Ear pain/Pressure help

[scott_mccool]

Again, I'm not the OP but I'm having the same issue. Let me try to answer the same question the OP did. I apprecaite everybody trying to help.

For me, the car was great for 9 days. I hit a small bump and then have been fealing pressure ever since.

As the OP said, the effect is slow to start and slow to end. So I can't really go through a full list of checking different things. So I really cannot narrow down when it happens and when it doesn't happen.

As I said, I didn't feel any ear pressure for the first 9 days. At the SC, they let me drive another Y and I didn't feel the pressure. I had an S for a loaner for 2 weeks and didn't feel it. So it isn't all EVs. It is just my Y.

 

[MY-Y]

I've adjusted my hatch, which helped a lot. I have some boominess still, but have learned to ignore it. I have noticed some very, very low boominess sitting still. Fan speed 4 with the ducts set just right will do it.

If you have already adjusted the hatch, try turning the climate control totally off to eliminate that variable. Also, try stuffing pillows between the rear seat and the roof and perhaps on the trunk floor (an experiment, not a solution) to disrupt a standing wave that may be forming. If the hatch isn't it, the climate fan isn't it, and there isn't a low frequency standing wave, I'm stumped.

I should clarify. The "low" boominess means low frequency, it is not low in volume.

 

[scott_mccool]

my iPhone 8 couldn’t pick up much below 100 Hz. The ‘boom’ range is probably around 30-60 Hz. A dedicated handheld recorder mic like a Zoom should be able to pick up lower frequencies just fine.

In an earlier post the 10 KHz noise was loud and clear (outside of the car). Annoying sound for sure, but I just don’t think that is the cause of this particular issue. High frequencies are easier to control anyway. I wonder if the octovalve has the acoustic jacket installed.

Thanks. You have to dumb it down for me. What would I have to buy to get a better reading on low frequencies? Just a dumb plug in Mic for zoom? Would my laptop be any better?

 

[MY-Y]

The noise I feel and hear is very low frequency. I wouldn't be surprised if much of the sound pressure is below 20 Hz.

 

[polyphonic54]

Thanks. You have to dumb it down for me. What would I have to buy to get a better reading on low frequencies? Just a dumb plug in Mic for zoom? Would my laptop be any better?

The laptop mic would likely not be able to capture those frequencies. First off, in this post I boosted the 'boom frequencies' of a youtube video to match what I was hearing in my car. I also made a synthesized mockup to show what it sounds like when driving. You will need a capable stereo system with a subwoofer to hear it. The frequency is around 35 Hz. In my car this sound is like a constant bludgeoning.

If you hear that in motion, it may be body boom. At which point, recording the car while driving may help your case getting Tesla to remedy or at least acknowledge it. e-tron is my third EV and I had no such ear pressure/pain with the Model 3 or my other EV, or any other car.

The noise I feel and hear is very low frequency. I wouldn't be surprised if much of the sound pressure is below 20 Hz.

Does it sound like the recordings in the linked post? I don't know anything about infrasound (< 20 Hz) unfortunately.

 

[scott_mccool]

The laptop mic would likely not be able to capture those frequencies. First off, in this post I boosted the 'boom frequencies' of a youtube video to match what I was hearing in my car. I also made a synthesized mockup to show what it sounds like when driving. You will need a capable stereo system with a subwoofer to hear it. The frequency is around 35 Hz. In my car this sound is like a constant bludgeoning.

If you hear that in motion, it may be body boom. At which point, recording the car while driving may help your case getting Tesla to remedy or at least acknowledge it. e-tron is my third EV and I had no such ear pressure/pain with the Model 3 or my other EV, or any other car.



Does it sound like the recordings in the linked post? I don't know anything about infrasound (< 20 Hz) unfortunately.

Thanks for putting that together. I don't have a stereo system to listen to it unfortunately.

For me, my problem is unrelated to the sound. The other Y I drove and the S loaner make the same sounds as my Y, but in my Y my ears hurt. I felt the ear pain today sitting still with no sound. I just don't have any idea what is causing it.

