Should I stop driving immediately?

So my car is an 05 wagon, 5eat.

 

Recently after my stage 1 tune, timing belt/water pump, up pipe, and infamous oil feed upgrade, I've noticed a sound I haven't heard before. I don't know if there's any correlation between any of this and my sound.

 

Now I'm really really hoping that this is just a sound a turbo makes when there's no more up pipe in the cat, but I'm pretty doubtful.

 

Sounds like this: [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=znGNmZ8Z92o]NSD Powerball - How To Start The NSD Powerball Gyroscope With Thumb - YouTube[/ame]

 

Mostly I notice it on deceleration from 50-60 mph.

 

I don't have any idea what to check first. Searching "Whirring sound" gives me transmission problems, dying turbo problems, wheel bearing, differential, up pipe gasket, exhaust leak, boost leak, gah.

 

This is actually a pretty accurate example of the sound, though maybe less extreme.

 

Turbo was inspected by Mike 2 or 3 weeks ago and he said internals were good. I don't know... Help?

Oil changed less than 1k miles ago, trans fluid drained/filled yesterday (noise has gone on before this).

 

Not sure if the recent temperature drop (not huge, like 50-60 instead of 75-85) could be a factor?

Also my oil return line was kinked/leaking during my stage 1 tuning and for a few days after I got my car back, maybe 250 miles driven. Could this have somehow caused a turbo with no shaft play to become damaged? After checking my oil I didn't see a notable drop in oil level.

 

I don't know where to begin with this, I'm checking my up pipe and down pipe bolts now, beyond that I'm not really sure how to check a diff.

If it's coming from the front right of the engine, it could be the AC pulley or the water pump. Twice I've had a whirring noise, that's what it was. The AC pulley was only $100 to fix, the water pump was a lot more.

That's where I think it's coming from but the more I try to diagnose the less I think it's an exhaust leak, up pipe leak, or turbo related. It's not rpm specific it's speed specific. In neutral at 50-60 mph I can hear it.

 

Most peoples whirring sounds seem to get louder as rpms go up but it's a fairly constant volume.

 

I'm now thinking diff, axle? (visually my front cv boots look good, no abnormal play that I can feel), where else could something be rubbing?

 

Water pump just replaced. A/C pully maybe worth a shot. It's like a deep alternator whine sound that you hear when you've got a bad ground through your speakers. I'm pretty confident it's not a dying turbo now though. And very much hoping it's not trans related, trans feels perfect.

most likely it's just your tires or wheel bearings. Check your air pressure.

Is it vehicle speed related or engine speed related?

Hmm.. that powerball would be a neat gift for my nephew for xmas.. something to keep him still..

 

Anyways, that sounded like my wheel bearings when they went bad..

I think it might be more coincedence than anything. That noise normally is something along the lines of the wheel bearing. Speed specific almost immediately points away from the motor/trans. If you can lift the car, take the wheel, and brakes off, and turn the hub. You can feel if the hub is rubbing or turning roughly.

 

-Jake

 

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Gun train - Those power ball things are pretty sweet.

 

Thanks for the advice guys.

 

I'll pull off the front passenger wheel and rotor off some time this week. It's probably nothing that the average person would even notice, but it's really bugging me now. I think my temporary solution until I can get to it is to turn up the radio

I concur with my colleague Jake, the sound points toward a wheel bearing.

 

-mike

 

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After becoming reasonably certain it was a wheel bearing, I left it alone to wait for it to get progressively louder as everyone said it would, and then I figured I could replace it then.

 

Today I had a pretty drastic jump from whining/whirring sound at certain speeds to an all out Armageddon sound that had me thinking my rotors were about to explode... Sounded like a cross between table saw cutting wood and a grinder cutting metal. Super great sound.

 

Anyone think my chances of a replacement FRONT bearing from Subaru are high enough to take it to the dealer for warranty? Or should I not bother and take it straight to my usual mechanic? Is it even safe to drive it like this?

 

I don't have the time or tools to do this job myself.

Take it to a dealer for an oil change, and tell them that you think you have a wheel bearing issue that should be covered under warranty. They should diagnose it for free.

Just a thought, could it be your TOB? The TOB will start to make this sort of increasing sound when it's about to go.

Really weird, when i backed out of my spot at work last night the noise was gone. I got out and looked around the car for anything that might have been wedged against the rotor... Pebble, screw, etc. and couldn't find anything.

 

Took it into my friends shop and put it on the lift. Couldn't recreate the sound or see anything visibly rubbing on the rotor. Wheel bearing still my prime suspect but now it's deciding to be quiet and mess with my head haha.

Just a thought, could it be your TOB? The TOB will start to make this sort of increasing sound when it's about to go.

 

Not sure I mentioned, my car is a 5eat.

Opps, my bad

^ all good. I've heard TOB's that sound kind of similar to this in past cars. Also heard one make some crazy noise when the one in my baja bug came halfway off the spindle when the pin that held it in place broke - practically the ONLY piece that wasn't replaced rebuilding that motor and it broke 2 days after we had it running again.

That sounds like a VW Bug.

 

I've replace 2 TOBs on my LGT and they both sounded like your video clip, that's why I mention it. Good luck finding the source of your problem.

Did the car pass the wheel shake test?

Yup. The front right wheel feels just like all the other wheels. But i've read that sometimes people don't have the wheel shaking issue and still have a failing bearing.

 

Not sure how true that is...

 

Also a lot of people have steering wheel vibrations and I don't have anything yet. Probably the steering wheel vibrates because the wheel shakes I imagine.

Yup. The front right wheel feels just like all the other wheels. But i've read that sometimes people don't have the wheel shaking issue and still have a failing bearing.

 

Not sure how true that is...

 

 

I have had two wheel bearings that were bad on my GT, but had no play in them when I tried to wiggle them by hand. Just loud grumble, and humming noise when driving above 40 mph or so.

 

Replacement hub/bearing was about 140 for the part iirc. Install is not too bad.

Yup. The front right wheel feels just like all the other wheels. But i've read that sometimes people don't have the wheel shaking issue and still have a failing bearing.

 

Not sure how true that is...

 

 

I have had two wheel bearings that were bad on my GT, but had no play in them when I tried to wiggle them by hand. Just loud grumble, and humming noise when driving above 40 mph or so.

 

Replacement hub/bearing was about 140 for the part iirc. Install is not too bad.

 

Same here, we have seen a lot of the newer bolt in style hubs/bearings not exhibit the typical shake/push-test to check if they are bad.

 

-mike

 

http://www.pbase.com/paisan/image/91072632.jpg http://www.pbase.com/paisan/image/133406601.jpg http://upload.pbase.com/image/137566671.jpg Call directly for your best Whiteline Price! | We also carry almost every manufacturer now, so before you buy parts call us.

AIM: AZP Installs | E-mail: sales@azpinstalls.com | 725 Fairfield Ave | Kenilworth, NJ 07033 | 908.248.AZP1 (2971) | T-1 Certified Amsoil Direct Jobber

"Race Tested, Enthusiast Approved!"

Virtually positive it's the wheel baring at this point. Ordering a new one now, will install (hopefully) this weekend before going up to big bear again. I hate driving on windy roads when I'm not 100% confident in my car.

 

Thanks for all your help AZP and all. Much appreciated.

Well, I think the reason I kept thinking I was hearing it from both sides... Is that I was.

 

Replaced right side, notably smoother. Sound mostly gone, but still have slight humming only from left side now.

 

Ugh.

 

At least I know how to do it now.