I went on a road trip through death valley over the past week and on my way back i ended up hearing a growling sound coming from under my feet. It started when i got off the interstate and came to stop. I put the car in first and as i began to accelerate the growling noise became aparent. I've notice that if i take off really slow i can usually bypass the noise. However, if i take off hard its always present and can be reproduced in all gears (not as much in fifth). The noise is absent once i get to a speed i plan on maintaining. Doesn't seem to sound like a tranny issue. I had also brought the car in a few weeks previous to take care of a wheel bearing on the front drivers side. It did reduce the off round sound/vibration that i was experiencing but didn't totally iliminate it! I know these issues are hard to diagnose without seeing the car directly. I looked at the cv boots and didn't notice any rips. So i'm curious as to what this might be? any ideas would be much appreciated. Also, if you know of any good mechanics in the San Jose ca area.

 

A tell-tale for a split boot is a lot of grease on the inside of the wheel.
You may not otherwise see the split because it usually happens between the bellows.

 

I just took a look and didn't notice any grease on the inside of the wheel. However, i just washed the car and took it for a short drive but still no grease. Could it be possible to not have grease on the wheel anymore since i drove 400 miles on my way back?

 

A sign of a bad CV joint is a clicking when you are turning. It should not rumble.

 

Ya this noise can be reproduced without turning. when starting off from a stop light you can get it to occur if you take off a little harder. Yet if i take off as slow as i can you won't hear it. any ideas as to what else i should look into?