 

[Celeritas]

Thanks for putting that together. I don't have a stereo system to listen to it unfortunately.

For me, my problem is unrelated to the sound. The other Y I drove and the S loaner make the same sounds as my Y, but in my Y my ears hurt. I felt the ear pain today sitting still with no sound. I just don't have any idea what is causing it.

Does the pain subside at all if you drive with a front window down and a rear window down (i.e. passenger front down and driver rear down)? If so, I was told there is a seal issue with air pressure and it has to do with some type of vent that needs to be adjusted or it was not installed properly. The service center will need to remove the rear bumper to get to the vent in order to fix/adjust this.

 

[scott_mccool]

Does the pain subside at all if you drive with a front window down and a rear window down (i.e. passenger front down and driver rear down)? If so, I was told there is a seal issue with air pressure and it has to do with some type of vent that needs to be adjusted or it was not installed properly. The service center will need to remove the rear bumper to get to the vent in order to fix/adjust this.

Thanks for the suggestion. Like the OP said, the feeling is slow to come and slow to go. So if I feel it, I can't tell if rolling down the windows helps because it takes too long to go away.

When I had it at the service center, they said they checked the outflow valves and they were fine.

 

[cab]

Having dealt with this on my Model S (and frankly noticing it on every Model S loaner I've had to some degree), I think it is somewhat inherent in the Model S and now, it appears, the Model Y (I expect a lot more folks will pop up over time reporting this). I've written some lengthy posts on it in this thread:
Pressure Buffeting - Has anyone experienced it?

With regard to the Model S, the bodyshell itself seems to amplify even the slightest vibrations - this can come from equipment even at idle (i.e. air conditioner compressor / heat pump / etc.). Road impacts are worse, and rapid impacts (any washboard type surface is super fun). I added a decent amount of sound deadening to try to quell what is really a chassis/bushing/damping issue (IMO). As the body shell transmits the vibration to the big hatches, they turn into a subwoofer speaker cone of sorts). On the Model S , the hatch adjusters are soft rubber, and even when adjusted "tight" there is still enough give that it compresses ever so slightly. In my case, I ended up replacing the soft rubber adjusters with solid rubber dowels (purchased off Amazon and cut down to fit). This minimized any movement while still providing some level of rubber isolation. Hatch alignment likely comes into play here as well.

The boominess has been somewhat quelled by some cld tiles and mlv in the hatch area and I put one of the sunroof screens in with some melamine foam between it and the glass roof. I also put some cld times in the front doors. Honestly, thought the rubber dowels made the most difference.

The air suspension on my Model S does, of course, help even though mine is a P85+ and a bit firmer.

 

[justobuf]

Our SC on Friday let us borrow another Y. We are 30 minutes from SC so it is usually a ride that gives time to take effect. I felt symptoms on the way home. I felt more in my right ear. Normally its more in left. I didnt tell my wife and she took for an hour round trip. She also had the ear issues but no nausea. So my 2 theories are. 1 we are unlucky and can feel maybe infrasound being given off by the car. It is possibly given off of an electrical component such as inverter or the cooling system. The reason for this is we have both had symptoms while being around the car while its parked and the cooling system is only conditioning the battery. 2nd theory is we are psychosomatic.
Either way we have decided to get rid of the Y. We took for trade in quote and have someone coming to test drive for private party sale.

 

[justobuf]

Our SC on Friday let us borrow another Y. We are 30 minutes from SC so it is usually a ride that gives time to take effect. I felt symptoms on the way home. I felt more in my right ear. Normally its more in left. I didnt tell my wife and she took for an hour round trip. She also had the ear issues but no nausea. So my 2 theories are. 1 we are unlucky and can feel maybe infrasound being given off by the car. It is possibly given off of an electrical component such as inverter or the cooling system. The reason for this is we have both had symptoms while being around the car while its parked and the cooling system is only conditioning the battery. 2nd theory is we are psychosomatic.
Either way we have decided to get rid of the Y. We took for trade in quote and have someone coming to test drive for private party sale.

