cg_06c230

Recently I have noticed at very low speed a steady muffled whumpf, wumpf noise with synchronized slight vibration in the steering wheel – mostly on a positive incline (not sure why incline would matter, but it seems the case). By low speed I mean take foot off brake, no accelerator. I jacked up the front and spun the wheels manually without any sense of hang anywhere in the rotation. I looked at the rotors and see no wear issues. The tires or worn pretty evenly so I don't think I have an alignment concern. I suspect a wheel bearing. Am I on the right track? Also, if replacement is needed I would consider an indy shop since I am now about 10K past warranty. What should I expect as fair repair cost?

Thanks to all who keep this forum informative and interesting. I have learned a lot here.

pcy

Bad wheel bearing will show the symptoms during turns (left wheel bearing will make noise on right turns and vice versa). I don't think your problem is with the wheel bearing.

I'll let the experts chime in...

C230 Sport Coup

Could be the tires making noise too.
What brand model are they?
I got an interesting noise when my calipers came loose just a tad.

cg_06c230

Dunlop Direzza DZ101
Front 225/45 17, with about 15K miles and pretty even tread wear
Rear 245/40 17, with about 22K miles inner tread wear slightly more than outer.

Maybe a rebalance needed on the fronts?

pcy

yup, that would be the cheapest and the easiest thing to rule out...

cg_06c230

Going now for a rebalance...I'll post result. Thanks for the nudge toward a smart start point to resolving this problem.

mleskovar

This is the sound cupped tires make. Bad shocks and....especially on our cars....bad strut bushings can cause the tires to cup. Balancing won't help if this is the case.

Glyn M Ruck

I'll put money on feathered & cupped tread on the tyres making a noise. It always sounds like a bearing. These cars are very tyre fussy. Only changing tyres will fix it.

cg_06c230

So I got a rebalance done and an alignment. I won’t be sure if it made a difference for a few days since I didn’t hear the sound all of the time. Anyway, the mechanic did inspect the bearing with some form of stethoscope and he is confident it is fine.

I wasn’t familiar with the term cupped but after looking it up and comparing to my tires, there is some indication on the driver front of this, though not much. To me the tire looks pretty evenly worn and the mechanic made no comment.

I will replace the tires early next year if needed. I can live with the occasional sound until then if it still occurs.

Glyn M Ruck

Run your hand over the tyre tread opposite to the direction of rotation. If you can feel any tread edges this will cause air pumping noise with some tyre designs that sounds like a worn bearing. I threw Conti's off of my car for this reason at very low mileage - I could feel them through the steering. Have only run Michelin Pilot Exalto PE2's & PS2's since then & they are dead quiet.

You need to fit non directional tyres to these cars & change the direction of rotation approx every 8000 miles. i.e swap/rotate corner to corner unstaggered or across the same axle staggered. This will keep better tyres quiet. Conti SC2 & SC3 will always be noisy on these cars. They start noisy & become noisier with use.

Select non directional tyres with radial tread bands & no big blocks.

cg_06c230

It’s been a few days now since the balance and alignment and I haven’t noticed any further noise. I’m relieved it wasn’t something more serious/expensive.

I did as you described and I do feel the tread edges mentioned. I guess with the service done the contact with the road has changed enough to quiet the sound for now. I will surely follow your advice on the next tire set.

Thanks for the guidance.

KalC240

what kind of sound a bad bearing makes? The reason i ask is this:

I had the front jaked, I spun the right wheel with both hands an it turned about 25 times befor stopping. I did the same with left wheel but it only turned 6 turns. Both wheels made the same "scratchy" noise while truning.

Why would one wheel turn so much easier than the other? I thought it's the parking brake but looking at the Haynes manual, the front wheels are not connected to P-brakes.

Any help is appreciated.

by the way , car drives and stops fine. I do not notice any noises except for the occasional creaking of the suspension.

pcy

Parking brake is only connected to the rear wheels.

On the front wheels, brake caliper may not be retracting enough to clear the rotor, causing the drag on the wheel.

Glyn M Ruck

See my reply elsewhere.

KalC240

I did. Thank you very much. Wheels have no play so i'll leave alone.

aigooalex

I think i as well hear this "whumf whumf" noise. Especially when the car is moving at low speeds like 5 mph. Whenever i turn the steering wheel, i hear this noise. would my case be the same as yours? i only hear it at low speeds and turning my steering wheel either left or right.

KalC240

I do not hear the noise you describe while driving at low speed or turning. Yours could be low steering fluid, or worn bearing from my limited experience.

In my other car, old camry, i hear clicking noise while coasting at low speed. I have not bothered to know what it is. It's been like that for years..