Steering Wheel Noise?

[Finlayforprez]

Hello everyone,

I know this topic has been discussed, but my steering wheel problem does not appear to be a vibration, but rather almost like it feels like when I turn at mostly lower speeds it makes almost a grinding or hydraulic sound? It does cause some vibration, but I have never felt it until the last two days. I have a 2011 LR4 HSE with just barely 1,000 miles. I got my LR4 in early February. I don't put a lot of miles on it because I take the train to work. I do, however, park my LR4 at the train station and the past couple days have been hot here in the SF Bay area. Once I pull out of my parking space and accelerate and turn the wheel, I almost feel as though there is this strange noise or feeling coming from the steering wheel. Once I get going, it seems to subside, but it's only happened a few times in the past couple days. It has never done this before.

I am going to be driving on the highway this weekend to see if i does it... as right now I only drive 0.5 miles per day during the week.

Is this sort of what other people are feeling in their steering wheel? It's REALLY making me worried and I am hoping it goes away or I will need to bring it to the dealership.

Thanks everyone!

 

[Count Laszlo]

Hey there, it has been crazy warm here! I'm just a few blocks from the ocean which helps a bit, but even so, it is way too hot! AC doesn't exist in SF so when it's warm at night, it can be uncomfortable.

As for that sound you're hearing, do you think it maybe the power steering pump? Because of the heat? Sometimes my power steering will make an odd hum/very low tone when charging up a steep hill... But the way you're describing your feel, through the steering wheel, sounds like the the weird thing that happens to mine. It comes and goes, but since it's usually cool here in the city, I've never tied it to the weather.

I don't get a vibration like poorly balanced wheels though, just a very low hum/tone through the steering wheel, if that makes sense... I attribute it to be the power steering pump over working... But it's seldom and it doesn't seem alarming so I haven't noted it as something to worry about.

You might want to bring it into the dealership but it might be one of those things that's hard to reproduce. I figure if the pump is defective, there is a very high probability it will fail within warranty. My own personal risk analysis I guess.

Hey, did you ever get your bulbs upgraded? Do you work downtown? I work in Soma.

 

[Finlayforprez]

Hey there, it has been crazy warm here! I'm just a few blocks from the ocean which helps a bit, but even so, it is way too hot! AC doesn't exist in SF so when it's warm at night, it can be uncomfortable.

As for that sound you're hearing, do you think it maybe the power steering pump? Because of the heat? Sometimes my power steering will make an odd hum/very low tone when charging up a steep hill... But the way you're describing your feel, through the steering wheel, sounds like the the weird thing that happens to mine. It comes and goes, but since it's usually cool here in the city, I've never tied it to the weather.

I don't get a vibration like poorly balanced wheels though, just a very low hum/tone through the steering wheel, if that makes sense... I attribute it to be the power steering pump over working... But it's seldom and it doesn't seem alarming so I haven't noted it as something to worry about.

You might want to bring it into the dealership but it might be one of those things that's hard to reproduce. I figure if the pump is defective, there is a very high probability it will fail within warranty. My own personal risk analysis I guess.

Hey, did you ever get your bulbs upgraded? Do you work downtown? I work in Soma.

Hello Count,

Thank you for the quick reply, you are always great about providing feedback and help. It has been rather warm here the past couple days. We went from winter rains to summer heat. I do not live in SF, but rather live in San Carlos about 20 miles south of the city. I work in South San Francisco and take CalTrain to work most days. It's definitely a bit warmer here in the mid-peninsula. Unlike people in San Francisco, I have A/C so that's a relief when it gets too warm. Plus, my dog is so spoiled and hates the heat, so anytime it's going to be over 80, I leave it on for him.

The sound I am hearing / more feeling could be something to do with the power steering pump. I am not sure if it is related to the warmer weather, but I know it has happened over the past two days around 4:!5PM when I am driving home from the train station.

It just so happens that the temperature has been close to the mid-80s and now I am remembering that I have the A/C on full blast (turning the driver side dial all the way to LOW). So, I basically jump in the car, start it, put the A/C on full blast, and then drive home about 0.4 miles. Once I am on the road it seems to go away, so maybe it's connected to both the weather and the A/C being on full blast? Either way, I am going to watch it closely and see if it gets worse or goes away. Maybe it's just the strain of just starting the car in the high heat with the A/C on full blast?

The sound and feeling you describe sounds exactly like mine. I agree that it would be difficult to reproduce at the dealership. Even so, I will watch it and see if it gets worse. Hopefully, like you said, if there is an issue, it will be during the warranty. I don't put a lot of miles on my car, but I'd imagine if it is an issue it will get worse rather quickly.

Regarding my headlight bulbs, I actually just ordered the bulbs you recommended and they should arrive in the next day or two. I did a bit of research on how to change them and it looks pretty simple. One question I have is regarding factory seals.... will I need to break any type of factory seal? Also, did you use cotton gloves when handling the new headlight bulbs?

I will keep you posted... thanks so much!

 

[MottMcfly]

I have an 11 LR4 HSE. I can't swear we are talking about the same thing but I drive 2.5 miles to the train station everyday and I seem to notice something in the steering too although it's more sound than feeling. It vanishes after the first mile though. I've attributed this, thus far, to the cold weather we've had in Socal. At least up until today. I'm assuming this is just the vehicle just warming up.

Marty

 

[crewcabrob]

Hi all,

I haven't noticed anything in my steering wheel; noise or slight vibration. I don't drive mine much now that the weather is getting nice out. I only have to walk about 2/3 of a mile to get from my house to work.

I would concure with Stephen that it could be the power steering pump acting funny. Maybe after some more break in miles the situation will go away. If not, there is always the warranty down the road.

