2007 TL, 151,000 miles.
I think whatever is wrong with my car has finally manifested into tangible form. I believe the driver front wheel bearing failed, and the passenger side will likely go soon as well.
I was on the highway when I hit a bump, but not a big bump. A bump among many that I had driven over today.
Immediately afterwards, the car began making a very, very loud sound. I can only describe it as like a concrete mixer operating at jet engine velocity. It was definitely coming from the wheel in front of me, the driver front. The sound did not go away until I had gotten off the highway. The brake pedal was very soft.
I was 5 minutes away from home by then, but in that time period, the tire pressure increased by 1psi. It normally takes an entire trip to do that. Noticeable heat was radiating off the wheel when I parked, along with loud clicking and popping.

I think the bearing might explain everything: the heat was making everything soft, so there was more play in the front suspension, the loose steering, the leaning in the slightest wind, the wheels bending easily, the clicking and popping when parked, the high tire pressure, the soft brakes. I don't know if I'm imagining it or if it's an optical illusion, but inside the wheel wells look different, like some of the opposite sides' corresponding parts are shifted slightly.

...Y'know, I had a complete inspection 2 DAYS AGO. The mechanic found nothing. I've taken this car to 4 mechanics (including the dealership) within the past month, and this has escaped all of them. I might have to get admitted if this goes on.
I guess I'm fixing it myself since ESP is required to understand my particular car.

• Uh... Will this be hard? I have very little mechanical experience, but I don't want to go to a mechanic again...
• What bearings should I get? There seem to be a few different brands, and apparently the front and rear bearings are different.
• What tools will I need? The only jack I have is the one in the car's spare tire compartment.
• Do you think the rear bearings may need to be replaced? I'll have an aneurysm if I do this and then the rear bearings fail.

I apologize for being ranty, I'm just starting to break under the weight of all the crap.

 

yeah, you need to take it to a mechanic to inspect the front suspension. then get an alignment afterwards.

there's no way you'll be able to tell whats wrong with it without lifting the car and taking major suspension components apart.

 

If you really don't want to take it to a mechanic yet....the only thing I can suggest is jack the car up and take the wheel off to look around. However....you clearly state you are not mechanically inclined which means the most you will see is yep...its a car. A failed wheel bearing generally won't do what you are describing. They "usually" will fail to be stupid noisy, or they fail as in they fall apart and don't want to roll anymore. Generating heat and increasing tire PSI sounds more like you have a issues with the brakes.

But as already stated....find another mechanic to take a closer look now that it is making crazy concrete mixer jet engine noises.

 

i also agree that it could be brakes...but an experienced mechanic will have to take a look at it.. cuz all you will see, like jackass stated, is yep...they are brakes

 

It's just a car, so please don't do that.
That vascular defect is something you don't want to ever encounter.

 

Thanks for the advice. I did see one video where the guy said to jack up the car, put a hand on the shock/strut spring, and spin the wheel. If it's a bearing, there'll be obvious vibration?
I'm running out of mechanics at this point, so I'll take it back to the one guy who actually did a thing because he is at least semi-competent. I swear, if he doesn't find anything, I'm gonna scrap this car right then and there.

If it's the brakes, I'm going to personally drive this car to the scrapyard. The brakes have been looked at by like 8 different mechanics. The last guy said my brakes and calipers are in great condition, probably because they're all new. I had him look at the entire braking system carefully because the brakes were acting soft, so I was really concerned. All 5 brakes on the car have failed in the past year (stranding me 5 separate times because no one bothered to do their job. I even tried to have some of them replaced preemptively), so I replaced all the pads, calipers, and rotors. Except the emergency brake, it's disabled. I feel safe.
The brakes did get ridiculously hot and noisy when they seized, way hotter and noisier than the current problem. It was like my car was possessed by a banshee.

 

disabled parking brake?
why?

so, the calipers have seized at one point in time?
seems eerily similar doesn't it?

seems like something is locking up and causing the drag.

