Elon said it would likely be more than a year for them to re-tool the Fremont Model 3 line to use the large casting. (But things can always change.)
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Ear pain/Pressure help
- Thread starter justobuf
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- sound proofing
Elon said it would likely be more than a year for them to re-tool the Fremont Model 3 line to use the large casting. (But things can always change.)
Now you have me thinking about the rear casting. I haven't been tracking that single-piece rear casting topic because it wasn't that interesting to me. But what if that's related to this problem. It sounds like others have been dealing with the issue from a while back, but maybe it got worse after single-piece casting. That would explain why it's so bad for me and some other recent Model Y buyers. Now I have a whole other rathole to go down.
It sounds like you need to try to isolate where it is coming from. It could be a door or something that is vibrating or just the natural resonance of the vehicle.
I know what I'm about to recommend is unsafe but find a stretch of road or a rough parking lot where you can consistently hear the noise then have someone crawl in the back start pressing on things while driving. Have them push and pull on the rear hatch, the back doors, windows, press up on the ceiling and down on the rear storage area... Might have to remove the rear floor liner reach the body panels. This way you could try to actively eliminate potential sources or even identify where it is coming from if you stop hearing it.
If it is a door or hatch, you could point them to it and have them adjusted it. If it's a part of the car that is vibrating at the vehicle's resonant frequency, you need to apply a mass vibration damper (like dynamat or if it's the rear storage area a sandbag would work) to change the resonant frequency of that area.
Not ideal but just like with a subwoofer in your home theater system, it's often hard to pin point really low frequencies with your ears. Having someone crawl around may help you identify where it is coming from.
I know what I'm about to recommend is unsafe but find a stretch of road or a rough parking lot where you can consistently hear the noise then have someone crawl in the back start pressing on things while driving. Have them push and pull on the rear hatch, the back doors, windows, press up on the ceiling and down on the rear storage area... Might have to remove the rear floor liner reach the body panels. This way you could try to actively eliminate potential sources or even identify where it is coming from if you stop hearing it.
If it is a door or hatch, you could point them to it and have them adjusted it. If it's a part of the car that is vibrating at the vehicle's resonant frequency, you need to apply a mass vibration damper (like dynamat or if it's the rear storage area a sandbag would work) to change the resonant frequency of that area.
Not ideal but just like with a subwoofer in your home theater system, it's often hard to pin point really low frequencies with your ears. Having someone crawl around may help you identify where it is coming from.
My guess is this is present in every car and we react to it (or not) on a spectrum:
-Don't hear, feel, or otherwise detect the ultra low sound
-Hear it, but don't "feel" it in a way that causes ear pain (everyone here is at least on this level?)
-Bothered by it, but can live with it
-Can't stand it at all, even on short trips (definitely me)
magicnote: So sorry to hear that your SC wasn't helpful. My family has very sensitive hearing, and we, and many others, know what you're talking about.
Re: hearing. I've dealt with many techs in the 45 years that I've owned cars. I have to say that sensitive hearing is rare amongst shop techs, as they're used to constant environmental noise. Virtually none of them wear hearing protection.
I'm at 2200 miles. My son and I checked the 4 rubber hatch pads yesterday, closing the hatch on long strips of paper, between the pads and their resting points. I was surprised that only the 2 side pads were engaged, and the 2 farthest from the hinge weren't touching at all. We turned all of them in, adjusted the 2 farthest away from the hinge until they fully engaged, and then gradually turned the side pads until they engaged, w/o lifting the farthest pads (I hope this makes sense.) So, I think I've got all 4 pads uniformly supporting the hatch.
Went for a ride. I drove over an area of short, closely spaced, gentle undulations in the road surface. For sure, the actual "buffeting" feeling is gone! There was no ear discomfort/pain at all, none of the fluttering we had heard before.
However, the low frequency vibration, when going over washboard uneven pavement, was still audible. However, it was audible only, and didn't cause either of us the distress of the "buffeting" feeling we noticed previously.
All that said, there remains the issue of how to dampen the structural low frequency vibration (I know this is redundant, it's been stated in this 13 page thread many times before). When the temps rise a bit, I may bite the bullet and start taking things apart in the rear hatch area. There just might be somewhere to strategically place sound deadening material.
Re: hearing. I've dealt with many techs in the 45 years that I've owned cars. I have to say that sensitive hearing is rare amongst shop techs, as they're used to constant environmental noise. Virtually none of them wear hearing protection.
I'm at 2200 miles. My son and I checked the 4 rubber hatch pads yesterday, closing the hatch on long strips of paper, between the pads and their resting points. I was surprised that only the 2 side pads were engaged, and the 2 farthest from the hinge weren't touching at all. We turned all of them in, adjusted the 2 farthest away from the hinge until they fully engaged, and then gradually turned the side pads until they engaged, w/o lifting the farthest pads (I hope this makes sense.) So, I think I've got all 4 pads uniformly supporting the hatch.
Went for a ride. I drove over an area of short, closely spaced, gentle undulations in the road surface. For sure, the actual "buffeting" feeling is gone! There was no ear discomfort/pain at all, none of the fluttering we had heard before.
However, the low frequency vibration, when going over washboard uneven pavement, was still audible. However, it was audible only, and didn't cause either of us the distress of the "buffeting" feeling we noticed previously.
All that said, there remains the issue of how to dampen the structural low frequency vibration (I know this is redundant, it's been stated in this 13 page thread many times before). When the temps rise a bit, I may bite the bullet and start taking things apart in the rear hatch area. There just might be somewhere to strategically place sound deadening material.
