Rumbling/whirring noise from front end??

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by Deft Jef, Nov 18, 2017.

  1. Deft Jef

    Deft Jef Junior Member

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    I just purchased a one owner dealer maintained 2007 Prius with 210,000 miles. I was reviewing the service history and 1 month before selling the original owner took it to the dealer with a complaint of rumbling/whirring noise from the front end. I've put about 200 miles on the car thus far and have had this occur once after exiting the freeway and coming to a stop at a traffic light. After stopping something seemed to be still revving at a high rpm, which caused some rumbling, but I didn't think it was the engine. I assumed it had something to do with the electrical motor. Has anyone had any experience with this or recommend what the issue could be?
     
    #1 Deft Jef, Nov 18, 2017
  2. jerrymildred

    jerrymildred Senior Member

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    Welcome to PC.
    The original noise sounds like a wheel bearing. Did the history say what they did? But, if it's making noises while stopped, that's obviously not a wheel bearing. The Prius makes lots of odd little noises. They are generally normal for the car. Do you hear this noise at other times? Does the noise correlate to pressing on the brakes? The accumulator pump often makes noises. Some are normal and some are warning signs of impending failure. We'd need a more precise description.
     
    #2 jerrymildred, Nov 18, 2017
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  3. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    If this was dealer maintained, there should have been a diagnosis of the problem. I'm almost afraid what it could be for the owner to get rid of the car. Try contacting the servicing dealer for details.
     
    #3 JC91006, Nov 18, 2017
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  4. edthefox5

    edthefox5 Senior Member

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    Hope it’s a CPO as whatever it was it was probably traded in on the spot. Dealer maintained to me is a horrible thing.

    Not sure what history your reading if it’s the dealer service log it should state what they found.
    Dealer log is at Toyota.com/owners. Join and then post your vin and you can see every service visit the car has seen at a Toyota dealer.

    My guess is a blown motor.
     
    #4 edthefox5, Nov 18, 2017
  5. Lucifer

    Lucifer Senior Member

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    I agree front wheel bearing, unless you can document that they were changed, and by whom
     
    #5 Lucifer, Nov 18, 2017
  6. SFO

    SFO Senior Member

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    Hard to say if it is an issue or not.

    You said it has only happened once in 200 miles and after coming to a complete stop, but didn't mention how long this revving and or rumbling lasted.

    Since you have no known codes at this point, I'll take a guess it was the engine bleeding off excess stored energy from the HV battery.. next time it happens check the MFD for SOC and see if maxed out with green bars. Do you have any hills in the area, or was this ramp on a long downhill?

    If the above it true, it might be a sign your HV battery is aging.

    On a side note -now would be a good time to check the engine oil level, and also think about replacing the ATF WS fluid if it hasn't been lately (or never was).
     
    #6 SFO, Nov 21, 2017
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  7. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    I just bought a car with this exact whirring rumbling sound, it's a bad transaxle
     
    #7 JC91006, Nov 21, 2017
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  8. Deft Jef

    Deft Jef Junior Member

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    It actually occurred twice, both times after exiting the freeway and coming to a stop. The whirring last about 7-10 seconds and was also associated with a strong smell of either oil or atf fluid. I use the car for rideshare and on one occasion I had passengers and it was somewhat embarrassing. I'm not sure if the passengers made the association that it was actually my car. My initial impression was that it involved the trans axle as I recently changed the transmission on a 2002 Forester I owned and for about 2 weeks after there was a strong ATF smell after driving the car. Actually the issue wasn't diagnosed by the Toyota dealer because they were not able to replicate it according to the dealer documentation.

    Since I've had the fluids changed (coolant, ATS WS, engine oil) along with the spark plugs and PCV valve the issue hasn't yet reoccurred in about 1500 miles of driving and numerous freeway exits coming to a stop under similar circumstances.The mechanic noted that the spark plugs were very foul. Maybe they were the originals.
     
    #8 Deft Jef, Nov 27, 2017
    Last edited: Nov 28, 2017
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  9. Deft Jef

    Deft Jef Junior Member

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    If that is indeed the case, changing the ATS WS fluid has seemed to delay the impending failure so far.
     
    #9 Deft Jef, Nov 27, 2017
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