211 Posted December 15, 2008 Share Posted December 15, 2008 ...well is more of a rythmic "Whuuh, Whuuh, Whuuh, Whuuh, Whuuh..." Comes from the drivers side wheel, frequency is proportional to speed, the faster I go the faster the noise is. Amplitude of the noise is related to load. So when driving in a straight line the amplitude of the noise in volume is say "4" (on a scale of 1-10), when turning right it's a "8", when turning left it's a "3", in other words it gets louder when turning right. It's been making noise for quite some time I just haven't had the time or been able to afford to fix it. It is getting worse and getting worse faster now though so I'm going to fix it over winter vacation along w/ my timing belt. The CV boot is good, no tears or holes which makes me think it's a wheel bearing but my experience w/ wheel bearings is it's more of a constant noise, not pulsating noise like this. Thoughts or suggestions? I know we all like OEM parts when it comes to our Subarus, but if it's a bearing I could probably get away with a NAPA part right? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EVOthis Posted December 15, 2008 Share Posted December 15, 2008 well first of all make sure your tires are inflated properly.....how are the condition of the tires? choppy? If i was in your position i would shake down the front end.....3 and 9 for tie rods...12 and 6 for balljoints...and if you have play in both directions well MOST LIKELY its a bad wheel bearing...and if you can get under there too look you could have an assistant shake the wheel and you can see the movement sometimes where the axle meets the knuckle..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipper Posted December 15, 2008 Share Posted December 15, 2008 First thing to do is rotate the tires on that side of the car and se if it moves. Then we will go from there. nipper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unibrook Posted December 18, 2008 Share Posted December 18, 2008 Bearings can make a somewhat pulsating noise too. Not a perfectly smooth growl. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hohieu Posted December 19, 2008 Share Posted December 19, 2008 While you're rotating the tires, turn the wheel with your other hand on the coil spring. Any roughness in the bearing will be transmitted and felt through the spring. You'll need to have all four corners off the ground in order to perform this test. I've been through that saga. I had a longstanding noisy rear wheel bearing. After I replaced the bearing, the roar from the rear disappeared only to isolated a "whump, whump, whump" from the driver's side wheel well. There was also at a slight vibration at the brake and accelerator pedals. I replaced the half shaft on that side with a good used one thinking that might be the cause. Noise was still there. Diagnosis is always difficult when you have two or three things going wrong simultaneously. After I replaced all four tires, the noise disappeared, and the car has never been so quiet. You wouldn't happen to be running on Goodyear Regatta II's? They're notoriously noisy tires. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yohy Posted December 19, 2008 Share Posted December 19, 2008 '03 Impreza RS with a deep humming noise and a pulsing wooh, wooh, wooh sound. Had it to two Subaru dealerships and two independent shops, all heard it but none could positively identify the noise, either front wheel bearing or the start of a differential problem. All agreed to let it get worse. Anyhow, it did start to get louder and more consistent so decided just to replace the left front wheel bearing which most thought was the culprit. Well it took care of some of the noise, but not all. Replaced the right front and bingo, noise gone. So, both front wheel bearings on a car with less than 60K. Shop said looked like water got into both and hence why rolling the car side to side produced no real change in the noise as they were BOTH bad. Oh well but the noise is now GONE. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mountain brat Posted January 11, 2009 Share Posted January 11, 2009 (edited) make sure your dust cover arent rubbing on rotors that could be it i had that once Edited January 11, 2009 by mountain brat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abog Posted January 11, 2009 Share Posted January 11, 2009 If you can, raise all 4 wheels off of the ground at the same time (jackstands, or hoist), start the car and place it in gear, with the wheels rotating, carefully listen to the knuckle housing with a stethoscope or through a long screwdriver once again..CAREFULLY.. If the bearing is bad you will be able to hear it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yohy Posted January 11, 2009 Share Posted January 11, 2009 We had the car in the air twice and they still couldn't isolate which bearing was making noise. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wezcowper Posted May 8, 2009 Share Posted May 8, 2009 Im having the same problem, well similar. when i have my foot on the gas i hear a Whuuh, Whuuh, Whuuh, Whuuh, Whuuh noise until i let off the gas could this be the same problem I.E wheel bearing????? Please HELP Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CNY_Dave Posted May 8, 2009 Share Posted May 8, 2009 Im having the same problem, well similar. when i have my foot on the gas i hear a Whuuh, Whuuh, Whuuh, Whuuh, Whuuh noise until i let off the gas could this be the same problem I.E wheel bearing????? Please HELPThanks The wheel bearing noise doesn't usually come/go with being on/off the throttle, but it could. Wheel bearings will commonly (but not always) stop making noise when you turn left or right. The trick mentioned about putting your hand on the spring seems to work, on mine one spring is 'smooth' and the other I can feel the vibration. Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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