I have sort of a growling/howling noise that appears to be coming from the back of my 2003 corolla. It is very faint, but starts to apear at around 45mph and is very speed dependent (frequency changes with speed). The noise is still there when the car is moving and the transmission in neutral. I am aware of a TSB concerning the rear wheel bearings for 2003 corolla's. I took my car to the dealer who told me my rear drums needed to be resurfaced, but I didn't buy his explanation since he was trying to sell me an entire brake job for $700 and he didn't seem all that convincing.
I'm still not sure if it's the rear wheel bearings or not... Is this a common problem that a lot of people are seeing? I'm thinking about taking a chance and buying Timken bearings and having an independent shop install them for me. Is Timken a good brand or is it better to go OEM for the bearings? Is it safe to keep driving my car with this noise??
I have not experienced any issues with the rear wheel bearings. I would try to move the rear tires to the front to to rule out the possibility of the tires making the sound. I do not believe that the rear brakes or drums would cause this issue. Sounds like the dealer was in upsell mode. If it is the bearings, they are a fairly easy for the mechanically inclined DIY with no special tools required. I have had luck with aftermarket bearings with other vehicles I have owned.
__________________ 2005 Corolla LE - Impulse Red - Auto Trans - 1ZZFE - 86,000mi 2003 Echo - Auto Trans - 96,000mi. - slow as dog-dirt - I'd rather put my money in the bank than in the tank!!!!!
Most probably, your tires are defective. They make horrible sound if they are unevenly worn and hard. Check all of your tires. If u put the bad tires in front, your steering wheel can experience vibrations.
Yeah, check your tires and make sure they are worn evenly and dont have any bald spots, feathering, and etc. I read on a Infiniti forums that some dude had badly worn tires and he thought his wheel bearings were bad but after a trip to the dealer they said it was the tires being cupped. So yeah check the tires.
I have had this problem twice in the past two years. Remove the back brake drums. you'll notice the rust has swollen the edge of the drum, this causes it to rub the brake shoes. take a hammer(and some safety glasses) and bang the rusted edge off. slap it back together. If this does not solve it, i would say it is you're wheel bearings. sway the car side to side @ different speeds to locate a bad bearing. the hum will get louder on one side.
i don't think wheel bearings go that early. check the tires first, why u want to change original bearings, they last much longer, unless the car is being driven under water. Also brake dust never produce that much sound at all.
i don't think wheel bearings go that early. check the tires first, why u want to change original bearings, they last much longer, unless the car is being driven under water. Also brake dust never produce that much sound at all.
it's possible to have premature bearing failures. happens all the time. and the hum I referred to was caused by rust buildup on the drum. not dust..
Thanks for the suggestions guys. I'll trying swapping the tires with the front first to see if the problem goes away. My suspicion is still with the bearing though because the noise seems to be the worst when the back wheels are loaded.
hi tchiman27,
swapping front tires to back is normally based on assumption that there are good tires at front, so that you can feel a difference in sound in this process. Anyways make sure, tires are perfect, otherwise you will spend for bearings and then for tires again.
i don't think wheel bearings go that early. check the tires first, why u want to change original bearings, they last much longer, unless the car is being driven under water. Also brake dust never produce that much sound at all.
Two complete sets of wheel bearings so far on my wifes 05 Echo but none on my 06 Corolla, just the output bearing on my 5 speed tranny in the Corolla. It makes me think Toyota went cheap on some bearings.
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My Cars, 2006 Corolla CE, 2003 Corolla LE
Your 03 Corolla has a hub & bearing assembly and Toyota does not sell a bearing seperatly. It may be hard to find the correct Timken bearing and find someone willing to press it in for you. The hub & bearing from Toyota sell's for $330.00 . There are aftermarket assemblies out there just use caution as you never know what you are really getting from the aftermarket. Sometimes it's great, and sometimes not. Toyota parts can always be counted on.
From what I understand, the rear bearing assembly for an ABS car is actually cheaper, and will work in a non-ABS application. I also know someone with an Echo who has had to replace both rear wheel bearings. In some cases, the OE parts might not be the best choice. Another situation is the serpentine drive belt. It's very common to have these squeaky after a few years and replacements generally last longer.
I usually prefer OE parts, but there some situations where the aftermarket offers a better product. In this case, Timken offers a complete hub/bearing assembly, and both ABS and non-ABS versions are between $90-100 on Rock Auto. Timken is a known quality brand. It's likely the OE supplier to Toyota anyway.
sway the car side to side @ different speeds to locate a bad bearing. the hum will get louder on one side.
Yep, definitely would be a noticeable change in the sound by just turning the wheel a little bit each direction and back. The hum could be more of a growling sound.
I had one front and one rear bearing go on my '03, just under 100k miles. The other two are OK so far (knock on wood). Not a cheap job to have done by the dealer or repair shop.
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2003 Corolla Wheel Bearing?
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