My HHR is growling, & not the good kind!
12-18-2011, 10:35 AM
#1
Banned
Thread Starter
Join Date: 10-23-2009
Location: Port Orchard, WA
Posts: 31
My HHR is growling, & not the good kind!
Replied in Doc's post about front end growling, but in case any of you missed it:
OK, so I too am having a howling noise from the front end. Started on Friday & I think it got progressively worse as the day went on.
So yesterday I jacked the whole front end up. Swear, from the driver's seat, it sounds like the tire rubbing on the inner plastic wheel well, but nothing rubbing.
When in N it doesn't make a sound, except for engine noise. Not so much in R either, but I click it into D and there is this low pitch growl. I cannot tell where it's coming from, but sounds a bit louder on the Driver's side than the Passengers.
Doesn't matter if the wheels are turned one direction or another or not, or really any variables like that, but it is tire rotation related. The faster the tires spin, the louder the noise. The 1 thing I didn't do, but I'm gonna this morning is try it with either wheel, keeping one from spinning, & see if I can narrow it to 1 side or the other.
It sounds like a bad bearing, not wheel bearing, but like it's coming from the tranny. Car has been shifting fine & I regularly service the gear box, every 30K. 127K on her now.
I'd appreciate any thoughts from anybody.
OK, so I too am having a howling noise from the front end. Started on Friday & I think it got progressively worse as the day went on.
So yesterday I jacked the whole front end up. Swear, from the driver's seat, it sounds like the tire rubbing on the inner plastic wheel well, but nothing rubbing.
When in N it doesn't make a sound, except for engine noise. Not so much in R either, but I click it into D and there is this low pitch growl. I cannot tell where it's coming from, but sounds a bit louder on the Driver's side than the Passengers.
Doesn't matter if the wheels are turned one direction or another or not, or really any variables like that, but it is tire rotation related. The faster the tires spin, the louder the noise. The 1 thing I didn't do, but I'm gonna this morning is try it with either wheel, keeping one from spinning, & see if I can narrow it to 1 side or the other.
It sounds like a bad bearing, not wheel bearing, but like it's coming from the tranny. Car has been shifting fine & I regularly service the gear box, every 30K. 127K on her now.
I'd appreciate any thoughts from anybody.
12-18-2011, 03:14 PM
#2
Platinum Member
Join Date: 05-09-2006
Location: "Upland" Mesa, Arizona
Posts: 6,804
Sounds like wheel hub/bearing to me.
When it was jacked up, did you try (very carefully or FULLY supported) shaking the wheel/tire on each side......from top to bottom then side to side?
Looked in your profile for a description of your car.....didn't find much. Do you have a manual or auto trans? Oh and by the way, unless your car is a rebuild you don't have a 2.0 ltr. It's a 2.2 ltr.
When it was jacked up, did you try (very carefully or FULLY supported) shaking the wheel/tire on each side......from top to bottom then side to side?
Looked in your profile for a description of your car.....didn't find much. Do you have a manual or auto trans? Oh and by the way, unless your car is a rebuild you don't have a 2.0 ltr. It's a 2.2 ltr.
12-18-2011, 03:35 PM
#3
Senior Member
Join Date: 09-10-2010
Location: Cleveland, Ohio
Posts: 904
Could be a bad mount. My car sounded like that when I put solid mounts in (almost like I put an insane exhaust on it). Its possible when you throw it in N or R, you take the load off of the failed mount and less vibrations are being transmitted through the rest of the car. Check the engine AND trans mounts out.
There is ONE engine mount at the passenger side in the engine compartment, you can see it from under the hood. It is bolted to the engine block.
There are 2 other mounts at the trans.
One is in the front near the middle underneath, its bolted to the cradle.
Like this but yours may be plastic as opposed to aluminum:
The other trans mount is in the rearmost part of the cradle next to the downpipe. It had a heatshield around it on one side and bolts to the cradle at a 3 bolt mounting point.
This one has red poly inserts, but the stock is similar shape:
Check to make sure the solid hardware is in place and see if the rubber is failed or not.
I had these in my SS. They would rattle your fillings out.
Zero wheel hop though.
There is ONE engine mount at the passenger side in the engine compartment, you can see it from under the hood. It is bolted to the engine block.
There are 2 other mounts at the trans.
One is in the front near the middle underneath, its bolted to the cradle.
Like this but yours may be plastic as opposed to aluminum:
The other trans mount is in the rearmost part of the cradle next to the downpipe. It had a heatshield around it on one side and bolts to the cradle at a 3 bolt mounting point.