Good luck!

Rob

 

[Finlayforprez]

I have an 11 LR4 HSE. I can't swear we are talking about the same thing but I drive 2.5 miles to the train station everyday and I seem to notice something in the steering too although it's more sound than feeling. It vanishes after the first mile though. I've attributed this, thus far, to the cold weather we've had in Socal. At least up until today. I'm assuming this is just the vehicle just warming up.

Marty

Hey Marty,

Thank you for the reply. Yes!!! I believe that is the issue with my 2011 LR4 as well, It's not really a feeling per se, but more of a sound coming from the steering wheel or column or something. Maybe this is normal operation for the LR4? I just have a hard time believing that minor temperature extremes, such as 80 degrees in the SF Bay area or "cold" weather in LA are enough to cause such issues? I thought this was a Land Rover, I thought they would operate under extreme temperature conditions without much issue. I will keep everyone posted if I hear / feel it and the conditions. It's a bit early to run to the dealership, as I am not sure it would easily be reproduced, but I will certainly keep an eye and ear on it. Thanks again!

 

[Finlayforprez]

Hi all,

I haven't noticed anything in my steering wheel; noise or slight vibration. I don't drive mine much now that the weather is getting nice out. I only have to walk about 2/3 of a mile to get from my house to work.

I would concure with Stephen that it could be the power steering pump acting funny. Maybe after some more break in miles the situation will go away. If not, there is always the warranty down the road.

Good luck!

Rob

Thanks, Rob!

Yeah, I am definitely going to keep an eye and ear on it and see if it gets worse. Since I barely have 1,000 miles on it, maybe it will subside. My last three cars have been Mercedes (I traded in my 2009 ML for the LR4) and I've never had this quirkiness before. Thanks!

 

[Franky]

I have noticed something similar on my '11 Lux. I'm very intune to noises as I've worked on and built a few mustangs in my time. This being said my ears are always open.

I believe its coming from the drivers side front wheel. It happens under certain acceleration conditions. Med. throttle from a stand still, more noticable when under heavy accel. from a dead stop. When I'm @ highway speeds I dont hear or feel it durning accel, same as pulling away from a stop sign with light accel..

This is the only thing I can think of : I've heard of a few people complain of the truck pulling under heavy accel. I've seen a post on here about it aswell. I'm thinking maybe its a program that activates the drivers side front brake (pulsates, this is what I feel and hear) to prevent the pull under heavy accel. Its def. a rotating object (brake rotor, bearing, cv joint). Issue's with the bearing is constant, cv is noticable durning steering, which leaves me thinking brake rotor. Which makes sense to me, being the brake pulsesating to prevent a pulling condition. When I'm accelerating and I hear the noise / feel the vibration which is very slight, it does not increase with wheel speed and as the acceleration lessens the condition fades away.

My truck does not show any pull under full accel. from a stand still. Thinking about it more, if its the brake caliper acting as a traction aid to prevent pull, it should be felt through the brake pedal. But who has there foot on the brake durning accel. I'm going to try it tom. by letting my left foot rest on the brake pedal and floor it. If this is the case I should be able to feel it. I will report back my findings.

This is just my 2 cents. It bothered me at first, but dont feel that theres anything wrong with the truck because it would be constant. I dont feel the need to have it looked at right now. I just hit 1k with mine, so maybe more break in is req.

 

[Finlayforprez]

I have noticed something similar on my '11 Lux. I'm very intune to noises as I've worked on and built a few mustangs in my time. This being said my ears are always open.

I believe its coming from the drivers side front wheel. It happens under certain acceleration conditions. Med. throttle from a stand still, more noticable when under heavy accel. from a dead stop. When I'm @ highway speeds I dont hear or feel it durning accel, same as pulling away from a stop sign with light accel..

This is the only thing I can think of : I've heard of a few people complain of the truck pulling under heavy accel. I've seen a post on here about it aswell. I'm thinking maybe its a program that activates the drivers side front brake (pulsates, this is what I feel and hear) to prevent the pull under heavy accel. Its def. a rotating object (brake rotor, bearing, cv joint). Issue's with the bearing is constant, cv is noticable durning steering, which leaves me thinking brake rotor. Which makes sense to me, being the brake pulsesating to prevent a pulling condition. When I'm accelerating and I hear the noise / feel the vibration which is very slight, it does not increase with wheel speed and as the acceleration lessens the condition fades away.

My truck does not show any pull under full accel. from a stand still. Thinking about it more, if its the brake caliper acting as a traction aid to prevent pull, it should be felt through the brake pedal. But who has there foot on the brake durning accel. I'm going to try it tom. by letting my left foot rest on the brake pedal and floor it. If this is the case I should be able to feel it. I will report back my findings.

This is just my 2 cents. It bothered me at first, but dont feel that theres anything wrong with the truck because it would be constant. I dont feel the need to have it looked at right now. I just hit 1k with mine, so maybe more break in is req.

Thanks for the reply! I appreciate your input. We are at about the same mileage, as I just hit the 1,000 mark and had my LR4 for about 2 months. I am going to watch this issue and will keep everyone posted... please do the same. Thanks!

 

[Franky]

Well, I tried a few different tests and this is what I came up with:
1) I could not feel a pulse in the brake pedal (possible that maybe its a soft pulse unlike an abs kicking in)
2) I'm only hearing it durning acceleration from a stop. I was on the highway around 65mph and put the pedal down till I hit 95mph. No noise or vibe durning accel.

One problem I did find with the truck: Its very easy to speed in. This was the first trip over 50 miles of highway stretch and found myself over the speed limit more than a few times. Beautiful highway ride. And this baby is fast for an SUV on the highway.