2013 Ford Edge
About a month ago the car started making a sound from the front, similar to the sound when you drive over a concrete bridge. This noise first pops up once you get to about 25mph. at 35 it gets very noticeable. Yesterday, for the first time when I hit 60mph it also began making a clicking sound. Does this sound like anything someone may know?
This sound originally began out of the blue one day, from nothing to full blown and now as I stated above there is an added clicking noise. I had the car into the ford dealer a few weeks ago but they could not detect a problem/even hear the noise (it was raining heavily that day so I can understand how they would miss it). They did give me new tires/brakes, alignment, and refinished the rotors for other problems I was having. Again the noise was there before and after these changes.
Also, I guess I should add that again for the first time yesterday, as I was parking and coming to a stop there was a sound similar to a mechanical click/clank a few times coming from what sounded like the front left of the car, could this be a connection to the other sound?
Yup, I could be. I suspect you have a bad CV joint.
How many miles on this car, and does cornering affect the noise?
40k miles, no corning doesn’t change it. Only noticeable difference is when you accelerate/decelerate. When you decelerate quickly the sound seems to pace behind the actual deceleration, if that makes any sense. When I slow down the noise is slowing/lowering in volume at a slower rate.
No vibrations BTW, purely a noise
@thesamemountainbike
I just watched a few videos on bad CV Joints with audio as the people drive. They have a very noticeable clicking noise and they talk about that but they do not discuss and I do not hear the other high pitched humming sound (like driving on concrete). Could it still be related to a bad CV joint?
Edit-in one of the videos it mentioned possible Wheel bearings to check. I then watched a video with bad wheel bearings of a guy going straight and my car sounds almost identical to it.
1:35 into the video the sound is VERY close, however i don’t hear a clicking in his
One way to check wheel bearings is to elevate the suspect wheel(s) and spin it(them) by hand. If this is a drive wheel, you’ll want to ensure that the transmission is in neutral and the vehicle well secured with the parking brakes engaged and chocks under the rear wheels.
If this 2013 is still under warranty, let the dealer deal with it. Bring it back when it isn’t raining and insist on riding with the mechanic to show him he noise.
First thing to determine, is this sound related to engine rpm or speed? And does it make a difference whether the drive train is under load or not? A couple of tests you could try. When you are hearing the noise, make a note of the speed. Then use a different gear at that same speed. Still hear the noise? Then go back to the normal gear and at the speed you hear the noise. Increase the speed by 5-10 mph, then let your foot completely off the gas. As you slow down, do you still hear the noise as the car reaches that same speed as before?
I’ll take it in tomorrow, my dealership allows drop off and same day repair without notice. It seems like the Wheel Bearing may be the cause of the humming noise so that’s a great start. Now what about that clicking noise a mentioned, could that be the wheel bearing as well or would the CV joint be a more likely culprit?
I had a VW Rabbit that started making a growling sound, worse the faster you went. That sort of sounded like riding on a road with a rough surface, like a concrete road where the smooth finish had been worn off with traffic. It turned out to be the front wheel bearings.
Edit: There was no clicking noises though, slow or high speed.
@GeorgeSanJose
Looks like your original comment didn’t show for me last night before i made my post. I just wanted to add that while coasting and increasing speed the volume still increases. Decelerating while coasting the volume decreases as well and the actual sound of the humming is that of slowing down
Yes. bearings can also make a clicking noise.
Modern designs use a double row of ball bearings rather than the old tapered roller bearings.
From what you say, it sounds like the drive train or the wheels/hubs, not the engine. If the sound doesn’t change much (at a certain speed) between coasting and accelerating, that points to the wheels/hubs. It’s looking more and more like a wheel bearing. Your shop should be able to tell by putting it on a lift. While on the lift, make sure they carefully inspect all four CV joint boots for any signs of problems too.