danmm7

iTrader: (1)

Hi All!
I am a new 2006 RL owner. I got the car 2 weeks ago and i LOVE it!
We have a TSX in the family (wife's car) which also has been a great car.
I have been driving a 2003 Nissan Maxima 3.5L for the last 5 years so the RL is a welcome upgrade.

The "new" RL has 37k miles, very clean, no-tech package. I got if from an Acura dealer. I already put 1,000+ miles on it.

First, I read all about the noisy drive shaft bearing, all the issues with it, how it sounds, how to deal with the dealer(s), etc. I do NOT think that i am experiencing the same issue... but you may not agree. See below.

Here is what i am dealing with... driving in the city, with speed around 35 - 45mph i start to hear a sound/noise that resembles somewhat of a "hisssing" noise mixed with the noise that a truck with noisy tires passing by would make.
Not sure if i make any sense but the best way to describe it is...imagine that you drive your quiet RL on the freeway(all windows up) and you drive by a car/truck with noisy tires. You'll hear that really muted "tire noise" but once you pass by that car/truck, you won't hear it anymore. Well, in my car, i hear that same noise all the time when i drive with 35-45mph. After 45-50mph, i think that the road noise from my own car covers it up and i can't clearly hear it anymore.
So, i guess, it is a mix of road noise, tire noise, wind noise and maybe some speaker static noise.
*** It is there regardless of the throttle position. The noise just appears around 35mph-40mph, even if i let go off the gas ***

At speeds 70mph and above i definitely do NOT hear it. The car runs very smooth & quiet. The tires look good (i have the OEM Michelin with 40% left) Brakes are good.
I played with the stereo and the "AudioPilot" (noise cancel) functionality - it made no difference.

What could be causing this strange noise at this low speed???

To make things more confusing, this noise is not always there!!! Sometimes i drive the car with 35-45mph and it is very quiet. I actually started to hear this noise over the last 3-4 days. It was NOT there when we bought the car 2 weeks ago.

What should i look for?

I would hate to go to the dealer to be told that it is "all normal" when i know that the car did not make this noise before.

Thank you for any help!

getakey

I get a noise around those speeds that goes on/off depending on whether accelerating or not. I am assuming it is the torque converter going in/out of locking.

TampaRLX-SH

It is difficult to tell, but I have not heard the propeller shaft bearing noise described as a hiss, but more of a whine or howl.

The RL is so quiet, that it allows you to hear sounds you would not normally hear due to road, tire noise, tranny whine, etc. It makes us NVH-philes a bit paranoid at times!

And speaking of tire noise, are the tires the OEM Michelins with 37K miles? I think for most drivers 40-50K max is what can be expected from them (many replaced much earlier). But my experience with these tires is in the last 10K of their lives, they get noisy at some speeds.

When in doubt, mention it to the dealer.

stevesrl

New rl owner hear too. Don't know exactly if I have the same noise but hear is what I determined.

To make my (low pitched gurgleing) noise increase the speed to get the transmission into 5th. Then coast/decel gradually. Change into manual mode to to check what gear you are in. Mine will stay in 5th and not downshift. So when you apply gas gingerally/don't stomp it it bogs the engine down and you get increased vibration which transmits to the drive shaft. Note tranny stays in 5th. Noise dissapears once you reach around 46 or 1500 rpm.

I believe that this has something to do with the aforementioned drifshaft pulley noise. If memory serves correct Acura updates software to change the transmission points so the car will downshift properly. Decreasing to 40 mph from highway speeds occurs a lot so this sound appears a lot too. Note aggressive drivers will not hear this noise as much because aggressive driving puts increased strain on the engine and the transmission is more decisive in changing gears. Driving gingerly keeps it confused somewhat at this particular speed/strain.

I am no expert by all means but this is what I think and I cobbled it together with some prior readings.

All is asked to chyme in. This one bothers me too.

Bottom line sounds like we need an update to the software/progream controlling the tranny.

afjock21

My RLs cabin is so quiet I could fall asleep.. so peaceful...

danmm7

iTrader: (1)

Yes, i believe that these are the original Michelin tires. They have about 35-40% after 37k miles on them. Visually, they look like they have enough rubber on them, yet, by reading reviews, i know that these are NOT great tires to keep on the car.

I am planning to replace them before the fall/rain season. Still not sure if i'll go with 18" rims and tires or if i'll stick to the 17" wheels and some other brand of 17" tires.

danmm7

iTrader: (1)

"Howl" may be also part of my description, but definitely not the "whine".

It sounds just like a truck with noisy tires passing by me. The sound is ON and OFF.....and never there if i am doing 35mph or less.
This morning - i almost did not hear it at all during my 30min commute.
Go figure!

