-
Want to remove ads? Register an account and login to see fewer ads, and become a Supporting Member to remove almost all ads.
Ear pain/Pressure help
- Thread starter justobuf
- Start date
-
- Tags
- sound proofing
Interesting video for sure, but the OP also mentioned that both he and his wife had the same issue with the car not moving, I believe... I didn't have this issue when I did my MY test drive, so hopefully I won't experience is going forward when I do get my MY.
Just wanted to add that my wife and I are also experiencing weird ear/head/pressure in our Y. Initial suggestions of buffeting made sense, but then again we still feel it with windows open, which makes me dismiss cabin pressure theory somewhat. And like OP stated, it's also felt when not moving. :/
It seems to me like it's several things. I do notice a change in pressure depending on whether AC is on/off/recirculate with windows closed and not driving. I think cabin pressure and/or buffeting while driving does attribute to the feeling. However I also think theres something else happening. The best I can describe it, is how it feels when listening to frequency tests in good headphones under 20hz, where you don't yet really hear it, but sort of feel it. I guess they call this infrasound. I'm trying to figure out if theres a way for me to measure this (iphone won't cut it). One video I came across has interesting information specifically on this: Infrasound in Vehicles: Theory, Measurement and Analysis
Update: So after fiddling around a lot I was pretty sure hatch was a large contributor. I added a large seal around the hatch that made it so tight i had to slam the hatch closed. This seemed to help a good bit with the pain. Going from it was painful to just uncomfortable after a long drive. It was also not ideal if I have to slam the hatch and didn't want to break the motor that pulls locked. I tried switching to a thinner seal, but it didnt help as much. Took vehicle in to SC on 10/1. Picked back up on 10/8. They adjusted the hatch and said they opened an engineering case. They couldn't recreate the issue with anyone. At first my wife said she thought it was better on the way home. I took kids to school yesterday and I still had ear pain. My wife drove again this morning and she felt the pain again too. Tesla called 10/2 to see how it was which was nice and that they wanted to get to the bottom of it which is nice, but I am so tired of dealing with this. I saw on another thread recommendation to apply conditioner to the seals. I just did that and am going to see if that helps on next long drive. The challenge is its a slow onset pain that takes 5 minutes to build up. Its not immediately felt. I am also curious @edbdfish if there could be some infrasound from the heat pump or other that causes the pain. Wife is starting to look at other vehicles and may just throw in the towel soon.
Rshephorse
Member
Wait, did you guys work in the American Embassy in Havana????????????????
Its almost that crazy. I have owned and driven some real junkers in my days with never any issue like this. Also this is my 4th Tesla(model S and 2 Model 3s) and baffling that have an issue that is this obscure and causes pain. Every other issue I have had in a car now seems silly.
LasVegas2019
Member
Rshephorse
Member
There is a lot of 'cladding' on the bottom of the car,on the S I know it's made out of a cardboardish fiber-board- on the Y it seems to be more plastic and metal, I wonder if that is what is tincanning and causing this?
I had a chance today to do a little more experimenting. I am starting to feel like the issue is not hatch. I have a hypothesis that the Heat Pump is producing an infrasound that I am picking up on and causing inner ear pain for me my wife and some others. I did some driving with the windows down and AC off. Seems to help. Windows down and AC on seemed to cause pain. I took the cover off frunk while the AC was running. Its noisy, but as I a stand there I start to feel the discomfort. It looks like I have the new cover on the Heat Pump others who complained about the sound have gotten. Its still a bit loud, but its not the level that hurts I don't think. I have downloaded an app called infrasound, but still don't know what its saying and if its good or bad. seeing 50 dBsPL at 26-29 hz from various spots. I will have to do more reading, but from what I have read so far some people can't perceive certain frequencies and some have different side effects Iike my wife having Nausea.
My model Y (non-performance, 19" wheels) is insanely noisy in very low frequencies on rough roads. I feel like I'm riding inside a huge bass drum that someone is beating. It's easy to believe that some people might experience ear pain from this. Using the Real Time Analyzer function on AudioTools on my iPhone (No claims about the accuracy of this in taking a frequency response, but I feel it is useful for an A-B comparison between 2 cars of a single frequency band), I see a sound level in the 32 Hz octave that is always 5-7 dB higher than in either my 2011 Toyota RAV4 or Chevy Bolt, neither particularly quiet cars, on the same road, same speed.
I have seen an apparent resonance at right around 30 Hz, and that this is sometimes excited by the cabin air fan at low speeds. It's clearly excited by energy propagated up from the tires, as it's highly dependent on road quality (and I live up 200 yards of dirt road, so it's easy to experience). At one time it appeared that it was the hatch that was resonating, but haven't been able to replicate that result.
It doesn't diminish if the windows are open, or if the hatch is open. I've bought a "bass shaker" (used in home theater to give that "felt, not heard" bass) that I plan to drive with an audio oscillator and apply various surfaces to look for resonances that i might damp.
Don't know what to do about it but this seriously diminishes my enjoyment of driving this otherwise fine car.
I have seen an apparent resonance at right around 30 Hz, and that this is sometimes excited by the cabin air fan at low speeds. It's clearly excited by energy propagated up from the tires, as it's highly dependent on road quality (and I live up 200 yards of dirt road, so it's easy to experience). At one time it appeared that it was the hatch that was resonating, but haven't been able to replicate that result.
It doesn't diminish if the windows are open, or if the hatch is open. I've bought a "bass shaker" (used in home theater to give that "felt, not heard" bass) that I plan to drive with an audio oscillator and apply various surfaces to look for resonances that i might damp.
Don't know what to do about it but this seriously diminishes my enjoyment of driving this otherwise fine car.
Sounds like what I was experiencing.
Have a look at the video linked in the first post of this thread, and then read my post # 25.
Model Y Buffeting
Hopefully this will resolve the issue for you.
Have a look at the video linked in the first post of this thread, and then read my post # 25.
Model Y Buffeting
Hopefully this will resolve the issue for you.
Thanks for the post. This has been where I have spent almost all of my efforts until now. Tesla has realigned the hatch and installed some new interesting rubber pieces beside the tail lights. That didn't help and I have installed an extra seal around the hatch that creates so tight of a seal I have to force the hatch closed. It was recently when playing around while the car was running in the garage I started to think this is something else unrelated to the hatch and that my wife saying she had the feeling while sitting in the car has more need to explore. I am worried its related to the Heat Pump.
LasVegas2019
Member
Yes. When I first checked only 2 of the bumpers (the bottom 2) were touching. All 4 touch now.
So no more buffeting, but my wife and I still sometimes feel the ear pressure. Didn't feel it yesterday, felt it today. I can't figure out what makes it happen.
Just to follow up, I'd like the check the outflow valves, but I can't figure out how to get to them. I watched the video where somebody routes a wire through them for a hitch, but I still don't know how to get to them. Is it at the bottom of the wells in the back? Or on the side?
