Sound Coming From Wheel Well Area

[Brutaka]

Hey everyone,

I've had this peculiar sound since 22k miles but now I'm at 56k. It literally sounds like rocks hitting a pan underneath when I'm going over bumps. I verified it wasn't the rotor guard plate. It doesn't matter what size of the bump, it'll make the sound regardless. The sound can be heard on both sides. I've taken my vehicle to the service center multiple times (4 different service centers) regarding this sound and none of them can figure it out. They've taken all the wheels off and found nothing. I rotate my tires every 5k miles. Doing so I also take sure to check all my joints, struts, control arms, and any rubberized area to verify nothing is damaged. Can someone help me as to what this may be? I'll provide a link to Google Photos showing what I hear.

2018 Model 3 LR AWD Sound

 

[Perscitus]

Do you by any chance get this sound while the chassis is in a state of flex or when one wheel is lifted and replaced on the ground?

How about just at slow (below 10-15mph) speed and while turning or switching driving direction? Moving through the steeringrack from near end to end or switching steering direction adjustment?

Can you reproduce it on command performing some action?

 

[Brutaka]

Do you by any chance get this sound while the chassis is in a state of flex or when one wheel is lifted and replaced on the ground?

How about just at slow (below 10-15mph) speed and while turning or switching driving direction? Moving through the steeringrack from near end to end or switching steering direction adjustment?

Can you reproduce it on command performing some action?

The sound happens between 1-25mph. I'm certain it happens at a higher speed but I'm unable to hear it at that point. When turning the steering wheel, there is a grinding noise but not the same sound.

I'm driving on a flat straight road that has small grooves where the pavement meet.

I can go on any road, as long as it has bumps, I can reproduce this sound.

 

[Perscitus]

Interesting. Given this Im surprised the SCs and MS cant at least locate the source.

Have you checked your lug nuts and studs and wheel/lug nut mating surfaces for odd wear, any cracks, other damage?

 

[Aggmeister2010]

That's your wheel hub (bearing) assembly.

If you want to verify, you can lift that corner of the car, take off the wheel, get a rubber mallet, and lightly whack everything. you'll hear it get louder as you get hit things that are closer to the wheel hub and directly connected to it.

Tesla MODEL 3 SERVICE MANUAL: HUB - FRONT - LH (DUAL MOTOR) (REMOVE AND REPLACE)

www.fixyourtesla.com

 

[Brutaka]

Interesting. Given this Im surprised the SCs and MS cant at least locate the source.

Have you checked your lug nuts and studs and wheel/lug nut mating surfaces for odd wear, any cracks, other damage?

I have and nothing appears to be damaged or worn.

 

[Brutaka]

That's your wheel hub (bearing) assembly.

If you want to verify, you can lift that corner of the car, take off the wheel, get a rubber mallet, and lightly whack everything. you'll hear it get louder as you get hit things that are closer to the wheel hub and directly connected to it.

Tesla MODEL 3 SERVICE MANUAL: HUB - FRONT - LH (DUAL MOTOR) (REMOVE AND REPLACE)

www.fixyourtesla.com

I have used a rubber mallet on everything within my wheel wells and nothing seems to make that noise. I'll try again tomorrow after work since the larger garage is already taken for the night.

If this does end up being the bearings, where should I purchase a wheel hub/s? I have no knowledge going that far to remove the wheel hub. Closest I've done was cleaning all my brake pads. And what tools will I need? I'm willing to learn how to fix my car but I'm afraid that I may do something wrong if not done correctly.

Edit: I was reading through the service manual and noticed a portion that said "use a magnetic viewing card to check the LH front hub's tone ring." I've never heard of this before.

 

[Aggmeister2010]

Edit: I was reading through the service manual and noticed a portion that said "use a magnetic viewing card to check the LH front hub's tone ring." I've never heard of this before.

Go ahead and skip that.

Other than that, you'll need a basic tool set, a 1/2" drive torque wrench, a hub puller, an impact wrench would help, and whatever size nut fits on your axle nut....it's a 32mm on the Model S, not sure about the 3. You can rent most of those tools at AutoZone.

I purchased my hubs on RockAuto.com, but you can also look up the part numbers there and buy on ebay if it's cheaper.

It's a straightforward process for folks that are comfortable with car work, but if you haven't done anything like that before, consider having a shop do it. Any reputable place can do it, especially if you print out that service manual with the torque specs.

 

[Brutaka]

Go ahead and skip that.

Other than that, you'll need a basic tool set, a 1/2" drive torque wrench, a hub puller, an impact wrench would help, and whatever size nut fits on your axle nut....it's a 32mm on the Model S, not sure about the 3. You can rent most of those tools at AutoZone.

I purchased my hubs on RockAuto.com, but you can also look up the part numbers there and buy on ebay if it's cheaper.

It's a straightforward process for folks that are comfortable with car work, but if you haven't done anything like that before, consider having a shop do it. Any reputable place can do it, especially if you print out that service manual with the torque specs.

Does the hub not support a tone ring?

My parents and brother have a lot of tools that I can use. I just don't have the hub puller. What hub puller would you recommend?

Would the part numbers vary based on year? I would assume obtaining a new rev would be better, no?

