2001 CR-V noise

Have a CR-V noise coming from rear tire area I think. It sounds like a growling or low pitched grinding. Noticeable at 30-40 mph up hills. I have changed trans fluid and rear diff fluid in the last 15K miles. any clue?

I would suggest that you check, or have checked, the fluid levels. If you have a bad seal, you can loose all the fluid in a very short time.

My guess is a wheel bearing on the fritz. A growling sound – sort of like what you’d hear when driving on a road with a rough surface – is the common symptom of a bad wheel bearing. Usually the noise is louder at higher speeds. At low speeds – like when driving around in parking lots looking for a space-- there can be a sound, and that sound is often more of a subtle “whop … whop … whop” … sort of like the sound of a slow moving propeller, like in one of those big wind powered turbines, only not very loud. At slow speed, the sound is more noticeable when turning than going straight.

It could be something else, but definitely consider a bad wheel bearing a possible cause.

Who did the fluids change? Did they refill with genuine Honda fluids? CR-V’s are very sensitive to proper fluids. I hope it is a bad wheel bearing. The rear differential can go bad if the wrong fluid was used.

How many miles do you have on the vehicle?
I’m inclined to agree with George. You might even be able to verify it by jacking up each wheel and spinning it by hand. Removing the wheel & tire and turning the hub by hand will allow to to feel a bearing on the fritz, even of it isn’t noisy when spinning it, but if it’s noisy when spinning it with the wheel & tire still on, there’s no sense in going through the extra work.