05 Prius 112k Very Loud Engine Noise

i did quite a bit of google searching on this topic and actually found a few threads here and elsewhere k the subject but nobody came back with a definitive answer on what the issue was, ever... So here I am posting my own with the promise that I'll come back and post one way or the other.

With that aside we have an 05 Prius win 112k on the clock that has been making a rather loud engine (maybe wheel, I'm not a car guy) for the past few months. It's much more pronounced from the front passenger seat and dampens maybe 50% when turning fairly sharply to the right (such as an on ramp).

We got new tires recently and the engine noise was present before that. Tread was low anyway and we assumed it would be the fix but it wasn't.

We finally took the car in to a hybrid mechanic that was very well reviewed everywhere we looked, who mentioned it sounded like an baring based in description. Again, not a car guy, but my feeling is it's not that. I actually heard that noise in my friends civic and, unless they can sound wildly different, it doesn't sound the same. If you're wondering, I know it was a baring in the civic because he got it replaced and all was fine.

Just looking to see if anyone came across this and what expectations were. As always, timing for a major repair are bad; the family is flying cross country for a wedding and I'm sweating it out expecting $1000+ in repair bills on this thing.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. We should find out tomorrow what the issue is, but I'd like to prepare myself here

 

Thank you for the response.

It's not really noticeable under 30mph. I'd say 30 is where the sound begins. By 45 it is much louder. At 65-70 it is only slightly louder than it was around 45. The sound is definitely loud enough that the radio needs to be on almost max to hear it with any semblance of clarity, which is obviously not desirable for a multitude of reasons.

Are you suggesting I shift to neutral while "cruising" (that is to say get it to 65 and shift to neutral)? If so I've not done that and the car is at the shop currently do not something I can try right now. I can say that the sound isn't there, or at least not loud enough for me to hear, akw hen idling and in neutral (or park).

 

We were thinking about taking it somewhere closer but we figured this guy had a ton of reviews on various sites and if it's something else he will be able to fix it should it require special hybrid knowledge. Reviews said prices were reasonable too. From what I've read the part costs next to nothing and it's all a matter of labor. Hoping to squeak by around $300 with this one.

 

I was reading something about the part being around $40. I'd also read a few
People saying this was done for them for around $270, though I also read as high as $600. Perhaps I'm misreading?

 

I'm near Boston. The shop we took it to was in Leominster. $200 sounds like a nice number. Here is to hoping.

 

I am back to report it was the right from wheel bearing. $400 parts and labor included. Was shooting for $300 but this is much better news than the worst I was expecting.

Thank you all again for your input.