Soft Clicking/Clanging From Under Prius At Low Speed??

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Main Forum' started by Grocked, Jun 17, 2008.

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  1. Grocked

    Grocked Green Patriot

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    I only notice this while driving at very low speeds around 5mph. My Prius is only two months old and I've been noticing this noise since I purchased it. It's a light clicking/clanging coming from under the car. The noise sounds like it's coming from the driver's side wheel. The noise is not noticeable when driving at normal speeds. It is easily audible when the car is driving very slowly 3-5mph on battery power. Very strange! Any advice would be appreciated. The car has been perfect except for this little clicking noise at very low speed. The clicking/clanging noise is coming from inside the wheel well or under the car almost like the sound of something in your bicycle spokes. At some point I remember people talking about this noise happening in the newer Prius's but I can't remember... Thanks PC!
     
    #1 Grocked, Jun 17, 2008
  2. wchardin

    wchardin Senior Member

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    I would check your tire for a screw or nail, you might have sometime stuck in your tire. That has happened to me more than I would like to admit. Let us know if you find anything.
     
    #2 wchardin, Jun 17, 2008
  3. Grocked

    Grocked Green Patriot

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    Thanks for the advice. No, it's definitely not something stuck on the tire. That happens all the time and it's usually just a large pebble. The clicking/clanging noise is coming from inside the wheel well or under the car almost like the sound of something in your bicycle spokes. At some point I remember people talking about this noise happening in the newer Prius's but I can't remember...
     
    #3 Grocked, Jun 17, 2008
  4. Bob64

    Bob64 Sapphire of the Blue Sky

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    rotate the tires and see if the sound still seems to come from the front side. If it does/doesn't, then you'll have narrowed down the problem a bit.

    Perhaps check your brake rotors or cv joints next?
     
    #4 Bob64, Jun 17, 2008
  5. problemchild

    problemchild New Member

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    I hear the same thing on my 08. Its random at slow speeds and usually while Im turning with the windows down so that I am able to hear it. My first thought was it sounds like a CV joint going bad.
     
    #5 problemchild, Jun 17, 2008
  6. Grocked

    Grocked Green Patriot

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    Yes!! Thank you, yes that's it... You can only hear it with the windows down at slow speeds. It's totally random. Sometimes you don't hear it. What do you think it is?! I've heard others reporting something similar. I'm guessing it might not be anything to worry about but WHAT is it???
     
    #6 Grocked, Jun 17, 2008
  7. a_gray_prius

    a_gray_prius Rare Non-Old-Blowhard Priuschat Member

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    I hear a whir for a few seconds on my 4-month old sometimes right after the engine shuts off (coming from the driver's side front wheel area). I assumed it was some kind of pump or motor running to ready the engine for re-ignition (if necessary).
     
    #7 a_gray_prius, Jun 17, 2008
  8. Grocked

    Grocked Green Patriot

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    That's not it. The sound is not a whir and does not occur while the engine is off, only while driving slowly. problem child knows exactly what I'm talking about. What you are describing is normal and is covered in the manual.
     
    #8 Grocked, Jun 17, 2008
  9. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    If, like problemchild, you notice the noise only when making a turn, then I agree that a noisy CV joint is the most likely cause.

    If this bugs you, and the problem happens enough so that you can demonstrate the noise to your dealer's service writer, then I suggest that you let the dealer tech figure it out.
     
    #9 Patrick Wong, Jun 17, 2008
  10. qbee42

    qbee42 My other car is a boat

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    That one is the coolant transfer pump, which saves hot coolant in a thermos bottle for the next restart.

    The clicking sound could be the brake accumulator pump. Is it sort of a buzzing or ratcheting sound, which goes in short bursts of about three seconds duration?

    Tom
     
    #10 qbee42, Jun 17, 2008
  11. Grocked

    Grocked Green Patriot

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    The noise has nothing to do with turning. It happens while the car is going straight at very low speeds.
     
    #11 Grocked, Jun 17, 2008
  12. richard schumacher

    richard schumacher shortbus driver

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    Is it always continuously present when going straight at low speeds? At what speed does it stop? If not always present, when it does happen how long does it last?
     
    #12 richard schumacher, Jun 18, 2008
  13. Grocked

    Grocked Green Patriot

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    Richard,

    Thank you for your concern. No, it does not happen all the time when going slow. Seems to happen right after turning the car on. I can only hear it with the window open while going at a crawl with the engine off. Sounds like a clanging/clicking inside the wheel. The clicking gets faster when I speed up and gets slower when I slow down. It's like the sound of something in your bicycle spokes. When I start to accelerate to normal driving speed it is no longer audible and doesn't seem to affect normal driving. Like I mentioned, it's sporadic but seems to occur more when I first start the car and drive slowly. It's like there's something inside the driver's side wheel because the clicking noise sounds like it's reverberating inside of something metal giving it a "clanging" quality. It's audible while going straight or turning at low speeds. Let me know what you think. Thank you!
     
    #13 Grocked, Jun 19, 2008
  14. pappyt

    pappyt Junior Member

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    i here a noise on my 08 touring coming up my driveway, like a loose muffler sound or a stick hitting a can sort of sound, hard to describe . but it only has 228 miles on it and my 07 coming up the driveway does not make the sound? i have gotten under it it and shook the exhaust system, but it does not make a sound at all:confused:
     
    #14 pappyt, Jun 19, 2008
  15. Grocked

    Grocked Green Patriot

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    Holy 08 Prius weirdness!! What is going on here? Maybe there's something loose inside the tire tube? At this point I'm stumped. I hear folks describing similar sounds on the new Prius but no explanation... Someone will figure this out.
     
    #15 Grocked, Jun 19, 2008
  16. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    Perhaps the left front wheel bearing is slightly out of spec, so that when the parts are cold the bearing makes noise at low speed.

    Or there could be a problem with the left front tire; perhaps you could rotate that tire with the left rear tire and see if the sound moves to the back of the car or not.
     
    #16 Patrick Wong, Jun 19, 2008
  17. Kablooie

    Kablooie Member

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    Sounds to me like a Toyota worker that fell into the undercarriage and the noise you hear is his ghostly skeleton banging on the frame.
     
    #17 Kablooie, Jun 19, 2008
    bisco likes this.
  18. richard schumacher

    richard schumacher shortbus driver

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    Anything like this symptom that could be related to the suspension or steering should be checked out ASAP. If you're lucky it will be some object inside the tire, so when you take it in have them remove that wheel first and roll it around and shake it to see whether anything rattles inside.
     
    #18 richard schumacher, Jun 19, 2008
  19. Grocked

    Grocked Green Patriot

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    Possible Explanation!

    The hub caps on the new Prius are made of a polymer/plastic material and make a similar crunching sound when I push them with my hands. Maybe the caps are just making the noise at low speeds(that's the only time it's audible). Did Toyota change the design of the hubcaps in 08? Maybe this is what's causing the clicking at low speeds?
     
    #19 Grocked, Jun 19, 2008
  20. richard schumacher

    richard schumacher shortbus driver

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    Well, then: pull off the trim rings one at a time and see what happens.
     
    #20 richard schumacher, Jun 19, 2008
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