Any reputable place? I'm not sure which place to be quite honest with you. Only places I've ever gone for have vehicles done is the Ford dealership for our company vehicles (which are horrid for service wise) and brakes plus/discount tire. Nothing else comes to mind.

Edit 1: Whatever place I end up finding, would I need to purchase the hub myself and offer it to the folks for them to swap out or would they order it based off the part number?

Edit 2: I'm on rockauto and I'm going to assume that the hubs I'm looking for is NSK: 66BWKH41. Since that's the only one that says AWD in the description while everything else says RWD front or rear. And sadly it's out of stock. Makes me wonder how soon I'd need to replace this since I've been told it'll be bad in the long run if it's not replaced within a certain time frame.

Edit 3: I forgot to ask but after reading this service manual, it doesn't mention how hard you would torque everything back down. Is there a specific set of torque or as hard as you go or what?

 

[Aggmeister2010]

Does the hub not support a tone ring?

My parents and brother have a lot of tools that I can use. I just don't have the hub puller. What hub puller would you recommend?

Would the part numbers vary based on year? I would assume obtaining a new rev would be better, no?

Any reputable place? I'm not sure which place to be quite honest with you. Only places I've ever gone for have vehicles done is the Ford dealership for our company vehicles (which are horrid for service wise) and brakes plus/discount tire. Nothing else comes to mind.

Edit 1: Whatever place I end up finding, would I need to purchase the hub myself and offer it to the folks for them to swap out or would they order it based off the part number?

Edit 2: I'm on rockauto and I'm going to assume that the hubs I'm looking for is NSK: 66BWKH41. Since that's the only one that says AWD in the description while everything else says RWD front or rear. And sadly it's out of stock. Makes me wonder how soon I'd need to replace this since I've been told it'll be bad in the long run if it's not replaced within a certain time frame.

Edit 3: I forgot to ask but after reading this service manual, it doesn't mention how hard you would torque everything back down. Is there a specific set of torque or as hard as you go or what?

There are no revisions. The OEM part number is 1044121-00-E.

The shop can certainly order it, but it'd be much faster if you provide it....they're not usually just sitting around in a local inventory (including at the SC). I'd look for a local independent German shop - VW, BMW, Porsche, Merc - they should be able to handle it fine, especially if you print out the service manual and bring it to them. Not your chain places, as they'll probably overcharge you.

Looks like the NGK brand is out of stock, but WJB WA104412200E is fine. They have that in stock.

There are specific torques mentioned in the manual, and it's important to follow those - at least for the axle nut.

 

[Brutaka]

There are no revisions. The OEM part number is 1044121-00-E.

The shop can certainly order it, but it'd be much faster if you provide it....they're not usually just sitting around in a local inventory (including at the SC). I'd look for a local independent German shop - VW, BMW, Porsche, Merc - they should be able to handle it fine, especially if you print out the service manual and bring it to them. Not your chain places, as they'll probably overcharge you.

Looks like the NGK brand is out of stock, but WJB WA104412200E is fine. They have that in stock.

There are specific torques mentioned in the manual, and it's important to follow those - at least for the axle nut.

Is there any difference between 66BWKH41and WA104412200E? One says for AWD while the other says RWD. Are these new or refurbished? Not sure where I can find the condition of the product.

Also how come one says Economy and the other Standard Replacement? I apologize if I'm asking a lot of questions. I'm just trying to familiarize myself with these technical terms is all.

Would be nice to have all of the torque info on the same given page instead of having to find it within the manual. I spent a good 15 minutes looking through the manual on the website and I couldn't find anything related to torque specs. Maybe I'm just blind.

I'm curious as to what makes you say to look for a local German Auto shop. Would a traditional auto shop like say Toyota not work on such a vehicle? Or is that something related to like a luxury brand type of thing?

 

[Aggmeister2010]

Oops - you need WA104412300A. Basically, there are two versions of the hub...one with a splined hole in the center (for AWD, where the axle goes through all 4 hubs) and one without the hole (for RWD, where it only goes through the rear hubs).

They're all new, not refurbished. I wouldn't worry about the economy vs standard rating. They're both still good products.

The only important torque is the axle nut - 180 ft*lbs (245 Nm). They're listed in the step with the relevant bolt in it.

Any independent shop can do this. I just listed German because I've had experience with them. Don't overthink it - it's just a few bolts

 

[Brutaka]

Oops - you need WA104412300A. Basically, there are two versions of the hub...one with a splined hole in the center (for AWD, where the axle goes through all 4 hubs) and one without the hole (for RWD, where it only goes through the rear hubs).

They're all new, not refurbished. I wouldn't worry about the economy vs standard rating. They're both still good products.

The only important torque is the axle nut - 180 ft*lbs (245 Nm). They're listed in the step with the relevant bolt in it.

Any independent shop can do this. I just listed German because I've had experience with them. Don't overthink it - it's just a few bolts

You say they're both good products. I'm guessing they're made by different manufacturers then?

180ft lbs. of torque, got it.

I'm trying not to overthink it but I always end up thinking worst case scenario.

 

[Aggmeister2010]

You say they're both good products. I'm guessing they're made by different manufacturers then?

180ft lbs. of torque, got it.

I'm trying not to overthink it but I always end up thinking worst case scenario.

Well yeah, Rock Auto is a reseller, so those are two different brands and they just put them in different categories.