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hey all

starting from about 60km/h (possibly even lower, i cant tell) i am hearing a low rumble.

if i stay at 60 the noise is there. between 80-90 the noise is there. its there at higher speeds as well

ive had the tires rotated, no change
ive had an alignment done, no change
ive had a 4 wheel alignment done, no change
wheel bearings are apparently just fine

service manager claims its tire/road noise, so when the oem pirellis were dumped for brand new winters, the noise was still there.. so imo, its not tire/road noise.

*sometimes* when im on a long/big bend in a road, the noise appears to be louder, but when moving the steering wheel left to right to check for obvious wheel bearing issues, there are no loud squeals

anyone have any ideas?

StreetEdition,Apr 15 2009, 02:40 AM Wrote:hey all

starting from about 60km/h (possibly even lower, i cant tell) i am hearing a low rumble.

if i stay at 60 the noise is there. between 80-90 the noise is there. its there at higher speeds as well

ive had the tires rotated, no change
ive had an alignment done, no change
ive had a 4 wheel alignment done, no change
wheel bearings are apparently just fine

service manager claims its tire/road noise, so when the oem pirellis were dumped for brand new winters, the noise was still there.. so imo, its not tire/road noise.

*sometimes* when im on a long/big bend in a road, the noise appears to be louder, but when moving the steering wheel left to right to check for obvious wheel bearing issues, there are no loud squeals

anyone have any ideas?
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You didn't mention how old or how many km ... but, yeah - I went through the same thing with my wife's '04 - same indications as yours, plus I noticed the noise got louder under heavy breaking (ie: loading up the front wheels) - I sold the car before I ever solved it (had it checked at dealer twice under the extended warranty) ... I'm convinced it was bearings - it had 110k on it.

your typical wheel bearing noise tends to have a bit of a "Waaaaawaaaaawaaaaa" noise to it.

need a bit more info on the noise to say for sure tho...

do you hear the noise with the clutch engaged/disengaged at speed?
does the noise change depending on road surface? (perfectly smooth vs rough)?
Does the noise change pitch depending on speed?

darkpuppet,Apr 15 2009, 09:42 AM Wrote:your typical wheel bearing noise tends to have a bit of a "Waaaaawaaaaawaaaaa" noise to it.

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I have to disagree with this. It's more of a "Wooooowooooowooooo"

lol sorry coudln't help myself.

wop wop wop wop = wheel bearings.

1) jack up the car to see if there is any play to the wheels
2) while driving , steer left-right , the noise should amplify or go away for a moment . Usually there's more wear on one side of the bearing than the other so depending which way you steer , there will be more pressure on one side or the other of it . More pressure on the worn side = more noise .I know you said you've checked that , in my case it did work when had a low kinda grinding noise , you may have just an early stage

More than likely a wheel bearing. 2 Ford dealerships blamed it on my tires, brought it to my usual mechanic, replaced the wheel bearing, and voila, problem solved.

Sorry for the lack of details - it happens when posting in the middle of the night ;)

its an 06 with 49K

The noise, to me, sounds like a light grinding... Yah, I would say wooowooo not waawaa

Doesnt matter what kind of road surface I drive, it sounds the same. However, it does sound like I am rolling on "grated" ground

When I do brake hard, I do hear more of a grind .. I really dunno if they are related.. I'm such newb when it comes to mechanics

just drive the car until the noise gets louder , then you'll know better . Just watch your speed and cornering . My wife had a similar problem with her previous ZTS , only at the rear wheel , it all started with a light grinding noise that got louder by the day , then one day , on the way home the rear end started to wobble , pulled over and called the tow truck . Turned out to be the bearing .

thanks all

its been going on since last fall and its getting progressively worse over time.. im gonna try to convince the stealership to replace them..

i guess you're still under warranty so that would be the best choice

Gabriel,Apr 17 2009, 10:05 PM Wrote:i guess you're still under warranty so that would be the best choice
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i am under warranty .. doesnt seem to matter at the stealership as ive reported this noise at least 3 times with no resolution :angry:

StreetEdition,Apr 19 2009, 03:51 AM Wrote:

Gabriel,Apr 17 2009, 10:05 PM Wrote:i guess you're still under warranty so that would be the best choice
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i am under warranty .. doesnt seem to matter at the stealership as ive reported this noise at least 3 times with no resolution :angry:
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Does anyone at the dealership actually hear the noise - or are they denying the noise even exists. I would imagine that if they're claiming its tires, they actually acknowledge the noise exists.

If they're claiming it's the tires, ask them to prove it - sounds like they've already claimed its the alignment, but were wrong.

