There is a roaring noise when I drive my 2001 Honda Accord EX 6 Cylinder. The noise was loud at 40 mph. Could hear on the highway but not really on streets. I replaced the front rotors and rotated the tires. The noise was still there. Then I had the back rotors replaced. A year ago I had the Back Right wheel bearing replaced and had to get a new tire put on. The rotors in the back were resurfaced at the time so they really needed to be replaced. The noise was gone, I thought, after doing all of this. I couldn't tell if the noise was still there (but much better) or if the new light noise I was hearing was from the tire rotation and the old break pads acclimating to the new rotors. It's starting to get louder now. Could it be the left back wheel bearing? The alignment? New tires? Or just from the adjustments working the kinks out?

Hi, I had the same problem with my Honda Civic Type R 2004. It was a rather loud noise only at the speed of 55 onwards, I first thought it was part of the V-Tech (silly me) but it was just the 'ALIGNMENT'. After getting this checked, I was about to solve the problem when the problem solved itself just before I got it repaired! This must just be a common come and go thing for Honda's. I wouldn't worry about this and give it a couple more weeks. If the problem still occurs, Get it checked out at a garage. If the problem IS wheel alignment and you need the wheels balancing, DON'T pay under £25.00 ($48.89) as this job can be done cheaply. Hope this helped, Let me know how this got on! Tom

Try driving down the freeway at 60 mph and slightly turning the wheel to the right and then back again. This should "load" the wheel bearings on the right side of the car. If you notice a change in sound, those wheel bearings should be replaced. Perform the same test on the left-side wheel bearings, by turning the wheel to the left and then back again.

On average, Accord wheel bearings last 125,000 to 150,000 miles. Once one wheel bearing goes, it's not long until the others should be replaced. When they are removed, you will likely see pronounced heat discoloration on the bearings. Be sure to replace the lower ball joints, when you replace the front wheel bearings.

Another possibility is unusual "cupping" on the bottom of the tires, which is caused by worn struts. This is a common problem on older cars. Rotating the tires will do little to get rid of the noise at freeway speeds. Jack the front end up and look head on at the tread for signs of cupping.

I found out it's the left back Wheel hub bearing. But they want to charge me $228 for the labor and I have to bring the car back tomorrow because the "technition" leaves today at 5pm. Ugh!

That is a total rip! A new Timken rear wheel bearing for that car costs $76.99 at AutoZone. There's not much to changing them out. I would change rear wheel bearings all day long for $50 per wheel. Print the procedure below, buy the wheel bearing yourself, find a friend or competitive mechanic who has a torque wrench, and have him replace it for you. Shop around--many people are hungry for this type of easy work.

Rear Wheel Bearing Replacement

1. Loosen wheel nuts slightly.

2. Raise rear of car and support securely on jack stands placed under the pinch welds.

3. Remove wheel nuts and rear wheel.

4. Pull the parking brake lever up.

5. Remove hubcap with a cold chisel and hammer; remove spindle nut (32 mm socket) with a breaker bar or impact wrench.

6. Remove caliper shield, brake hose mounting bolt, and both 6mm brake disc retaining screws. Use a hand impact tool and a #3 Phillips Head Bit to remove the 6mm retaining screws. Coat the screws with anti-seize compound to ease removal next time. Remove caliper, suspending it to one side on a wire; remove caliper bracket mounting bolts and caliper bracket; and remove brake disc.

7. Remove and install new wheel bearing/hub unit. Button everything up, apply parking brake, and tighten a new spindle nut to specification. Accord rear spindle nuts are torqued to 139 lb.-ft. Stake the spindle nut shoulder against the spindle, using the cold chisel and hammer.


Bearing life is, to a large extent, a function of preloading the bearing properly and ensuring the seal keeps water and contaminants out. Preload represents a tight bearing setting whereas endplay represents a loose setting. Therefore, use good technique, a new spindle nut, and an accurate torque wrench when tightening spindle nuts.