1. Attachments are working again! Check out this thread for more details and to report any other bugs.

Help with humming noise from car

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by JC91006, Jan 25, 2017.

  1. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

    Joined:
    Nov 10, 2013
    16,470
    8,383
    0
    Location:
    Los Angeles, CA
    Vehicle:
    2008 Prius
    Model:
    II
    I can't seem to figure out this problem, there's a humming sound that comes when I drive above 30mph. I first thought it was my bearings, but had that checked and they couldn't produce a noise while it was on a lift. Had everything checked and can't figure out the noise. Any ideas?

    Checked tires, axle, shocks, bearings. Strange the car won't go much over 25mph on a lift.
     
    #1 JC91006, Jan 25, 2017
    Last edited: Jan 25, 2017
  2. trentofdestiny

    trentofdestiny Master Finagler

    Joined:
    Aug 8, 2011
    1,104
    225
    0
    Location:
    Harrisburg, PA
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius Plug-in
    Model:
    Plug-in Base
    Can you make a video while driving, upload somewhere and then post a link? And yes, you can't turn off the traction control, so the car will act weird when off the ground.

    If you rock the car while moving forward, by turning the steering wheel back and forth a little bit, and the noise comes and goes, it is a wheel bearing


    iPhone ?
     
    #2 trentofdestiny, Jan 25, 2017
  3. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

    Joined:
    Nov 10, 2013
    16,470
    8,383
    0
    Location:
    Los Angeles, CA
    Vehicle:
    2008 Prius
    Model:
    II
    The shop I brought it to couldn't identify which wheel was making the noise, they are pretty sure it's a wheel bearing noise. They said wait till it gets louder and then I'll be able to pinpoint which bearing to replace.

    It just drives me crazy driving around with this humming noise. I was thinking it might have been some cheap tires, but that humming comes on right at around 30mph, so it shouldn't be tire related.
     
    #3 JC91006, Jan 25, 2017
  4. trentofdestiny

    trentofdestiny Master Finagler

    Joined:
    Aug 8, 2011
    1,104
    225
    0
    Location:
    Harrisburg, PA
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius Plug-in
    Model:
    Plug-in Base
    Hmm. Maybe get a second opinion, someone else could pinpoint it sooner. Year and mileage?


    iPhone ?
     
    #4 trentofdestiny, Jan 25, 2017
  5. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

    Joined:
    Nov 10, 2013
    16,470
    8,383
    0
    Location:
    Los Angeles, CA
    Vehicle:
    2008 Prius
    Model:
    II
    I have 7 of these cars and I usually know all the sounds coming from them. What I can't understand is why this sound comes right at 30mph. My thinking is if it's a bad bearing, there will be noise even below 30mph. The shop I went to had a stethoscope on each wheel bearing and couldn't determine which wheel was making the noise. It's making me think it may not be a bearing problem.

    It's my project 2005 with 176,000. Everything seems to be running fine, except for this humming sound.
     
    #5 JC91006, Jan 25, 2017
  6. trentofdestiny

    trentofdestiny Master Finagler

    Joined:
    Aug 8, 2011
    1,104
    225
    0
    Location:
    Harrisburg, PA
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius Plug-in
    Model:
    Plug-in Base
    My experience has been that most won't hear a bearing under a certain speed because the pitch is too low. I'm a technician so I'm kind of sensitive to it at lower speeds but not everybody is.


    iPhone ?
     
    #6 trentofdestiny, Jan 26, 2017
  7. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

    Joined:
    Nov 10, 2013
    16,470
    8,383
    0
    Location:
    Los Angeles, CA
    Vehicle:
    2008 Prius
    Model:
    II
    When the shop tech took the car for a test drive, he noticed the sound below 30mph, I couldn't hear it until it started humming at 30mph. Even so, they couldn't find the bad wheel bearing when they put it up on a lift.
     
    #7 JC91006, Jan 26, 2017
  8. trentofdestiny

    trentofdestiny Master Finagler

    Joined:
    Aug 8, 2011
    1,104
    225
    0
    Location:
    Harrisburg, PA
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius Plug-in
    Model:
    Plug-in Base
    A good solution to this would be wireless chassis ears. Put a microphone on each corner and listen while someone drives. Not every shop has this


    iPhone ?
     
    #8 trentofdestiny, Jan 26, 2017
  9. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

    Joined:
    Nov 10, 2013
    16,470
    8,383
    0
    Location:
    Los Angeles, CA
    Vehicle:
    2008 Prius
    Model:
    II
    There are wheel bearings on Amazon for about $50 vs an OEM part for $150. Do you think there's much of a quality difference?
     
