I have a 2008 Scion XD automatic.

For the past couple weeks I've noticed a humming sound coming from the front driver side.

It starts around 25-30, then about 40-50 it starts vibrating my gas pedal. About 60mph and over, it's not that noticeable until you let off the gas. Then it sounds like an airplane flying overhead, until you press the gas again. When I'm at a stop, there are no unusual sounds at all. Only when driving.

I got my tires rotated a couple weeks ago, so my first thought was that they were just wearing differently... but Les Schwab said if that's the problem it should have gone away by now, and I have to agree since it seems like it's getting worse.

Ideas? It's at the dealer right now, I'm hoping he doesn't call and say transaxle or transmission. If he does I might cry.

 

So this problem didn't start until AFTER tire rotation? Are you still on stock tires?

 

Yes it seemed like it started after the rotation, but I just have a gut feeling that it's something else. They are not stock tires. They are Toyo tires. Expensive ones.

 

I want to say unalighned because of the vibration sound but idk about the noise.. some tires make some noise too

 

id first do an inspection thaat nothing came loose and is causing said noises.

sounds like youre out of alignment. depending on tread pattern, severity of misalignment. if they wear unevenly for a while or youre bad with keeping proper inflation you may develop tire chop

Other things to check -> wheel bearings. and your tires. some tires are louder than others, such is life.
after that, i'm not sure what else could be causing you problems.

 

Doesn't seem like transmission/axle to anybody?

 

all transmissions / axle issues i've ever witnessed had grinding or clicking symptoms.

my knowledge has always been: clicking corner = cv joint. whining corner = wheel/hub bearing

but im sure thats not 100% correct 100% of the time.

 

Well you were right (or really close)... guy called and told me it's the hub assembly/bearing on the left side. They want $600 to fix it. OUCH.

Thanks for your help.

 

thats seems high to me. If you can do it yourself, id strongly suggest that..

i got a quote a hwile back on a hub assembly and wheel bearing and it was less than 200$ if i remember right.

youd just have to get the bearing pressed into the assembly and swap em out (assuming they dont come pre-pressed)

how many miles on your car?

 

Yeah my dad's a mechanic, so he's gonna go with me to pick it up and see if it's something he can do. He seems to think he may not have the correct tools to do it??

I have about 70k on it.

 

all you should need is a breaker bar, standard set of metic sockets, socket the right size for the axle nut, and a hub puller which you should be able to rent from an autoparts store for free. you prob wont even need the puller because the car is so new. a hammer tap will probably free it up.

then its just a matter of taking the rotor/caliper off and setting them aside (dont detach the brake lines from the caliper, just set it up in the suspension out of the way) . unbolting/pulling the hub assembly, putting the new one on, and putting it all back together.

i sold the car before i had the chance to do it on my xD, but i've done it on an EF civic before. was not ridiculously complicated.

 

Okay, that's super helpful! Thanks xDTool!

 

oh and if the assembly doesnt have the wheel bearing pre-pressed, you will need to find a machine / mechanic shop with a hydro press that will do it for you.

once the old one is off, keep it around so if you ever have the problem again, you can get away with having the old bearing pressed out, new bearing pressed in, and then its just another swap, and much cheaper 2nd time around being as you just have to buy the bearing and not the assembly.

 

70K and a HUB is going out is unacceptable IMO.

 

a lot of variables really.

If you have a bad toe alignment for a while, the road force on the corner will knock the bearings into an odd position, then a proper alignment will make them go bad because they wont reseat.

if you have a bad camber alignment, the oil will settle and once the bearings start grinding the oil will get sludgy, and same thing, bearings will grind themselves down to nothing.

sometimes its a fluke or defect. underlubricated from the factory, or becoming unsealed cause the same issues.

mine was going out at 45k, but i was also dropped mega hard, and running a lot of camber + 9.5" wide wheels with low offset.

if you have powertrain still it should be covered under warranty. but 70k is just outta standard warranty range.

 

My dad just finished fixing it. The hub was fine, just had to replace the bearing. All better.