This one has red poly inserts, but the stock is similar shape:
Check to make sure the solid hardware is in place and see if the rubber is failed or not.
I had these in my SS. They would rattle your fillings out.
Zero wheel hop though.
! He mentioned "gearbox" (I now realize it was an old motorhead reference) and I ASSUMED as well
03-03-2012, 08:24 PM
#6
Senior Member
Join Date: 12-20-2011
Location: Ohio
Posts: 102
Replied in Doc's post about front end growling, but in case any of you missed it:
OK, so I too am having a howling noise from the front end. Started on Friday & I think it got progressively worse as the day went on.
So yesterday I jacked the whole front end up. Swear, from the driver's seat, it sounds like the tire rubbing on the inner plastic wheel well, but nothing rubbing.
When in N it doesn't make a sound, except for engine noise. Not so much in R either, but I click it into D and there is this low pitch growl. I cannot tell where it's coming from, but sounds a bit louder on the Driver's side than the Passengers.
Doesn't matter if the wheels are turned one direction or another or not, or really any variables like that, but it is tire rotation related. The faster the tires spin, the louder the noise. The 1 thing I didn't do, but I'm gonna this morning is try it with either wheel, keeping one from spinning, & see if I can narrow it to 1 side or the other.
It sounds like a bad bearing, not wheel bearing, but like it's coming from the tranny. Car has been shifting fine & I regularly service the gear box, every 30K. 127K on her now.
I'd appreciate any thoughts from anybody.
OK, so I too am having a howling noise from the front end. Started on Friday & I think it got progressively worse as the day went on.
So yesterday I jacked the whole front end up. Swear, from the driver's seat, it sounds like the tire rubbing on the inner plastic wheel well, but nothing rubbing.
When in N it doesn't make a sound, except for engine noise. Not so much in R either, but I click it into D and there is this low pitch growl. I cannot tell where it's coming from, but sounds a bit louder on the Driver's side than the Passengers.
Doesn't matter if the wheels are turned one direction or another or not, or really any variables like that, but it is tire rotation related. The faster the tires spin, the louder the noise. The 1 thing I didn't do, but I'm gonna this morning is try it with either wheel, keeping one from spinning, & see if I can narrow it to 1 side or the other.
It sounds like a bad bearing, not wheel bearing, but like it's coming from the tranny. Car has been shifting fine & I regularly service the gear box, every 30K. 127K on her now.
I'd appreciate any thoughts from anybody.
03-04-2012, 10:32 AM
#7
Banned
Thread Starter
Join Date: 10-23-2009
Location: Port Orchard, WA
Posts: 31
Yep
Yea, that was what it was. I shuda got back to you guys on it. Replaced the left front bearing hub and she was good to go. Thanx for the reply. Now of I can get rid of this judder all will be good! : >)
03-04-2012, 10:38 AM
#9
Banned
Thread Starter
Join Date: 10-23-2009
Location: Port Orchard, WA
Posts: 31
A term I picked up on here for the vibration that so many say they have. Turned my damn rotors 3 times now. Goes away for a couple of months and them I shaking to beat hell again! Very annoying.
"I got to observe the judder on a 2006 LS and a 2006 2LT. On the one that was mine I noticed that since I had an automatic, I found myself on the brakes more in hilly or curvy driving. When I started getting a little judder quick check of the rotors told me they were very, very hot. That make me lean towards the misadjusted rear brakes. This did start at around 30K. I had planned to get the rears tightened and switch to slotted rotors in the front but I ended replacing the whole car with an HHR SS. :) My co-workers manual LS juddered almost from the beginning. I'm not sure how much she was on the brakes, but it shouldn't have been as much as me. If you run with the rotors getting that hot all the time, you may need them turned or replaced as well as the rear brake adjustment."
"I got to observe the judder on a 2006 LS and a 2006 2LT. On the one that was mine I noticed that since I had an automatic, I found myself on the brakes more in hilly or curvy driving. When I started getting a little judder quick check of the rotors told me they were very, very hot. That make me lean towards the misadjusted rear brakes. This did start at around 30K. I had planned to get the rears tightened and switch to slotted rotors in the front but I ended replacing the whole car with an HHR SS. :) My co-workers manual LS juddered almost from the beginning. I'm not sure how much she was on the brakes, but it shouldn't have been as much as me. If you run with the rotors getting that hot all the time, you may need them turned or replaced as well as the rear brake adjustment."