    #9 JC91006, Jan 26, 2017
  10. trentofdestiny

    trentofdestiny Master Finagler

    Joined:
    Aug 8, 2011
    1,104
    225
    0
    Location:
    Harrisburg, PA
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius Plug-in
    Model:
    Plug-in Base
    Yeah there is a wide range of quality from good to bad in the Chinese / Amazon / eBay category IMO. It's not a big deal for the rear ones because you can just unbolt them yourself at home in the driveway. But the front ones are pressed in and require a shop press or some $$$ for labor so in that case I would only want to do it once


    iPhone ?
     
    #10 trentofdestiny, Jan 26, 2017
  11. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

    Joined:
    Nov 10, 2013
    16,470
    8,383
    0
    Location:
    Los Angeles, CA
    Vehicle:
    2008 Prius
    Model:
    II
    I'm thinking it's going to be the front wheel. That's where I hear the noise coming from, but can't verify it at this time. The shop quoted a price of $260 for the front, and $180 for the rear. I'm thinking these are aftermarket parts, not OEM
     
    #11 JC91006, Jan 26, 2017
  12. trentofdestiny

    trentofdestiny Master Finagler

    Joined:
    Aug 8, 2011
    1,104
    225
    0
    Location:
    Harrisburg, PA
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius Plug-in
    Model:
    Plug-in Base
    You are probably correct. Upon doing some research, looks like the fronts are bolt on for your 2005


    iPhone ?
     
    #12 trentofdestiny, Jan 26, 2017
  13. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

    Joined:
    Nov 10, 2013
    16,470
    8,383
    0
    Location:
    Los Angeles, CA
    Vehicle:
    2008 Prius
    Model:
    II
    Thanks for the research. I haven't looked up any details on the repair process. I'm sure there are lots of threads on PriusChat on this repair subject. Not sure I'll want to deal with it, $260 sounds like a bargain to get rid of a problem.
     
    #13 JC91006, Jan 26, 2017
  14. trentofdestiny

    trentofdestiny Master Finagler

    Joined:
    Aug 8, 2011
    1,104
    225
    0
    Location:
    Harrisburg, PA
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius Plug-in
    Model:
    Plug-in Base
    No problem. I hope they can figure out which one to replace.


    iPhone ?
     
    #14 trentofdestiny, Jan 26, 2017
  15. andrewclaus

    andrewclaus Active Member

    Joined:
    Sep 15, 2009
    993
    324
    0
    Location:
    Golden, CO
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    I remember a relatively recent thread of a similar complaint, where the OP had to replace wheel bearing(s) twice to get rid of the noise. As I recall, they were good quality bearings, too. Just a bad batch from the factory or something.

    The same thing is happening in my '07 with 100K miles. It may be tires and when I need new tires and the noise doesn't go away I'll deal with bearings. There's no detectable play in the bearings so it feels safe and it's a minor annoyance. The principal driver doesn't even notice.
     
    #15 andrewclaus, Jan 26, 2017
    trentofdestiny likes this.
  16. 69shovlhed

    69shovlhed Surly tree hugger

    Joined:
    May 13, 2012
    2,170
    746
    0
    Location:
    Delaware
    Vehicle:
    2017 Prius Prime
    Model:
    Prime Premium
    to determine which side is going bad, turn left and right while its making the noise. if the noise gets louder and softer when turning, you will know its a wheel bearing. the wheel bearing with the load on it will be noisy-- if you turn right and it gets louder, its the left bearing. when a bearing is beginning to fail, its often impossible to hear it on the lift because the bearings aren't loaded. the weight of the car on the bad bearing loads it up, and then you hear it.

    the shop which quoted you $260 might install a maypop hub. make sure they use oem or Timken. you want to see that the bearing is a Koyo or a name brand, not some unlabeled junk made in Indonesia or worse. and beware of counterfeit ebay hubs. I bought a supposed Timken from ebay, and the bearing was unmarked. I can't prove it was counterfeit, but every picture of a Timken I've ever seen showed a Koyo bearing.
     
    #16 69shovlhed, Jan 26, 2017
    Data Daedalus and JC91006 like this.
  17. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

    Joined:
    Nov 10, 2013
    16,470
    8,383
    0
    Location:
    Los Angeles, CA
    Vehicle:
    2008 Prius
    Model:
    II
    I have found 2 part numbers for Timken rear bearings at RockAuto. Does anyone know the difference?

    TIMKEN 512217
    TIMKEN HA590055

    More than $50 savings on 512217 (which is also a part number used by MOOG)
     
    #17 JC91006, Mar 21, 2017
    Last edited: Mar 21, 2017
(You must log in or sign up to post here.)