 

[ArtK]

Our SC on Friday let us borrow another Y. We are 30 minutes from SC so it is usually a ride that gives time to take effect. I felt symptoms on the way home. I felt more in my right ear. Normally its more in left. I didnt tell my wife and she took for an hour round trip. She also had the ear issues but no nausea. So my 2 theories are. 1 we are unlucky and can feel maybe infrasound being given off by the car. It is possibly given off of an electrical component such as inverter or the cooling system. The reason for this is we have both had symptoms while being around the car while its parked and the cooling system is only conditioning the battery. 2nd theory is we are psychosomatic.
Either way we have decided to get rid of the Y. We took for trade in quote and have someone coming to test drive for private party sale.

I'm so very sorry there was no other resolution for this most serious issue, but am glad you found a solution. I hope you and your wife never experience this again.

 

[pdxrunr]

For others experiencing this, buy the shelf! 100% fixes this issue. It’s caused by the big hole in the back acting like a subwoofer. Original S had the same issue until they added the shelf. Our model y with the shelf is night and day better. I couldn’t stand driving it without it. My guess is that a future refresh will add this like the S, but it was easy to skip at launch.

 

[rs8n]

I have been feeling/hearing the boominess while driving over even minor imperfections in the road, something I have never experienced with other SUVs I have owned.
Adjusting the rubber stoppers on the hatch has not helped much.

(After reading pdxrunr@‘s point about a shelf) I tried an experiment, I placed a folding mattress[1] in the trunk against the 2nd row seats, so as to isolate the trunk from the main cabin. This definitely helped in my case.

[1] something like this one: https://www.amazon.com/American-Fur...folding+foam+bed+costco&qid=1606064453&sr=8-2

 

[vegas888]

I have been feeling/hearing the boominess while driving over even minor imperfections in the road, something I have never experienced with other SUVs I have owned.
Adjusting the rubber stoppers on the hatch has not helped much.

(After reading pdxrunr@‘s point about a shelf) I tried an experiment, I placed a folding mattress[1] in the trunk against the 2nd row seats, so as to isolate the trunk from the main cabin. This definitely helped in my case.

[1] something like this one: https://www.amazon.com/American-Fur...folding+foam+bed+costco&qid=1606064453&sr=8-2

can you post pic?

 

[vegas888]

For others experiencing this, buy the shelf! 100% fixes this issue. It’s caused by the big hole in the back acting like a subwoofer. Original S had the same issue until they added the shelf. Our model y with the shelf is night and day better. I couldn’t stand driving it without it. My guess is that a future refresh will add this like the S, but it was easy to skip at launch.

can wesee how you did it? can youpost picture?

 

[rs8n]

can you post pic?

my bad! I forgot to take a pic of the setup, I will try to recreate it some time in the next few days.

 

[scott_mccool]

For others experiencing this, buy the shelf! 100% fixes this issue. It’s caused by the big hole in the back acting like a subwoofer. Original S had the same issue until they added the shelf. Our model y with the shelf is night and day better. I couldn’t stand driving it without it. My guess is that a future refresh will add this like the S, but it was easy to skip at launch.

Thanks. Before dropping $200 on the shelf, I might try making a temp one out of cardboard to see if it helps.

 

[scott_mccool]

Our SC on Friday let us borrow another Y. We are 30 minutes from SC so it is usually a ride that gives time to take effect. I felt symptoms on the way home. I felt more in my right ear. Normally its more in left. I didnt tell my wife and she took for an hour round trip. She also had the ear issues but no nausea. So my 2 theories are. 1 we are unlucky and can feel maybe infrasound being given off by the car. It is possibly given off of an electrical component such as inverter or the cooling system. The reason for this is we have both had symptoms while being around the car while its parked and the cooling system is only conditioning the battery. 2nd theory is we are psychosomatic.
Either way we have decided to get rid of the Y. We took for trade in quote and have someone coming to test drive for private party sale.

Sorry to hear that.

What car are you planning to replace the Y with?

 

[pdxrunr]

can wesee how you did it? can youpost picture?

Model Y