Gabe15

iTrader: (1)

Mine has been acting up again too Stevesrl. I had/have that same gurgling noise between the 5th to 4th downshift range. Also 4th to 3rd if I get the RPM's below 1400. I bought my 05 in May 08 and took it to the dealer several times before they said they updated the ECU to change the shift points. I also did my 60,000 mile transmission fluid change at the same time and for a while the noise went away. By the way the gurgling noise itself in my case was coming from the torque converter not the support bearing. (That is waht the Tech said anyway) Its been coming back ever so gradual since last August. Definitley not a sound a $50,000 plus car should have. Ive had pretty bad luck with this car. (A/C went out, replaced one headlight and AFS unit, clear coat peeling, I have the propeller shaft support bearing whine under 60 degrees at 35-40 MPH or any time im doing about 75 MPH, a TPMS light that still needs looked at, and keyless door handles that only work 80% of the time)

NJ06RL

Your keyless door handles that work intermittently will eventually fail totally. I have replaced both sides on my 2006 under warranty, twice on each side. Still like the car a lot though.

stevesrl

I love the car...but I am getting scared. More tech. stuff and more to break. I noticed consumer report gives the 05 poor ratings compared to 06+ in the electrical aspects. So true is the bugs apparent in first years production after a major redesign. Glad I've already bought the service manual. Too bad replacement parts cost a fortune.

TampaRLX-SH

As with most newer cars, the technology components are very expensive. I would not own the RL (or any technology laden vehicle) long term without an extended warranty. I have much faith in my RL. But my NAVI drive was replaced 2 years ago when my AcuraLink messages stopped. The warranty replacements were over $4000!

And due to some of the early model issues, mostly with 05s, I think an extended warranty or CPO is paramount.

danmm7

iTrader: (1)

Today the weather was pretty hot and i got to run the car with the AC the whole time. In addition to the already described sound/noise...there is a new concern.

I am Not happy with what i am hearing when the AC is "on". Basically, with the AC on, from a stop, as i accelerate my car makes a whining noise. I can hear it inside the cabin pretty well. My old '03 Maxima with 140k miles had the same noisy AC compressor but it is a much older and cheaper car and the AC problem started when the car had 120k miles, not 37k miles (like my RL).

Is this whining noise from the AC normal during acceleration from 0mph-20-30mph ?? Do you all hear it on a hot day or i need to go to the dealer an complain??

As far as the original noise that prompted my post....it is still there. I drove in town today and i can clearly hear the "hissing" sound appear around 30mph...and then it's there until i hit 40-45mph. I can hear it inside the car with windows up.
I opened my window and while i was driving by a wall/fence....i could hear the noise on the outside too. It sounds like sticking caliper, or noisy brake pads touching the rotor(s). I am 99% sure it is NOT brake related because i tried pressing on the brakes while the noise was there and it did no change or go away.
It has to be something related to the drivetrain....or a belt...or a vacuum leak....or...or.. i don't know.

Any ideas before i take the car to the dealer??

Thank you!!

Rob144

Try this:

TSB 07-026 (October 30, 2007), which covers various models through 2006, including all 2005 RLs and 2006 RLs with VINs from 6C000001-6C012432.

Symptom: "When driving under light acceleration, you hear an intermittent pinging, rattling, or squealing from the engine compartment. The noise can easily be mistaken for an engine ping or spark knock. In some cases the noise happens only during engine warm-up."

Cause: Intermediate shaft heat shield is loose on its mounting bushings.

Corrective action: Replace the shaft heat shield and specified nuts and gaskets.

-- This worked like a champ on my RL -- they actually tweaked the nuts and gaskets which did the job.

danmm7

iTrader: (1)

Here is an update.
I took my 06 RL to the Acura dealer.
I told them that i have two types of noise:

1. Whining noise from AC when leaving from a stop light in HOT weather
2. Hissing/whistle type of sound above 35mph....90% of the time. (some days my car was quiet)

I showed them the Acura Service News/Bulletin that covers some of the "noise" issues for the 2005-2007 models.

One of the technicians came with me for a 'test drive' and we drove the car for 20 minutes. I could NOT replicate any of the two sounds/noises. I was pissed!!!
The tech was nice and he told me that they'll do another test drive later in the day. I mentioned the drive shaft bearing issues i've been reading about and he told me that he had NEVER heard about this. Not encouraging.
Anyway, i left the car with the dealer and they gave me an almost new 2009 TL SH-AWD to drive. This was a nice touch.

They kept my RL for 2 days. At the end, they called me and said that they replaces the propeller shaft + bearing, some "shield", + other small parts. They also replaced my AT fluid.

On the AC, they replaced some parts by following a "bulletin". Not a lot of details there.

I've had the car for 4 days now - so far, it is all quiet. Looks like they took care of both issues. I am happy!!!

GrebRL

I have the same pinging noise from the engine compartment as described in TSB 07-026 above. How do I print a copy of that TSB? Google was no help. Thanks...

GrebRL

Thanks to Rob144, My 06 RL made that same pinging noise. After getting a copy of TSB 07-026 I found my VIN fell in the range. Took it to my Acura dealer and they heard the noise and are ordering the parts to fix it. More news after the repair.

ronaldell

As part of the used car certification process, my dealer replaced two original tires at 42,000 miles.

DandyG23

There are ok tires but they do make a lot of road noise. I bought the care with the oem tires on them last november 2008 and I just replaced the tires last month.

Gabe15

iTrader: (1)

Drained and added 3 quarts of new ATF fluid last weekend. The transmission engages alot faster now from reverse to drive. The gurgly noise I was hearing at 45 MPH is gone now too. I'll do this 4 times a year if I have to. I cant stand that gurgly noise.