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

Fluttering / Drone sound at 40 mph+

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Technical Discussion' started by speedyspaghetti, Jan 29, 2018.

  1. speedyspaghetti

    speedyspaghetti New Member

    Joined:
    Jan 29, 2018
    1
    0
    0
    Location:
    Los Gatos, CA
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    IV
    Hey guys,

    First time poster here - hoping to get some help on my girlfriend's Prius. We took the car to Portland over the Christmas break and I noticed a droning / helicopter sound coming from the car at 40 mph through highway speeds. I thought it was a wheel bearing, so I put the car up on jack stands when I got home and spun the wheels in neutral. It seemed like there was some crunching in the driver's side front wheel, so I got a new Timken bearing and replaced it today. The sound is still there, so I'm looking for some advice. Does this sound like a bearing issue? I'm fairly certain it's coming from the driver's side, but then again I was fairly certain that it was the one I changed... Could it be something else? Anyone dealt with this before? Car has 100k miles and is a 2010.

    Thank you!
     
    #1 speedyspaghetti, Jan 29, 2018
  2. Jayw13702

    Jayw13702 Active Member

    Joined:
    Jul 8, 2013
    142
    170
    0
    Location:
    Plymouth UK
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    III
    I would guess it’s a tire, try moving it onto a different axle and seeing if the noise moves as well


    2010 Gen 3
     
    #2 Jayw13702, Jan 29, 2018
  3. Raytheeagle

    Raytheeagle Senior Member

    Joined:
    Jul 1, 2016
    11,257
    15,491
    0
    Location:
    Bay Area, California
    Vehicle:
    2019 Prius Prime
    Model:
    Prime Plus
    Did the removed bearing have any slop or make any noise?
     
    #3 Raytheeagle, Jan 29, 2018
  4. Lucifer

    Lucifer Senior Member

    Joined:
    Aug 23, 2015
    1,014
    486
    0
    Location:
    Nh
    Vehicle:
    2017 Prius Prime
    Model:
    Plug-in Advanced
    Did you buy the hub or just the bearing, guessing hub.
    Speedometer cable? Debris in the brakes? As mentioned tire with a ripped belt?
     
    #4 Lucifer, Jan 29, 2018
    Raytheeagle likes this.
  5. Greg Grieve

    Greg Grieve Junior Member

    Joined:
    Jun 16, 2016
    17
    6
    0
    Location:
    Pa
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    check air dam under front of car? may be loose and working like a reed valve.
     
    #5 Greg Grieve, Jan 30, 2018
    kc410 likes this.
(You must log in or sign up to post here.)