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Whirring/humming from front, driver's side

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Old Aug 25, 2016 | 04:46 PM
  #1  
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Default Whirring/humming from front, driver's side

Hey Everyone:

Did a search and couldn't find exactly what I'm experiencing. Whenever the car starts hitting 60km/hr+ I notice this whirring noise that seems to be coming from directly in front of the driver's seat, from under the hood. The faster I go, louder it seems to get. To me it sounds like a motor.

The noise is there even if I'm not accelerating. So if I hit 100km/hr and then take my foot off the pedal, the whirring noise is still there while coasting. It's very possible the noise is there at slower speeds but I don't start noticing until about 60km.

The noise is NOT there if I just rev the engine while parked.

I noticed this a few weeks back when I did a 5000Km road trip. Any ideas? ​
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Old Aug 25, 2016 | 05:09 PM
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Wheel bearing maybe? While you're driving, turn the wheel left and right. Like this..
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Old Aug 25, 2016 | 06:00 PM
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Originally Posted by Othic
Wheel bearing maybe? While you're driving, turn the wheel left and right. Like this.. What Does a Bad Wheel Bearing Sound Like? - YouTube
Hmmm it does sound like it... guess it could be the front-left wheel bearing.

If it is the wheel bearing, is that a complicated job? How much would a shop charge to change it? Also, is it safe to continue driving it another 6 days until I bring the car in for an oil change? Or is this hard to say?

Last edited by hvargas; Aug 25, 2016 at 06:31 PM.
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Old Aug 25, 2016 | 08:19 PM
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Depends. Are you doing it? Have tools and time? Or doing half and half like you removing knuckle and taking to shop ($25-40) to press hub/bearing?

I took mine knuckles from Honda out to shop before when I did not have bearing tool kit and time. After that I bought the kit (about $70). I also did several DIYs write-ups (honda, toyota) on it and did the work myself on 2 cars (= 4 front bearings, 1 car 2 rear bearings also). Also improved the process.

Check this out from another member here and decide. It is a DIY so it serves as a good reference of the work and tools involved...
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/es-...tallation.html

As for doing immediate or wait... depends on how bad it sounds. Of course sooner is better than later. At least you can plan it out. Good luck.

Last edited by surgeon0; Aug 25, 2016 at 08:25 PM.
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Old Aug 26, 2016 | 01:53 PM
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Before you go replacing parts, make sure it is the wheel bearing. To find out drive the speed that you hear the noise, then gentle turn the wheel if the noise goes away then theres a high chance it could be wheel bearing. If the noise or pitch of the noise doesnt change then the wheel bearing are good. Another thing to look for can be the tire. You might have a worn or chopped tire, run your hand across the tread if its lumpy then you have a problem in your suspension
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Old Aug 26, 2016 | 02:49 PM
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Could be something like a plastic bag wrapped around a suspension component of stuck in one of the underbody panels. That could make a noise like what you describe, and would become louder with increasing speed but independent of acceleration.
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Old Aug 26, 2016 | 04:07 PM
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I'll probably bring it into my mechanic next Wednesday or so - wouldn't be comfortable doing something like this.

Hmmm thanks for the suggestions. I'll definitely try them out and check them out to try and narrow it down.

Originally Posted by surgeon0
Depends. Are you doing it? Have tools and time? Or doing half and half like you removing knuckle and taking to shop ($25-40) to press hub/bearing?

I took mine knuckles from Honda out to shop before when I did not have bearing tool kit and time. After that I bought the kit (about $70). I also did several DIYs write-ups (honda, toyota) on it and did the work myself on 2 cars (= 4 front bearings, 1 car 2 rear bearings also). Also improved the process.

Check this out from another member here and decide. It is a DIY so it serves as a good reference of the work and tools involved...
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/es-...tallation.html

As for doing immediate or wait... depends on how bad it sounds. Of course sooner is better than later. At least you can plan it out. Good luck.
Originally Posted by ibidu1
Before you go replacing parts, make sure it is the wheel bearing. To find out drive the speed that you hear the noise, then gentle turn the wheel if the noise goes away then theres a high chance it could be wheel bearing. If the noise or pitch of the noise doesnt change then the wheel bearing are good. Another thing to look for can be the tire. You might have a worn or chopped tire, run your hand across the tread if its lumpy then you have a problem in your suspension
Originally Posted by Sodium
Could be something like a plastic bag wrapped around a suspension component of stuck in one of the underbody panels. That could make a noise like what you describe, and would become louder with increasing speed but independent of acceleration.
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Old Aug 27, 2016 | 11:29 PM
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Check your under carriage plate. It is probably loose and is vibrating.
The plate is the protective plastic cover that covers your undercarriage under your engine.

Have that looked at before it comes off completely.
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Old Sep 8, 2016 | 07:45 PM
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Just an FYI, did turn out to be the wheel bearing.
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Old Sep 9, 2016 | 01:31 AM
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Originally Posted by hvargas
Just an FYI, did turn out to be the wheel bearing.
Thanks for the update, glad everything is back to normal

How many miles (or km) were on the clock when the bearing started to fail?
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Old Sep 9, 2016 | 03:02 PM
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Originally Posted by Sodium
Thanks for the update, glad everything is back to normal

How many miles (or km) were on the clock when the bearing started to fail?
It was around 165000KM (just over 100000miles for my friends to the south )
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Old Sep 9, 2016 | 05:07 PM
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Originally Posted by hvargas
It was around 165000KM (just over 100000miles for my friends to the south )
Hmm I just hit 100,000 miles last week, and no hums yet – knock on wood. As you're in the frigid north, I'm guessing you have an AWD?

Lol and two of the most useful things I learned in freshman physics: 1mile = 1.6km = 1609m, and 1inch = 25.4mm
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Old Sep 14, 2016 | 02:56 PM
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Originally Posted by Sodium
Hmm I just hit 100,000 miles last week, and no hums yet – knock on wood. As you're in the frigid north, I'm guessing you have an AWD?

Lol and two of the most useful things I learned in freshman physics: 1mile = 1.6km = 1609m, and 1inch = 25.4mm
Yep, AWD - need to be able to escape those polar bears on my way to work.
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Old Sep 15, 2016 | 02:10 AM
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Originally Posted by hvargas
Yep, AWD - need to be able to escape those polar bears on my way to work.
Yeah one of my old hockey coaches said that polar bears attacking cars was a big problem when he was growing up in Ontario too. Of course, he then moved near San Francisco, where we sometimes get chased by an entirely different kind of bear
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