My 2003 Highlander with Michelin XC LT4 tires started making what I thought was a tire noise about 3 weeks ago. At different speeds like from 35 to 40, 50 to 55 and 70 to 75 it would sound like the noise you get when you go from concrete to asphalt. I thought I had a bad belt on one of the front tires so yesterday I replaced all 4 with new Michelin XC LT4 tires.
It still makes the noise at those speeds. If I turn the wheel to the left at 35 mph the noise goes away. If I turn to the right it does not go away.
How can I tell if its a bearing or CV joint or what is causing it?
Yu haven't given enough info. here. FWD or 4WD????????????????? I4 or V6???
Please put your vehicle in the "Garage".
State your mileage and if yu are the orig. owner or not. i.e. what service has been done throughout it's life. etc.
Also, there are other sections on this site which may address your issue better.
I don't see why yu changed your tires out. Any good tire shop would determine if there was belt separation. Even a tire rotation would have eliminated the possibility of belt separation as the cause of the noise.
But, if yu needed a new set of shoes anyway that's cool.
I would have been a little leary of replacing with the same tire if belt separation was the concern.
But, Michelins in general don't fall apart like some other budget brands.
Also,Can yu detect with some degree of certainty which corner the noise is coming from?? frt/rr -lft or rt.
Good luck.
LT
Last edited by LifeTech; 06-13-2009 at 02:41 PM.
Reason: spel
If you jack up the car and hold the tire firmly and shake it and it does not wobble then you can save ur hub. In the other thread the member had the tire moving when shaken, his hub is toast.
Boy this is early for a bearing failure. Did you hit a pot hole, curb etc at moderate speeds?
The noise is definitely coming from the right front. I jacked it up and
no wobble when you shake it. I compared it to the left side and they
are the same. The noise goes away with a slight turn to the left.
I did hit a good sized Cleveland pot hole going about 30 mph that I didn't see because of snow but that was back in March. Would it take this long to show up?
There u gooooooo.. I hit a pothole when I went w/ family to Yosemite. Within a month my bearing started giving me wierd sounds...
Go ahead and replace both bearings (just like pads, always do it both at the same time). This is how you do it..
Buy the bearings from stealership or online (only TIMKEN since it has a parternship with NTK, Japan). Take the wheel, brakes, disconnect tire rods and balljoint, axle nut, push our the axle and the hub comes off as one unit. Take it to a good shop that has a press, they will push out the old bearing and push in the new one. Installation is the reverse.
Ensure the hub/bearing assembly is stocked in your local stealership but don't buy it from them, just in case your hub turns out to be shot.
Take the old hub assembly to the press shop and insist that the hub is inspected before pushing the new bearing is pushed in. If the hub is salvagable, push in the new bearings and call it a day.
Tie rod removal is a must, that is what turns the front wheels and is connected to the hub. Use a nice big rubber mallet on pic3 ("rap here", should have be "tap here", spelling error) and hit where it says "rap here" and it will pop out.
I don't think you need an alignment since you are not removing the tierods. I have done many suspension jobs w/o having to do alignments (waste of money). Get onto the highway and check for wheel pull.
OK well I contacted the local stealership and got a quote from them. $620 plus tax for replacing the bearing on ONE side. This includes a new hub as he said 9 out of 10 times they can't get the old bearing out.
Today I took it to a local auto repair to get a professional opinion as I'm not 100% sure its the right bearing. They said its the left one making the most noise although the right one is also making some noise and has some play in it. $233 per side complete with tax so they are doing both sides.
More work than I wanted to tackle and after seeing the pictures from Toyota nation I know I'd probably have the strut put a tear in the CV boot and have more problems.
Thanks for all your input. This is the most helpful auto forum I've been on.
OK well I contacted the local stealership and got a quote from them. $620 plus tax for replacing the bearing on ONE side. This includes a new hub as he said 9 out of 10 times they can't get the old bearing out.
$230 is reasonable becoz bearings cost $50-$75. Machine push in another $50. So labor for getting the who dammmn suspension out is like $80-$100 (1hr). You are getting a steal on labor.
Stealerships always lie. Hubs dont die if the problem is quickly detected and resolved. $1200 for both sides, ridiculous.
2003 Highlander tire noise
. Hubs dont die if the problem is quickly detected and resolved. $1200 for both sides, ridiculous.
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