 

BUT did you replace the caliper hoses? If noise is obvious let them drive the car and point it out.

Replacing the bearings is a little bit harder than doing brakes, especially since bearings in TL are pressed in and will require special tool or hydraulic press to do.

 

Another option, if you have not already done so, is to google search your local area for Acura/Honda specialty shops.
They are usually managed by former Acura/Honda mechanics that don't charge you stealership prices.

 

Ever watched the tricky part of putting an aneurysm clip on to ligate it, and the aneurysm bursts because of it?

Me either.

 

No!

However, even in my twenties (back in the day) I did loath, while being on-call, getting a phone call at 3am for a stat ruptured aortic aneurysm.

I also remember that it was a 'fast pace' once the upper abdominal and lower aorta, just before the iliac bifurcation, were clamped to get that graft anastomosed with prolene. I forget the size; but, I know it was fine.

 

I hate call. So much so they do thier best not to call unless the other person has already been called in.

Yes, for AAA they clamp -clamp and its a race to get the graft on. They use prolene for CSF leaks if we get through the dura mater during spinal cases, but the vascular docs prefer double ended Goretex 6-0 & 7-0 TTc-9 & TTc-11 these days.

 

The dealership said it was completely destroyed by rust and would probably cost $1,000 to replace, so they recommended to disable it since I live flat area. I went along with it because it was the last brake to go and I was absolutely done with the brakes at that point.

But holy crap I think you've finally convinced me! I went to go look at the brakes now that the car has been sitting for a day, and I think there's brake fluid on them. Can brake fluid get really sticky and hard to wash off?
The brakes are soft because they're leaking fluid? Wow. Who would've thunk it?



Is it over? Is it finally over?

 

^
The shiny stuff in the first picture looks like it might be some kind of 'brake quiet' substance they place on the outer pad to keep it from sqeeking as it is next to those caliper sides.

The other pictures appear to show 'lube' they put on the end of the pads and within the pad retainers to help them slide versus an actual 'brake fluid' leak.

 

Really? I thought I was on to something...

If the brakes are locked, usually there's visible evidence, like excessive brake dust or uneven marks on the rotor. I was so excited for a minute there.

 

the 2nd and third pics kinda do look like brake fluid.
to be sure, the wheel needs to come off and you;ll need to inspect the brake lines going to the caliper.

 

I went through my records to see if the caliper hoses were replaced. The paper says the brake hoses were replaced. Are caliper hoses also called brake hoses?
Just letting you know; the wet spots on the passenger caliper are also sticky like the driver caliper.

Here’s my game plan: I’ll test drive the car early tomorrow morning so I can get a recording of that sound. Then I'll pull each of the front wheels off to get a good look behind them. Might be able to give the wheels a good cleaning while they're off.
There are Acura/Honda shops that aren't dealerships? That sounds great, since they probably see a 3rd get TL more often than the dealerships.

 

I took a test drive, and I was not able to recreate the jet-powered concrete mixer noise. Likely I will need to go on my regular commute in order to get it hot enough that it starts making the noise, so I'll go on my commute today before I pull the wheels off so I don't accidentally make more noise by not tightening the lug nuts enough or something. Usually my car starts acting worse towards the end of my trips, so I think it has to do with getting hot enough. I know my brakes in the past needed to get very hot before they started screaming, but I don't know if that's the case with bad bearings.
The recording I took has a fair bit of the cyclical noise (which is audible at all speeds) that the wheel has been making for a while, but it's the noise all the mechanics reassure me is normal, even though it suddenly appeared one day. The noise is a bit more noticeable as I get on and off the highway since the curve of the ramp puts more weight on the driver side, but I did take left turns hard to try and get noise out of the passenger side. I tried with the passenger window open too, and most of the noise was still coming from the driver side.

I searched for on of those independent shops, but the closest one to me according to acushops.com is over 100 miles away.