid $60.00 each for them. They are shipped with knuckle & hub as an assy. which made it a DIY job and only took about 3/4 hour to change out.

isears

Fivewilds...thanks for the info. Did my symptoms sound similar to yours? Is there any other way I can verify that my problem is bearing noise and not transmission? I wonder why they would fail under normal driving conditions?? The noise sounds like it is coming from both wheels. When you removed the brake caliber assembly and the main center hub nut, did the hub/knuckle assembly slide off or did you need any special tools (some type of puller) to remove this assembly?

Fivewilds

It sounds like mine did. I thought it was transmission also so changed out the tranny fluid which did not help. I took the whole assy. off and I could "rock" the hub bearing back and forth. The used assys. I purchased were real tight. You will see in car-part.com that many different hub assys. will work. The ones I purchased came off an 07 Highlander. You won't need any special tools. Is is quite an easy job. However, getting the balljoint off was a little hard. You may need to "work" with that a little. I was lucky with mine because when they shipped mine the ball joints were still attached to the knuckle which made it an easy change out. After changing out the hub assys. my car drove and sounded "new" again. Good Luck!

mandyfig

We are definitely waiting on pics on this DIY, if it ever done again! This is good information.

kickin8

iTrader: (1)

got mine replaced not too long ago....lucky it's under warranty

mine whirls super loud at 30mph....

isears

Well...I did not try to tackle this job myself so I have no pictures to post...sorry. I have a local shop that only services Honda's and Toyota's. I've always had good results with this shop. It turned out to be the passenger's side wheel bearing and cost $235 (parts, labor, tax, and all shop fees) to replace. This shop only uses genuine Lexus parts. I thought the price was fair and reasonable so I decided not to perform the work myself. The car is once again "Lexus quiet". I did not realize how loud this bearing had become.

mandyfig

Can you please describe this noise. At what speed and how best to tell?

isears

I would say the noise is similar to a hum, roar, or whine...not a grinding sound. The noise is consistant with the wheel speed. The frequency or tone of the noise is higher at faster speeds. The symptom that led me to believe it was a wheel bearing was the sound does not change when the transmission shifts. It remains constant with wheel speed. It sounds similar to 4WD trucks with aggressive mud treads on the tires. At first I thought it was my old worn out tires until I installed new Michelins and the noise did not go away. Hope this helps.

mandyfig

Thanks. Would like to know what to watch out for.

lexus114

Mandy,you never had a bad wheel bearing before? Man have you been lucky. Especially with the cost of these hub bearings today.

mandyfig

Nope, knock on wood. But there is this noise that has been bothering me. Can not put my finger on it. I suspect it is wind noise or a bad rear bearing. It is coming from the rear, DR side. Hence I am interested to learn what a bad bearing sounds like.

lexus114

its kinda hard to explain. its like a cross between a moan,and GRRRRRRRRR sound. When the vehicle is in motion.

hammer0008

I always thought it sounded like star trek enterprise going into warp...this is of course the old 60s strek episodes.

rcy

The sound can be a little different vehicle to vehicle, but as already mentioned, a roaring sound, or groaning sound would best describe it. My wife's 2007 Impala had a bad rear and it was definitely a roaring sound (very noticeable at highway speeds).

My 2006 400h had a bad rear on the driver's side and I'd describe it more like a humming sound. One thing I did notice with mine though, was if I swerved the vehicle (like a sharp lane change) the noise momentarily disappeared. My guess is that the swerving momentarily takes weight off the wheel with the bad bearing and the noise goes away as the bearing is not loaded. You might want to try this (umm..don't do it in rush hour..lol) late at night when traffic is light.