Southern

My 2001 TL with 130K miles recently developed a whirring noise when traveling over 40 MPH. The noise sounds like an electrical generator type noise and does not change if I switch off the AC. The noise is not related to engine RPM's but is related to MPH which makes me think it is not the trans. I had a new trans installed at 83K miles.

The noise is more apparent when the windows are rolled-up because it resonates more inside the car. I can't determine for sure if it is coming from the front or rear of the car but my guess would be the front.

My brakes (front and rear) are due for replacement but there is still some meat on the pads (no metal to metal contact).

I took off the front tires yesterday and didn't see any obvious problems, the CV boots are in good shape and the ball joints didn't have any noticeable play.

Doing a search makes me believe that the problem might be the wheel bearings. What is the best way to confirm this? Any suggestions are welcome.

TVD

Jack the car up and rock the wheels to see how much play compared with the spec. Another posssibility is the tires are unbalance.

Southern

Did a oil change today and rotated the tires. I briefly put the car in drive (with front tires off and car on jack stands) and accelerated to 40 MPH. There was no noise (after I remembered to turn off the TCS).

While test driving the car the noise is still present. I noticed that the noise is a little bit louder when turning right (around a bend). This leads me to believe that my left front wheel bearing is the culprit.

Any other possibilities?

fsttyms1

thats where i would start

Blue_TL

I had the same noise at the same speed, also not related to RPM, but speed. I got the wheel bearings replaced and it was smooth riding.

Southern

Is is common to replace both front wheel bearings if one is bad?

I called around for pricing and below are my three options:

1. The Acura dealer wants $300 to replace one bearing (bearing included).

2. The local autoparts store wants $50 on up to press out/press in wheel bearing. Figure around $150-200 with bearing.

3. I can get the bearing and Harbor Freight press (12Ton) for around $200.

Thanks for MurkyRiversTL DIY write-up for front wheel bearing replacement I'm leaning toward option 3 that way I get a shop press out of the deal and I'm set for when the next bearing goes.

snowman81

^Just me but I am hesitant to buy a tool that I will only use once or twice. It could be another 5-6 years before you need to use it again, and I don't like clutter. Not that tools are clutter, but if I don't use it regularly, I would wanna pack it away somewhere. But I'm not sure how big it is.

Southern

I'm a sucker when it comes for the opportunity to buy more tools. I figure I will use a shop press at least twice in the next year which justifies buying one then pay the local autoparts store to do it.

The shop press isn't all that big: http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=33497
It should fit up nice along the garage wall. I could even throw it in the shed.

snowman81

Yeah, I see what you're saying. Definitely nice to have tools when you need them. And if you have the room for it, I'd be all for it. I guess since I live in an apartment still, I have a different mind set. Hopefully I'll be in a house in about a year...getting tired of not having a garage (well I could have one but it would cost $100 extra on top of my $1115/month rent).

Razzi

apologize to reviving a solved thread, but it's the closest thing to the problem i have at hand and didnt wanna start a new one cause people will inevitably tell me to search

i have kind of a whirring noise, like a belt pulling thru a pulley i suppose. it gets progressively louder with speed and has nothing to do with rpm. i asked a buddy and he said it might be my bearings. had a few mechanic friends looked at it and they said all the suspension components were fine, i dont know if that includes bearings.
anyway, i looked at prices for bearings, and noticed they only have the parts for front, whereas my noise problem gets a lot louder if ur sittin in the back seat, which obviously is where the problem is.
so is there a bearing for the rear too that im not finding, or could it be something else?

Southern

For the rear wheels the bearing is part of the hub assembly.

TacoBellSauce

i had my bearing go out on my maxima
get it fixed asap, you dont wanna risk damaging your hub
pepboys charge around $200 to install the bearing
if the hub is also damaged expect to pay around $500ish