mdavisii

I am getting a low pitched sound that is coming from the front of the vehicle while driving. I begin to hear the sound at about 35MPH, and the pitch changes with the speed. It has began to get louder over the past couple weeks, so today I decided to rotate my tires to see if the noise follows. To my dismay, the groaning sound still persists from the front end. Any ideas of what this could be? My first guess was the tires, but that has been elimated with the rotation. Now I am wondering if it is a bearing. Anyone have any ideas?

BobbY_BigitaL

do you have headers?

mdavisii

No, I do not have any mods to the engine. It is purely stock.

fsttyms1

a bad wheel bearing

erdoc48

Possibly wheel bearings- happened to my car- was a low pitched whine. I couldn't tell if it was from the driver's or passenger's side wheel. It was fixed and the whine was gone.

mdavisii

erdoc48,
do u recall if your whine increased with the speed of the vehicle at all?

mdavisii

have u ever had one replaced before? i am curious to know if i can do it myself, or if i would need to take it to my certified honda/acura mechanic. thanks!

erdoc48

Yeah, it would increase with speed of the car until road noise and engine noise kicked in, then it was less noticeable.
Good luck.

mdavisii

thanks for your feedback. your description sounds exactly like what i am experiencing. after i get going on the highway and the road noise kicks in, the whine is definitely less noticable.

erdoc48

Yeah, it did until engine and road noise would start, drowning out the sound

whatwasthat

i had a bad wheel bearing. back right tire. i do'nt know if it'll work for the front end, but to find out if it's a bad wheel bearing, drive fast enough to make the noise (35-50ish?) and then make a turn.. not a sharp turn (well, sharp, but not sharp enough to flip the car.) like a curve, like going off/on an exit. the noise should disappear depening on where the weight of the car is. for instance, in my case. i went to my local highway, 4lanes where later the highway curves to the right... so i went fast and curved to the right, so the weight of the car was mostly on the left side (left wheels) and the noise disappeared, and as soon as i stopped turning, it came back. the less weight on the bad bearing, the less noise. or if you prefer, go around.. 30-40mph.. and do some hard zigzags to have the weight of the car on one side and see if it disappeears. if it does, there you go. wheel bearing. got mine for about $70ish.

IFY - don't try this around cops. or you'll get a DUI.

fsttyms1

no i havent. im not sure of the design on the TL. i believe is a single sealed unit though. but you will have to take off the axel nut witch can be hard

Bluegrass

Bearing.

I had the same sound that I thought was my second tranny going south; low pitched hhhmmmmm that varied. Dealer diagnosed left wheel bearing which they replaced under warranty. Hope that's all it is for you and not something major.
Let us know what you find out...

mdavisii

It's funny you suggested this. I was just driving around a 3 mile windy road right at about the 40MPH mark. WHen I turn the wheel slightly to the right, the noise goes away. Going the other way, however, the noise amplifies. So, based on what you are saying, it would seem as if the right bearing is on its way out. I will have my mechanic take it for a drive on tomorrow to see what's up.

whatwasthat

glad to help.

mdavisii

Thank you everyone for your feedback. My passenger front bearing was the culprit. Was replaced and is as good as new again. Thanks again!

spl1011

Did you notice any vibrations while at speed (like 60mph) either thru the steering wheel or throughout the car? Or just noises?

mdavisii

I would get an intermittent steering wheel shimmy at approximately 60mph that would usually smooth out at around 70mph. Didn't appear to get the shimmy after replacing the bearing, but haven't driven it enough to really give an accurate conclusion as of yet. I will keep you posted on this.