1. Attachments are working again! Check out this thread for more details and to report any other bugs.

Wheel Noise / vibration in 2005 Prius, 145k miles

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by Archway, Jan 27, 2018.

Tags:
  1. Archway

    Archway Junior Member

    Joined:
    Jan 27, 2018
    2
    0
    0
    Location:
    Austin TX
    Vehicle:
    2005 Prius
    Model:
    ----USA----
    So about 6 months ago immediately after getting the tires rotated we noticed a whooping Noise and slight vibration that starts at about 25 mph and increases in frequency with speed. At above 70 vibration becomes more annoying. For turns at 50 mph and when slowing a whooping noise is particularly noticeable. Three tires have 30k miles on them and the fourth has 45k. We got the tires rotated 1 month ago ( 5k miles since last rotation) and noticed the problem became slightly worse.
    So I took it in and they told me that the vibration was caused by front wheel bearings and it would be 1300 to fix. They also told me that my front passengers wheel had bald spots and this was caused by a warped rotor on the front passengers side (see pics). They also think the the struts are bad.
    I agree that the struts are not what they once were and I don't think they've ever been replaced. I also have noticed that the front drivers wheel is the oldest one and also has worn spots. My question is, how can I know if the sound and vibration is a bearing problem or just a tire or strut thing. Also what is causing the bald spots in the tires? Do grippy brakes cause this wear or is it the struts or balance? If it is a brake issue I'd expect it to be rear brakes because the tires now on the front were previously in the back.
     

    Attached Files:

    #1 Archway, Jan 27, 2018
  2. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

    Joined:
    May 11, 2005
    110,144
    50,053
    0
    Location:
    boston
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius Plug-in
    Model:
    Plug-in Base
    welcome!
    how many miles on her?
     
    #2 bisco, Jan 27, 2018
  3. bat4255

    bat4255 2017 Prius v #2 and 2008 Gen II #2

    Joined:
    Nov 8, 2007
    659
    262
    0
    Location:
    Dodge Co. Wisconsin
    Vehicle:
    2017 Prius v wagon
    Model:
    Two
    The title says 145K
     
    #3 bat4255, Jan 27, 2018
    bisco likes this.
  4. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk EGR Fanatic

    Joined:
    Oct 17, 2010
    56,686
    39,222
    80
    Location:
    Greater Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    Touring
    Swapping the tires around should confirm or eliminate them as the problem.
     
    #4 Mendel Leisk, Jan 27, 2018
    Archway likes this.
  5. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

    Joined:
    May 11, 2005
    110,144
    50,053
    0
    Location:
    boston
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius Plug-in
    Model:
    Plug-in Base
    :oops:
     
    #5 bisco, Jan 27, 2018
    Raytheeagle and Archway like this.
  6. Twtantillo

    Twtantillo Junior Member

    Joined:
    Dec 12, 2017
    2
    1
    0
    Location:
    Little Falls, N.J.
    Vehicle:
    2005 Prius
    Model:
    Base
    You should be will tell of the bearing is bad by lifting the front right or left tire off the ground and just spin the tire if you feel grinding or if feels rough most likely your bearings bad and then you try all the tires and you'll feel what a good bearing sounds like and the bad bearing feel like.
     
    #6 Twtantillo, Jan 28, 2018
    fotomoto likes this.
  7. TMR-JWAP

    TMR-JWAP Senior Member

    Joined:
    Aug 12, 2016
    6,404
    6,062
    0
    Location:
    Columbia, SC
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    Model:
    Touring
    For $1300 to replace front wheel hubs, I hope they're made of gold. New Timken Hubs are $100 each, other good quality hubs can be had for about $50 each. After doing the hubs on my sons 2005, I feel confident I can do a set of hubs in 3 hours or less in my garage. You may want to look around for a better price on that.
     
    #7 TMR-JWAP, Jan 28, 2018
    fotomoto, SFO and Mendel Leisk like this.
  8. SFO

    SFO Senior Member

    Joined:
    Feb 7, 2017
    5,302
    4,241
    0
    Location:
    Northern California
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    Another technique if the wheel is already lifted off the ground would be to check for play by grabbing the tire at 12 and 6 o'clock and do a push pull motion trying to wiggle the wheel, there should be no play present.
     
    #8 SFO, Jan 28, 2018
    Raytheeagle, valde3 and fotomoto like this.
(You must log in or sign up to post here.)