2005 Corolla LE Rear End Vibration

[sunfire]

I notice a buzzing vibration sound inside the cabin coming from the rear of my 05 Corolla (53K miles). This has been bothering me for over a year now. I couldn't do anything about it due to the winter we had. The trunk was cleared out and the spare tire was secure but that didn't help.

Both rear drum brakes were cleaned and lubed last weekend but the buzzing noise didn't go away. I didn't disassemble the brakes. Just sprayed down the drums and brakes with Valvoline brake cleaner and used Permatex Anti-Seize on contact points. Lubed adjuster screw and adjusted rear brakes so they are snug to the drums but not tight.

The buzzzzzzing vibration is always audible between 20-25mph speeding up, slowing down, and cruising at that speed. And about 45-50mph. But its fine at all other speeds like cruising at 35-40 mph in the city. It is speed related, I can almost predict when the noise can be audible while driving based on the speed of the car.

The sound is too faint for my phone's mic. But I found this video on youtube that sounds like what I hear inside the cabin. Jump 21 seconds in. The pitch of the buzzing also varies a bit just like in the video. As soon as I'm out of that speed the noise is gone completely.

You Tube

You Tube

Could this be a tire balancing problem? Or wheel bearing? Someone in another forum suggested rotating and balancing. I've only rotated the tires once, so the worn ones are in the rear.

[silver04rollas]

My first suspicion would be a rock chip stuck in the rear calliper. However, you said it was cleaned out so that can't be it.

Other things could be rear wheel bearings or probably need to check the rear suspension components. Obviously, from the symptoms you told it is consistent when the wheel is rotating at 20 - 25 mph.

Another thing you can check your rear wheel. It could be possible that your wheel is bent and resulting in some friction due to the bent rim. A bubble in tire can also lead to some odd noises.

[invader]

You can hear it, but don't feel a vibration per say? Does it sound anything like this?

You Tube

You Tube

This might help:

http://home.cogeco.ca/~corolla/NV011...AIR%20TIPS.pdf

Also, the 3 rear seat belt retractors' locking and recoil mechanism caused an annoying rattle in mine. After removing the plastic deck lid cover, you'll see the noisy large ball bearing on the passenger side of all 3 retractors behind clear plastic cover, and wound recoil spring on the other side. I killed the noise by wraping them up with insulating foam tape secured with electrical tape, without restricting belt movement. Further insulating could be achieved by installing rubber washers between retractor, bolt and chassis...

[sunfire]

Thank you for responding. I will try the rear package tray fix this weekend.

I didn't pay much attention to the rear bearings when I cleaned the brakes the first time. But I think its time I took apart the entire brake drum so I can properly clean, lube, adjust everything.

Thanks again your help is much appreciated.

[invader]

Updated rear glass tick noise TSB's:

http://www.matrixowners.com/tsb/TS-NV009-06.pdf

http://www.toyotapart.com/UPPER_LOWE...SB-0142-08.pdf

[sunfire]

I fully disassembled the passenger side brake drum today and cleaned all parts. While the brakes were off I checked the wheel bearings. I tried twisting the hub in different directions but it felt tight and didn't wobble. However, rotating the hub with my hands I can feel a tiny bump in the rotation. It wasn't as smooth as the driver's side rear wheel bearing. That was as far as I was willing to go.

I reassembled everything using Pennzoil Marine grease (NLGI #2 grade), this is the only grease I have. The the adjuster screw and contact points were greased. The pads were adjusted so they fit snug to the drums. With the tires back on there was still no wobble in the bearings and the tire rotated smoothly. Then took the car out but the buzzing noise is still there around 20-25 mph. I think its safe to say its not the brakes.

[sunfire]

Originally Posted by invader

You can hear it, but don't feel a vibration per say? Does it sound anything like this?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0w_5bIkqadE

This might help:

http://home.cogeco.ca/~corolla/NV011-03%20REAR%20PACKAGE%20TRAY%20NOISE%20REPAIR%20TIPS .pdf

Yes, I have heard that noise before. It's not always there. I've learned to ignore it when it is audible. But the buzzing noise I'm describing is consistent though. I can't feel any vibrations with my hand on the auto shifter or hand brake. But I will try your fix, maybe the rear package tray fix will do something for my buzzing noise. It's very irritable especially in the city where I am constantly driving between 25-35 mph.

Maybe I'll even make a recording for youtube. Thanks again for your help.