Accord road noise problem

I just bought a 1999 Accord. The engine sounds great, but I've noticed that when driving down the road, there is a noise that sounds like - I guess a muffled propeller sound. It is especially apparant over 30 mph, and especially when coasting (though that could be perception because the engine quiets down when coasting).

Is this normal or is there something specific I should look for? It almost sounds like what you'd get when a small tab is coming in the way of rotating hardware. Almost like a roulette wheel - but more muffled.

do you have any exaust leaks?

Bad wheel bearing
Bad tire

Hard to say without hearing it.

does your tire have a flat spot? if not change your wheel bearings on all sides, will save you money in long run trust me

I had a tire that wore in scallops, and made a noise like you described. My friendly tire dealer couldn't explain why, and replaced it at a deep discount, on the assumption the tire was defective.

You could aslo have tread separation and hence a bulge.

Does the frequency vary with speed? When I dropped my speed to around 20mph and drive with the windows open, I could hear the "whump, whump, whump" clearly.

Get a (trustworthy) tire shop to look at all 4 of yours.

I had a tire that wore in scallops, and made a noise like you described. My friendly tire dealer couldn't explain why, and replaced it at a deep discount, on the assumption the tire was defective.

You could aslo have tread separation and hence a bulge.

Does the frequency vary with speed? When I dropped my speed to around 20mph and drive with the windows open, I could hear the "whump, whump, whump" clearly.

Get a (trustworthy) tire shop to look at all 4 of yours.


Right to the point!!!

Thanks for all the answers! The exhaust seems fine, and the sound doesn't seem like an exhaust issue. I'm pretty sure it has something to do with the rolling works because at a standstill, the sounds are fine even revving the engine.

I *think* the tires are okay. They are not new - I'm guessing about a year's worth of life left in them. But I don't see any distinctive problems like tread separation or flat spots. I will try driving at lower speeds with the windows open to see if I can hear that whump-whump noise. I did notice that the front left wheel cover is not completely fixed. It has OEM wheel covers, so they bolt onto the wheel bolts. But they also have clips that grab the wheel rims, and one of those clips seems broken. I thought maybe the edge of that wheel cover could be flapping in the wind at speed.

What's involved in changing the wheel bearings? Is it an expensive and/or difficult process?

changing wheel bearings can be easy if you have the right tools and know what your doing. i suggest you take ur car to a reputable shop to change the bearings

I agree - I'll look into a shop to possibly change the bearings. Any idea how much it will typically cost?

changing wheel bearings can be easy if you have the right tools and know what your doing. i suggest you take ur car to a reputable shop to change the bearings
of course, anything is easy with the right tools and the knowledge to go with it . . . .

Since we can't hear the noise I suggest taking your car to a realiable shop for proper diag, it's pointless to replace parts that are ok.

Rear wheel bearings are simple and the fronts are a bit more involved. A press is needed which not everyone has.

Wheel bearings will not give you the "whump" noise. It's the tire. It's not easy to tell by your eyes if a tire is good or not. It can lost roundness, have a bump, not balanced, etc. I had experience with this kind of problem before. The tire shop replaced all 4 tires but the sound was still there. I finally figured out that the sidewall on one of the wheels was bent, probably hit by curb or something. This casued the tire shape to be out of roundness. I replaced the wheel and the noise was gone.

So, when you go to the shop, make sure they find the real problem and show it to you before you decide to replace anything. Don't reply on their words like "4 new tires will solve your problem".

Good luck.

Just to be safe, shop around, go to several shops and see what they have to say about it, you don't want to be given the "run-around" by a dishonest company.

Wheel bearings will not give you the "whump" noise. It's the tire.

Good luck.

I don't think I'm getting that whump-whump noise like AccordCodger, but just to be sure I may check with the local tire shop. I bought some tires from them last summer, and they seemed okay. I wish I could give better descriptions of this noise - I'm not that familiar with tire and wheel stuff. I may call them and see if someone's willing to ride with me and hear that noise directly.