Dan888
Member
Pianewman:
I had the same experience in the Model Y we got recently. I adjusted all the pads to the point where I couldn't pull the paper out and after that I feel like the pressure is mostly gone but the sound is exactly the same. I'm not sure if my next test was a great idea but I tied a towel around the tailgate latch striker so it wouldn't close completely and I drove with the tailgate about an inch from closing. The pressure and sound was almost totally gone. The sound then just seemed like it was from stiff suspension and possibly tire pressure (I think mine is 41). I am convinced it is almost totally from the tailgate.
I had the same experience in the Model Y we got recently. I adjusted all the pads to the point where I couldn't pull the paper out and after that I feel like the pressure is mostly gone but the sound is exactly the same. I'm not sure if my next test was a great idea but I tied a towel around the tailgate latch striker so it wouldn't close completely and I drove with the tailgate about an inch from closing. The pressure and sound was almost totally gone. The sound then just seemed like it was from stiff suspension and possibly tire pressure (I think mine is 41). I am convinced it is almost totally from the tailgate.
It's definitely not just you! I've had family members comment on the loud booming of the car. I've also noticed the other day if I crank the music up to drown it out, I can feel the same booming on the floor. I'm convinced it's a quirk of the car or at the very least something caused by Tesla's manufacturing tolerances where some Y's have this issue.
The Y definitely has some design issues. For example, I originally thought I had to crank the A/C down to 68 to get cold air. I've seen posts about the Y having a weak AC, but like the booming, I just accepted the AC isn't the greatest in the Y. However, I started driving around with the hitch cover off to attempt to reduce the ear pain/pressure(not the booming), and unintentionally my A/C has gotten noticeably colder, 68 is freezing cold now, where that used to be comfortable!
Dan888
Member
Yes, it is dramatically different. There are still some low rumbling noises but it doesn't sound like I'm playing music with bass over every bump. I'm confused because all 4 of my rubber pads are making good contact so I don't think the tailgate is moving much. Maybe the latch needs to be adjusted to pull the tailgate further down onto the seal, I don't know.
ryanjeffords
Member
Just picked up my 2021 7 Seater yesterday and after 2-3 mins of driving, I immediately noticed the infamous "ear pressure" situation. Specifically going over bumps. I haven't read all 13 pages of this thread yet, but has anyone been able to diagnose what this is or what can be done about it? Seems like there's discussion of adjusting the stoppers on the hatch?
I'll start reading through this because knowing my wife...she won't be comfortable with this.
I'll start reading through this because knowing my wife...she won't be comfortable with this.
gundarx
Member
You will probably want to check the cold temp. tire pressures first, and lower that to no higher than 41 psi (40 even better) to lessen the road vibrations transmitted to the cabin; don't lower too much as that will negatively impact range and steering responsiveness.
Then check your rear hatch and adjust the 4 stoppers so they each make good contact (can stick paper and pull to ensure it's held on each one, or dab some chalk to verify contact; verify all 4 are making contact after adjustment of each).
I would guess the 7-seater doesn't have as much noise originating from the large rear sub-trunk from the 5-seater models.
You can improve on the noise and ride comfort by changing tires, and the last step is probably with aftermarket coilovers. I've done both and the coilovers installed last week have made a significant difference in reducing the amount of road vibrations and noise transmitted to the chassis, as well as really softening the ride over any bump or road irregularity (especially on the MY Performance with 21" tires). You can see in my video below in the drive sample recording with audio (listen with headphones if it's better than what you're hearing in yours):
ryanjeffords
Member
I adjusted the hatch bumpers. The ones on the bottom were definitely loose. Now everything fits nice and snug and Texas is covered in ice and I can’t go anywhere to test.
When using the paper strips to check the bottom pads, you need 2 people. You have to check it from the inside, so the strip of paper doesn't get caught by the rubber seal around the hatch. I didn't do this the first time I adjusted the pads a month ago, thought the pads were engaging, but it turned out the the rubber seal fooled me.
I hope this makes sense.
I hope this makes sense.
What does the person on the outside do? (Can't you open/close the hatch with the app on your phone?)
Dan888
Member
They ask the person on the inside if they can pull the paper out
FYI I adjusted my stops until I couldn't pull the paper out and now the liftgate leaks, but my wife and I believe it stopped the pressure buffeting. Maybe test with a little water after doing this to make sure it is sealed.I'm going to Service Saturday so I assume they'll move the latch striker on the body so it pulls down further.
Someone may have tried this but I did a test filling the trunk wells and trunk with moving blankets to fill the well and isolate the trunk area from the front and it didn't seem like there was any less booming. Then drove like this with the hatch slightly open again and the booming seemed significantly reduced.
ryanjeffords
Member
FYI -- you don't need two people if you have "Watch for Tesla". I crawled in there, staged the paper, and hit the button.
Interestingly enough, the bottom bumpers needed to come out more.
So here's my question... how tight are y'all making your hatches? The top bumpers I backed out to the point where I can't really pull the envelope out. The bottom ones are tight, but I can tug hard enough and eventually pull the envelope out.
The latch definitely sounds like it's working to latch. How tight are you guys making yours?
Dan888
Member
I adjust until I can’t pull paper out. My thought is if you can pull it then there will still be movement since they’re rubber stops. I think this stopped the pressure.
I had it serviced yesterday and tech said it wasn’t sealing all the way around. Now it sits further down to where the panels don’t align, and of course I again felt pressure and heard booming. Checked the stops when I got home and 3 weren’t making contact. As a Mechanical Engineer my gut is to write off Tesla as being willing or able to fix this and figure it out on my own.
