Recently experiencing a noise emanating from rear right that would best be described as sounding like a prop plane flying overhead. My first thought was exhaust system but the noise is definitely speed related, the faster I go, the louder it gets. When stopped and I put the car in neutral and rev up the gas, I can't really reproduce the problem although the exhaust at idle may just be slightly louder than it should be. I know it's not the tires because I just had a tire change with no change in symptoms. Could it possibly be a wheel bearing? I once had a Subaru that had problematic wheel bearings but I'm thinking it was more a screeching sound. The car is 2008 Fit and never replaced anything in the exhaust system except the catalytic converter shield covers.

 

Accelerate to 40mph, then let the gas go and shift to neutral and coast to stop
If noise continues to come it most likely the wheel bearing.
Since roof of the car amplifies all noises and make them to be coming form the rear, you will have to check all wheels for the noise.
To do so:
--jack up the corner of the car and place it on safety stand!
--place palm of your hand on the coil spring;
--spin the tire with your other hand (faster is better)
Bad bearing will produce noticeable vibration in the coil spring.
IMPORTANT: when checking front wheels, set the parking brake and place transmission in neutral. Block diagonally opposite wheel using appropriate methods

 

I did your suggested test and no, noise does not abruptly change when putting it in neutral while traveling at highway speeds but rather dies down gradually as the car accelerates. Listening to youtube wheel bearing noises further cements my belief it's a wheel bearing. They all have that giant snow tire rumble sound.

Unfortunately I live in a condo development and don't have the tools to diagnose myself so I'll have to bring it into a shop. I'm reasonably sure it's from the rear but not positive which tire although I think it's the right.

Can I assume this is probably going to be a $400-500 garage repair? Do these Fits have a reputation for bad wheel bearings? My Subaru had a well known problem in this area and I went thru three of them and they never formally admitted it was a defect which is one reason why I no longer drive a Subaru. Hope this Honda is just an anomaly.

Hopefully ok to continue to drive the car for a week or two.

Thank you for your reply, BTW.

 

Helicopter noise is usually choppy tread edges,
Airplane noise is usually a wheel bearing.


A wheel bearing can still make noise with the tire raised off the ground.
Choppy tread can't make noise if the tire is off the ground....but can be easily seen with your eyes if you watch it spin from just the right angle.



Jack up the suspect corner in the air just far enough to get the tire off the ground.
Make sure it's quiet wherever you do this.

Spin the tire as fast as you can by hand (reasonably, don't go insane with it), and stick your ear up close to the center. Does it rumble? A bad bearing will usually emit a rumble noise even when spun at (hand speed).

For comparison, repeat with the opposite wheel. No rumble when spinning by hand?

 

Guys, can I trust the neighborhood garage on a wheel bearing repair. The dealer does excellent work but boy, do I pay for it.

 

If you can remove the wheel, brake drum, a dust cap and a large nut, you can probably DIY it.

 

Alas, I don't have the means to do it myself but from recollection of my Subaru days I believe a special compression tool was required, perhaps to hold the springs in place or something to that effect, while the bearing was being changed.

Such is not the case for the 2008 Fit?

 

No, it's fairly straightforward on the rear of a Fit.
You don't even have to touch the brake shoes after you get the brake drum off.

Remove wheel, remove brake drum, remove dust cap.
Unstake the nut and remove.
Remove bad hub, install new.
Tighten big nut. (134 ft-lb)
Stake the nut with a blunt chisel or screwdriver to lock it in place.
Reinstall the drum and wheel, etc.

The biggest hang up I can picture is if the inner bearing race sticks to the spindle when you pull the hub/bearing unit off, that might require more effort and some trickery.

Googled images

 

Thank you for the nice pictures and procedure enlightenment. Unfortunately as mentioned, I don't have to means to do so myself so I brought to the local garage where they convinced me both wheel bearings were noisy. I was skeptical yes, but he said if he just replaced one, I was still going to hear noise and not be happy. Good news is, the price of changing two was the same as changing one at the dealer. I'm sure the off the shelf wheel bearing is not as of good quality as Honda OEM but it does carry a two year warranty. Anyhow the car now runs quiet again.

Having said all that, two days after replacement, my ABS light is coming on. Coincidence? I'm skeptical on that as well. I'm not sure where the ABS sensor is located but could they have perhaps messed something up while changing out the wheel bearings? I'm assuming if it's just the ABS light, I can continue to drive the car without the need to immediately fix the problem.

 

Be prepared for aftermarket bearing failure after 10,000 miles
The mechanic put a tone ring on the bearing opposite way or stretched the sensor cable!

 

Can you explain what a tone ring is so I can relay information when I go back to garage? If tone ring installed incorrectly, does that present a safety issue? The wheel bearings do come with a two year warranty. Dealer quoted $510 to replace one wheel bearing. Can any reputable garage hook up diagnostics to determine which sensor is causing error?

Thank you.

 

As soon as someone can determine what the fault code(s) are, you'll know if the problem is in the area of their work.

Crap quality AM parts is a possibility.
The wheel speed sensor(s) itself and its wiring should have been untouched during the work.....but I've seen some people go to great lengths to complicate simple otherwise simple repair work, and accidents do happen.


Your installer COULD have used Honda parts too. May not be as cheap as some AM choices, but quality won't be questionable.

 

I should have insisted on OEM parts and paid extra but not much I can do about it now. As I mentioned above they do (allegedly) provide a two year warranty.

So despite the ABS light being on, if the car appears to drive smoothly with no discernible noises, can I assume there aren't any safety hazards involved so I don't have to rush right back imeediately and get ABS problem checked out?

 

Tone ring is a permanent magnet ring on the bearing (can be pres-fit on embedded into it)
when it rotates it creating pulses picked up by ABS sensor, so ABS system has information if wheel is spinning (not locked up).
Perhaps I am using odd route but on older cars (12 years and older) I was so far successful by replacing complete steering knuckle with good used one from the wrecking yard.
It is maybe just a my theory, but in many cases the bearings are failing due to some issues with hub or knuckle (next will be hitting a curb at high speed, using hammer to change the wheel stud and using impact driver to tighten an axle nut)
The replacement bearings are failing due to all of the above plus cheap parts combined with sloppy installation.

 

ABS is considered a safety system. You tell me.



Also, if it's the shops fault you need to get it back there ASAP. The longer you wait, the more it will look like you want something for nothing.