Hello,
First post here! I have a 2002 Toyota Corolla S 1.8L engine. I just replaced both front wheel bearings on this car and now that the noises of the wheel bearings are gone, I am getting this rotational noise when I turn right. It sounds very similar to the wheel bearing noises before but it only happens when I turn right and slow speeds. What could this noise be if it’s no longer the wheel bearings?
Could well be the CV joints on that side, they usually show up as noise when turning. How many miles on this?
Hello,
This car has around 196,000 miles. The sounds is like a low but deep “room…room…room” noise when turning. It’s not a clicking, screeching, tapping, or other noise.
Check that the sound repetition rate is proportional to your speed, ie, the sound speeds up as you increase speed in the turn.
A failing CV joint noise is usually described as a clicking noise.
Could it be the tire rubbing on some part of the car? can you check inside the wheel well for scrape marks? Look at the tire also for a worn strip.
Yes, the sound is proportional to the speed and it turns into a humming sound at the fastest speeds. I’ve had a cv joint go bad before so I’m familiar with the “clicking sound” – this isn’t one of those noises unfortunately.
It’s possible that this can be a rubbing sound from the tire but since it’s only a rotational sound, it’s not likely. If the tire was rubbing, it would be a consistent sound like a constant scrape. The sound that I have is if you were propelling a heavy rope above your head – you would hear the sound only when it goes by you.
I heard somewhere that this could be the brake rotor?
Try swapping the front tires with the rears and see if the noise goes away.
A worn bearing may have worn the tread of a tire to where it now makes noise while cornering.
Tester
Thanks for the tip Tester. I will try this.
Resolution Update: The back tires were extremely warped. I didn’t find this out until I had replaced both front wheel bearings replaced. The sound was still loud and the mechanic checked my tires by spinning them freely. It was obvious when you saw the tires wobble. I got new tires and the sound was gone!! This took care of the sound but now the next question is whether or not I need new struts that could have caused the uneven wear on my tires.
Thanks for helping everyone!
I think you might just consider changing struts based on their age. If they have never been changed it might be a good idea to empty your wallet this one time. Sometimes bad tires are just bad tires. Maybe they were old or something.
The description sounds to me like a rubbing dust shield (47703/47704). Check yours out.
Post the findings.
It was the back tires. Thanks for replying
Thank you sincerely for taking the time to reply. I missed that you’d found the source of the noise.
As regards the struts, there are a number of problems that can cause irregular wear on tires, including but not limited to struts.
I’d start by having a good four wheel alignment done. The rear of the '02 Corolla uses control arms to control the movement of two separate hubs. The rear axle is not a solid axle. The rear wheels do need to be aligned.
NOTE: a photo of rear tire wear always helps with diagnosis. A lot can be revealed in the wear patterns of the tires.
Thanks you. I have aligned the wheels as well. I don’t really believe I need to replace the struts although this is still a possibility. I have done a simple test by pressing down on the trunk and the hood of my car to test the resistance of the struts. This all appears to be fine with very little bounce. It’s also pretty solid on the road but it could be better.
Noisy wear patterns often develop on the rear tires of light weight cars if the tires are not rotated on schedule. If your struts were leaking and in need of replacement the people that service your car would have offered to replace them.
