Im a new member. My name is Tim. I own an 03 tl type S//
w/ many mods, I love the car.
However, lately I have had this issue.. Please let me know if anyone has had the same issue, if so, how was it fixed.
I began noticing a humming/rubbing sound from the left front when under load. Slowly it began to turn into sloppy steering, with a ton of steering wheel play. Eventually the wheels took on a mind of their own, especially on bad roads with channels and pits.
So I took it in, and they said everything is tight up front its definitely a left front wheel bearing. Paid to get it done, didnt take the problem away.
So I took it to a different garage that installed my TEIN coilover kit thinking that the struts may be shot, they told me its gotta be the wheel bearing, so I had it changed again. The problem still persists. Can someone please let me know if they have an answer as to what this could be.
Thanks for reading.
Aggravated in Buffalo Ny
Tim

 

so none of them checked CV joints or axles?

 

Well, the wheel bearing apparently is ruled out. Has anyone checked out your steering rack and drive shafts ?

 

control arm bushings known to fail
find a good alignment shop to find real problem,
assuming you had it aligned after the shocks, whats the camber and toe numbers now?

 

I would have the axle checked out.

 

Did they listen with a stethoscope on the hoist? I've been absolutely sure, and absolutely wrong about which wheel was bad based on just a test drive.

 

One other thing I thought of; tires can sound exactly like a wheel bearing. Some all season tires are especially prone to feathering if the alignment is off even the slightest amount. Sometimes it's easier to feel than it is to see. Run your hand forward and back on the tread. It should feel smooth both ways. If it's more like saw teeth, that may be your noise.

 

Thank you guys.. I have had a suspicion that the steering rack may be going, due to the amount of play in my steering. The gears may be starting to warp. I will definitely have the axle and cv joints checked next...

 

I had them set the camber and toe at neutral due to the lovely Western NY winters.. I only drive it when the roads are clear and we have had a good rain to wash the salt off.. However with the temperatures hovering around 10-15 degrees, I wanted the tein's set up as neutral as possible..
Also this problem was not a result of the coilover kit, it was there well before i changed the old suspension out...
Thanks again for answering my thread guys, you have been very helpful ..

 

nuetral? huh? my tein install caused the camber to go negative 1.4 degrees,,just within acceptable..beyond spec but tire wear ok

the TOE which points the tires in or out- should be reset to nuetral 0 degrees
toe out really messes with the car
With age the shocks settle and align may have already been off and caused wear
A close look at each tire is needed
also do as said before- a place who uses a mechanics stethascope is the one who can find or rule out a bearing

note lowered cars wear out whatever was left of the cv joint/axle bearing life
we also have prob with HUB bearing wearing out too