Here's a plan ... ask them to put your rims on another vehicle (preferably a new one but any car that doesn't currently have "the noise") ... if you hear the noise on the other vehicle then in that case you might have to admit they're right, pay for the switheroo and get new tires ... but if not, it's back on them to identify the noise properly and deal with it.

ZTWsquared,Apr 19 2009, 07:22 AM Wrote:

StreetEdition,Apr 19 2009, 03:51 AM Wrote:

Gabriel,Apr 17 2009, 10:05 PM Wrote:i guess you're still under warranty so that would be the best choice
[right][snapback]285242[/snapback][/right]

i am under warranty .. doesnt seem to matter at the stealership as ive reported this noise at least 3 times with no resolution :angry:
[right][snapback]285312[/snapback][/right]

Does anyone at the dealership actually hear the noise - or are they denying the noise even exists. I would imagine that if they're claiming its tires, they actually acknowledge the noise exists.

If they're claiming it's the tires, ask them to prove it - sounds like they've already claimed its the alignment, but were wrong.

Here's a plan ... ask them to put your rims on another vehicle (preferably a new one but any car that doesn't currently have "the noise") ... if you hear the noise on the other vehicle then in that case you might have to admit they're right, pay for the switheroo and get new tires ... but if not, it's back on them to identify the noise properly and deal with it.
[right][snapback]285314[/snapback][/right]

ive been on a few drives with the service manager.. first he didnt hear it, second time he claims my tires.. ive had brand new winters installed and the noise is the exact same. so im pretty confident that the issue is not tires.

we'll see what happens when im in for the next scheduled maintenance.

StreetEdition,Apr 20 2009, 03:45 AM Wrote:

ZTWsquared,Apr 19 2009, 07:22 AM Wrote:

StreetEdition,Apr 19 2009, 03:51 AM Wrote:

Gabriel,Apr 17 2009, 10:05 PM Wrote:i guess you're still under warranty so that would be the best choice
[right][snapback]285242[/snapback][/right]

i am under warranty .. doesnt seem to matter at the stealership as ive reported this noise at least 3 times with no resolution :angry:
[right][snapback]285312[/snapback][/right]

Does anyone at the dealership actually hear the noise - or are they denying the noise even exists. I would imagine that if they're claiming its tires, they actually acknowledge the noise exists.

If they're claiming it's the tires, ask them to prove it - sounds like they've already claimed its the alignment, but were wrong.

Here's a plan ... ask them to put your rims on another vehicle (preferably a new one but any car that doesn't currently have "the noise") ... if you hear the noise on the other vehicle then in that case you might have to admit they're right, pay for the switheroo and get new tires ... but if not, it's back on them to identify the noise properly and deal with it.
[right][snapback]285314[/snapback][/right]

ive been on a few drives with the service manager.. first he didnt hear it, second time he claims my tires.. ive had brand new winters installed and the noise is the exact same. so im pretty confident that the issue is not tires.

we'll see what happens when im in for the next scheduled maintenance.
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a little late, but an update..

i went out with a tech, and he couldn't hear the noise..

here comes the blame on my "agressive" tires.. so i make them put on some wheels/tires from car from their lot.. same noise.. but i am the only person that can hear it.

** they did discover that one of my tires is out of round .. i have since had that tire replaced by crappy tire and the noise is still the same **

the car is up on the hoist and we're all talking about the car, but nothing can be heard.. so i suggest that maybe its a noise that depends on the car being on the ground.. that was politely denied.

whatever is causing this noise is coming from something that is warped.. the noise comes on clockwork.. as in, it matches a rotation.. but does not depend on the wheels/tires on the car..

im now also noticing a slight stutter to the steering wheel at about 120k/hr and the same stutter when braking (regular, light, "normal" braking conditions)

they replaced a "hangar bolt" in the belief that would fix my issue.. it didnt.

I've been having this issue for the past month or two at all speeds, but after my track day yesterday the sound was louder and now my wheel shakes at 100-120kmh. When I'm in a turn the wobble seems to go away. I checked my hub rings, changed my lugs, re-torqued, did everything to make sure.

So to check for play in the wheel I just pull with hands at 12 and 6 on the wheel and see if it moves?

Warped brake rotor maybe?

I had similar noise, and it went away when I replaced my rotors and pads on the front.

grinding noise=worn pad or rotor

bring your car to another mechanic.

Im postive its a wheel bearing by the sounds of it.

You may have to bite the bullet and pay for it to be replaced, but then maybe you will have the proof needed to go back and get a refund through warranty...