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As speed, slow or fast, just a little turn to the left and I get a hum and groan and slight vibration—
I thought maybe the power steering pump, but standing still and turning the wheel, even at revs no noise.
Perhaps the tire is rubbing somewhere, but can't really see—will have tires rotated and balanced Tuesday and inspected.
I know there's that pesky air compressor and wacky front suspension—not getting "too low" fault as I did sometime back and had to replace the rear compressor.
But I'm lost and it just doesn't sound good. Thoughts?
1. Check the power steering fluid level - low fluid can cause groaning. Usually you'll hear it even while standing still and turning the wheel to one side, but it's worth checking to rule out low fluid.
2. You can visually check to be sure the body wheel arch on the left side is riding as high as the wheel arch on the right side. It could be that the tire is rubbing on the wheel arch liner if the body is sitting too low at that corner. Also check to be sure the wheel arch liner hasn't come loose.
3. The wheel bearings/hubs can make a groaning sound when they begin to fail. To test them conclusively requires removing the wheel, brake caliper and brake rotor disc so you can turn the hub to see if it is turning smoothly or has a grainy resistance. I just replaced the front left hub on an '06 for this very reason. Testing these hubs by the traditional method of grasping the tire at 12:00 and 6:00 and checking for movement does not seem to work, at least in the early stages of failure. I had to remove all the mass of the wheel and rotor before I was sure the bearing had some resistance it shouldn't have had. I couldn't tell by the sound alone because it was too quiet.
4. While you're having things checked, confirm that the power steering rack screws/bolts are secure and that the left outer tie rod end is good, and have the suspension bushings checked. These are probably not the main cause of your symptoms, but could be contributing factors.
5. Have the tires carefully inspected for uneven wear that could cause your symptoms.
My XJ had a whirring sound when turning the wheel either direction. I thought it was in the steering column, but dealer put in an additive (and maybe flushed) the power steering system and it went away.
Whirring sound came back about a year and a half later, dealer again serviced and so far hasn't come back again.
Looks like the culprit is the right wheel hub and bearing assembly. A $500 part plus about 3 hours or $250USD labor. Not a great way to start off the new year.
I wouldn't even attempt to do this myself. The local Jag dealer quoted $621 for the part—having indie shop handle the work.
Funny I hear the sound largely when turning left, but it is the right side needing work.
Tech said he heard a slight sound on right turn—but left bearings seem okay. We'll see how it sounds once fixed this afternoon.
Some of us have found that to accurately diagnose a failing hub/wheel bearing on an X350 requires removing the wheel, brake caliper and brake rotor to unload the bearing and check for any undue resistance, so it would be a good idea to have your mechanic do that check to confirm the problem is the right hub.
As far as the parts go, the hubs from Detroit Axle are of excellent quality and are currently available on eBay for just $42.74 for one hub or $75.99 for two. Many of us have used them successfully:
Theoretically, the hub replacement is a matter of removing four screws (2 hex head and 2 Torx head), pulling out the old hub, installing the new hub and torquing the screws. But frequently we're finding that the old hub is seized in the steering knuckle/vertical link due to galvanic corrosion between the steel hub and aluminum link. I applied penetrating oil and let it soak, but I ultimately had to remove the vertical link and use my small hydraulic press to remove the old hub. I thoroughly cleaned up the opening and used high-temp non-metallic anti-seize grease in the opening and on the hub to help reduce the occurrence of corrosion in the future.
Funny I hear the sound largely when turning left, but it is the right side needing work.
When you turn the car leans. It leans out from the turn and puts a greater load on that bearing. As you turn left it loads the right bearing and as you turn right it loads the left bearing. If you leave the bearing as it is, you will begin to hear it all the time as it wears more, but for now you only hear it when it has the extra load.
Hum & Groan When Turning Left
