Hi Guys My 2015 yeti se 2ltr diesel started to make a strange deep droning noise while driving along. , most noticeable

at 20-25 MPH I feel it is coming from the front and may be left of center  . I have looked at the tyres and checked pressure etc , I cannot see anything wrong !!.

 It started this a couple of days ago . 

Any suggestions would be gratefully received .

It is going in for its second replacement rear wiper motor next week so if no one can shed any light on it I will get the dealer to have a look / Listen .

Regards to All 

 Mike

4 hours ago, MRW said:

My 2015 yeti se 2ltr diesel started to make a strange deep droning noise while driving along.

 

Is that in any particular gear or revs?
If not I would suspect a wheel bearing.

Does not seem to be gear or rev dependent its just that at slow speed and low revs it is easier to hear it .

I thought wheel bearing were more of a whine noise than a deep drone ?

 Thanks for taking the trouble to reply Urrell

Mike

Just a thought: One or two Yeti owners have reported strange noises arising from a small stone lodged between brake disc and shield.  Sometimes the stone eventually dislodges itself; sometimes it can be dislodged by driving a short distance in reverse.  Might be worth a look?

I'd also suspect wheel bearing,  and that's what I'd look at first.  Can produce a variety of different sound symptoms.

Thanks guys I will take a look tomorrow weather permitting and let you know result 

Mike

Well Guys This morning I jacked up the yeti and checked for any play in the wheel bearings,  None apparent . I rotated the wheel in both directions , no sign of any roughness at all . I looked to see if there was anything jammed in between the disk and the back plate , nothing visible.

I know it is booked into the dealer on the 19th to have the rear windscreen wiper motor changed again under guarantee. But I am now worried it is something that might do lasting damage if left for a week .

Unless anyone has any other suggestions I will take it to the dealer and ask him to have a listen .

Thank you again for taking the trouble to reply .

Regards to all 

 Mike 

There can be roughness without play and on a FWD front wheel you cannot spin it up fast enough to feel any roughness.

 

I always get in the zone where the noise is most evident then do a few swerves away from the side I suspect, if the bearing is failing then the moise will increase with the weight transfer.

 

If you cant tell whether its coming from the front or the back then you will have to choose between them while jacked up as you have done or maybe get someone to sit in the front and the back to listen and to feel with their bum cheeks.

Hi Mike   Wheel bearings can be noisy for a very long time before failing, so I wouldn't be overly concerned.  A tiny bit of wear is sufficient to cause noise, not enough to notice when spinning or rocking the wheel by hand with the car jacked up.   I once had a bearing which went this way after moisture got in past a nick in the oil seal when fording deep water.  After a few days parked the bearing internals must have started rusting.

 

One thing worth trying is to find a quiet wide road, declutch whilst travelling at a low speed and steer first one way or the other.  As the weight increases on the bearing when the wheel is on the outside of the turn the noise tends to increase, conversely when the weight decreases with the wheel on the inside of the turn the noise decreases.

If you haven't already done so, have a look at the inner edge of the tyre treads looking for any evidence of "saw tooth" wear. Check front and back.

 

https://www.oponeo.co.uk/tyre-article/saw-tooth-tyre-wear

 

Not easy to spot from the outside of the car but can definitely cause a "droning" noise at certain speeds. I had this happen on one car and I was convinced it was wheel bearing noise until the garage changed the worn tyres.

Ref wheel bearings, we have an old Rav4 that we use in the Winter. It started to make a "rumbling" noise last year. We had it all checked over and our local friendly mech. could not find anything wrong. We assume its a wheel bearing as we have "freewheeled" in neutral and the noise remains the same. We had it checked over again this year (passed MOT OK), and again he could not find anything obvious. So as above really, wheel bearings can make noises long before any "play" becomes apparent. We are just waiting for it to get worse so at least we can then determine which front wheel it is and then get it replaced. (We only use it for relatively short journeys anyway so we are not that concerned at the mo.)

No.1 son had exactly same symptoms on his (same model) Yeti. Having listened, Dad thought front near side bearing.

Dealer found not so but did find a large screw, well embedded between the treads.  No deflation had been noticed though.

As son was about to go to France on holiday, he replaced both front tyres (two thirds worn anyway) and the droning disappeared.

Maybe the slight extra weight caused sufficient imbalance to cause the drone sound?........but problem solved.

 

Hi Guys Once again thank you to everyone for taking the trouble to reply Tomorrow before taking it to the dealers I will jack it up again and have a close inspection of the tires . I took it out this afternoon and on a quiet road doing about 40 mph slipped  it out of gear and let the revs drop to idle the droning noise could still be heard with no change  so it is definitely pointing to the wheels or could it possibly be drive shaft ? I cannot think of any thing else that is rotating under those circumstances . Failing the above it is still under Skoda 12 month warren-tee as I have only had it a couple of months 

 

Mike

Update to the Problem .

I took it to the dealer this morning they took it for a short run and agreed it was a bearing problem . They then had it up on the ramp with the wheels spinning and traced the noise down to the Diff unit !!!!!!  I am a little disappointed as the yeti is only 3 yrs old and only done 25,000 mls .I was not expecting to have a serious problem like this so early in its ownership .But at least it is covered by the skoda  approved used care 12 mth warentee and they are lending me a cutesy car while they have it .

Thank you All for your helpful  replies .

Regards to All and your Families may you have a peaceful Christmas and a great 2019

A cutesey car !  Just the thing for Christmas.

Hi MRW,

 

Just wondering if you got you car repaired. Was the problem the diff in the end?

I am trying to diagnose a whining, throbbing noise that chimes in at around 30 and then 60mph. Same age and mileage as your car.

 

J