[Edgeman]

2008 TSX (automatic), ~102K miles.

I can hear it at slower and higher speeds, but those seemed to be the loudest.

Did a road trip over the weekend, and heard this noise. I guess it's been happening around town, but I hadn't noticed.

It wasn't engine speed related, but vehicle speed. Not sure, but it sounded like it was coming from the back. Do rear wheel bearings go bad?

Could it be coming from somewhere else?

Troubleshooting tips?

TIA!

 

[_Sam]

Could be wheel bearings.

 

[Litespeed08]

I agree, it could be wheel bearings. You can check by lifting the wheels off the ground and firmly moving the wheel around by hand (remove rear brake for the rear). The wheel will feel loose or you can feel the bearings grind. If it is a wheel bearing and you ignore it your tire will start wearing unevenly.

 

[Donnell]

If it sounds like the noise could resemble a medium size bear trying to speak to you, then yes it's a wheel hub. Nothing is squeeky or high pitched about the sound.

 

[Edgeman]

I jacked up the car and tried to see if there was any lateral or vertical play in either rear wheel, but I couldn't feel any play. I spun the wheels and couldn't hear any bearing noise, but I did discover I have slightly warped rear brake rotors that were dragging on one side of the rotor. I'll replace the rear rotors and pads to see if that corrects the problem.

Since this noise started, I've gotten out and placed the back of my hand against the center of the wheel to feel for excessive heat, but all four wheels seem normal.

That's one issue, but I'm not sure that will correct the problem. My fuel mileage hasn't decreased recently, so it doesn't appear to be a drag on the chassis.

 

[Donnell]

ah ... a warped rotor is problematic but know that you aren't going to hear the bearing by spinning the with your hand. like you said, it's only prevalent at higher speeds. I'd say 45 and up.

 

[Edgeman]

I could hear the noise starting around 35 mph, so although I have no indications other than noise, I'm tempted to just replace both rear wheel bearings/hubs. OEM are pretty dang pricy, so I'll probably go aftermarket.

Recommended aftermarket brands? Rock auto has MEVOTECH, Raybestos, Moog, Timken, Beck/Arnley, BCA and SKF. I've only heard of 4 of those brands.

 

[Donnell]

I did my own with a roc auto brand about 8 years ago. I don't think you can lose with any. I tend to chose the third option from the lowest

 

[Edgeman]

When I talk about "discounted" OEM Acura prices, here's the price for different Acuras:

2004-2008 TSX: $258
Integra: $105
RDX: $135
TLX: $135
MDX: $137

Is the 1st gen TSX hub and bearing assembly made out of some really wild NASA alloy? Is it made by elves who only make hubs for our car...by hand?

I would probably spend another $35-40 for an OEM part, but no way I'm paying 2.5X for it.

Hello aftermarket!
Hello Rock Auto!

 

[Litespeed08]

I've replaced both rear wheel bearing hubs with TIMKEN. They are a known and high quality, recommended brand. I have not had any issues with them over the last 100k miles. I'm sure there are others but I've only had experience with this brand.

Edited: I chose TIMKEN because of horror stories I heard from others who used standard auto parts brands only to have them fail mainly due to low quality bearings. TIMKEN uses NTN high quality precision bearings.

 

[Edgeman]

I went with Timken hubs too. Both have been replaced, and my TSX is quiet once more. Guess I could do a short writeup on the procedure.

 

[Edgeman]

As a quick follow up, once the caliper and rotor were removed, I could hear noise in the bearing when I spun it. I think the rotor contacting the pads was enough to cover up the bearing noise when I spun it by hand.

There was no vertical or lateral play in the wheel, and I couldn't feel any excessive heat on the center of the wheel after driving the car. The only thing I noticed was the "speed related" bearing noise, and it sounded like it was coming from the back.

Just happy I made the correct diagnosis and fixed the problem.