3rd Gen T4R DIY Maintenance, Repair and Modification Videos

Hewgs said:
Good Afternoon everyone,
just joined the forum and frankly not sure if i am posting in the appropriate section.

Anyhow, i recently re geared my 4runner to 4.88. Everything runs beautifully, however, we are experiencing a well defined clicking noise while making hard turns.

I have double checked to make sure it was not a CV axle.

What is strange is after re-lubricating my driveshaft the clicking noise briefly went away, but after sitting in the driveway for another week it seems to be back in full force.

I would love to hear what everyone has to say, could it be broken spider gears?

Thanks ALl
Click to expand...

Who did the work for the re-gear? Was it a shop or did you do this yourself? I would think a driveshaft would make noise all the time and not just during a hard turn and same goes for the differential.

Clicking during a hard turn is the classic sign that a CV axle on it's way out. How did you double check it wasn't the CV axle? Maybe what you could do is get into an open parking lot after hours and have a friend help you out. You could turn tight corners while your buddy stands outside trying to listen where the source of the noise is coming from. This might help you narrow down whether it's coming from the front or the rear of the vehicle.
 
My brother in law and i did the differential. We were really careful to set proper backlash/pinion depth/and smear test.
I have triple checked and it is not the CV axle. However, for more accurate description, what i am experiencing is only occurring on tight turns. When i let off the gas while cornering it is making a "clunk, clunk, clunk" noise. it is much different then a CV click. It happens on both left and right hand turns but only while decelerating.

We took it out in the parking lot to make sure it was coming from rear.
 
Hewgs said:
My brother in law and i did the differential. We were really careful to set proper backlash/pinion depth/and smear test.
I have triple checked and it is not the CV axle. However, for more accurate description, what i am experiencing is only occurring on tight turns. When i let off the gas while cornering it is making a "clunk, clunk, clunk" noise. it is much different then a CV click. It happens on both left and right hand turns but only while decelerating.

We took it out in the parking lot to make sure it was coming from rear.
Click to expand...

Well, if you don't think it's the re-gear work you guys did, make your control arm bushings are clucking around due to deterioration. Have you examined those yet?

And this is an open differential, correct? No lunch box locker? I know lunch box lockers can make a bunch of racket on turns. On a very tight turn the outside wheel needs to travel much faster than the inside wheel and maybe in this circumstance the noise is telling your something about your re-gear job.

I guess the question I should of asked you first is were you getting this noise on tight turns before the re-gear? If you weren't, I'd unfortunately have to say something isn't right with the job you and your brother in law did. From what I understand about working differentials is it's sort of an art and more than a few people have tried there hand at it and got it wrong. I'm not saying for sure you guys screwed up, but if the sound wasn't there before, I'd pull the 3rd member back out and take a look and double check your work.
 
Hewgs said:
My brother in law and i did the differential. We were really careful to set proper backlash/pinion depth/and smear test.
I have triple checked and it is not the CV axle. However, for more accurate description, what i am experiencing is only occurring on tight turns. When i let off the gas while cornering it is making a "clunk, clunk, clunk" noise. it is much different then a CV click. It happens on both left and right hand turns but only while decelerating.

We took it out in the parking lot to make sure it was coming from rear.
Click to expand...

What kind of gear oil are you using?

Also see mtbtim’s questions. I’m curious if there’s a locker in there too.
 
mtbtim said:
Well, if you don't think it's the re-gear work you guys did, make your control arm bushings are clucking around due to deterioration. Have you examined those yet?

And this is an open differential, correct? No lunch box locker? I know lunch box lockers can make a bunch of racket on turns. On a very tight turn the outside wheel needs to travel much faster than the inside wheel and maybe in this circumstance the noise is telling your something about your re-gear job.

I guess the question I should of asked you first is were you getting this noise on tight turns before the re-gear? If you weren't, I'd unfortunately have to say something isn't right with the job you and your brother in law did. From what I understand about working differentials is it's sort of an art and more than a few people have tried there hand at it and got it wrong. I'm not saying for sure you guys screwed up, but if the sound wasn't there before, I'd pull the 3rd member back out and take a look and double check your work.
Click to expand...

Good point, Should have thought to mention the noise was indeed occurring before the re-gear. I bought the runner with a worn pinion and i knew i was going to have to fix the diff. we used it as an opportunity to re-gear it since we were going to pull pinion anyways.

We are just now in the break in period and we have only put about 15 miles on it since we did the work.

We used SAE 75W-90 Gear oil. i filled the back until spilling as recommended.

Could driving it in 4x4 have anything to do with it?

i know this sort of thing is hard to diagnose online, but i would love to exhaust all options before taking to professionals. really appreciate this forum being so helpful.
 
Hewgs said:
Could driving it in 4x4 have anything to do with it?
Click to expand...

Are you driving it in 4x4 on the pavement? What year is it? I believe 2000 and below have a locking center differential, and not AWD, so you'll not want to be driving it in 4 wheel drive on pavement and especially not making sharp turns. Is the clicking coming from the transfer case? It sits between the transmission and the rear drive shaft.
 
weekendclimber said:
Are you driving it in 4x4 on the pavement? What year is it? I believe 2000 and below have a locking center differential, and not AWD, so you'll not want to be driving it in 4 wheel drive on pavement and especially not making sharp turns. Is the clicking coming from the transfer case? It sits between the transmission and the rear drive shaft.
Click to expand...

I have the same question about the 4wd statement. Driving on pavement in 4wd is ok only if you're driving straight. In 4wd, the front tires need to be on a surface that will give or slip a little . The only time pavement driving in 4wd is recommended is when the roadways are covered in snow or are icy. The rear wouldn't bind on sharp turns in 4wd unless you had a locking differential and you have it locked. You would hear the tires chirp because both tires are turning at the same speed but the outside tire needs to turn faster so it skips or chirps. The front would bind like crazy and that would end up braking a CV axle or break the gears in your front differential.
 
mtbtim said:
27) CV Axle Reboot w/ Extended Boot Mod and Replacement
3rd Gen T4R DIY Maintenance, Repair and Modification Videos - Page 7 - Toyota 4Runner Forum - Largest 4Runner Forum
Click to expand...
hey Tim, because of these videos i was able to do my front end this past holiday weekend and it was incredibly easy. i know ive said thank you in the past, but i just wanted to thank you again!

i also have a trick for seating the front diff oil seals to the correct depth and while i posted it in my build thread i thought i would share it here as well:

the FSM calls for pushing in the diff oil seals 5.5 mms and not to go too far. an easy trick i used was take a picture of the seals before you remove them, reference later if needed but basically both sides are 'flush' with the housing. knowing that if i pushed in the seals too far id need to get new ones as the seal puller i have absolutely junks the seals. what i ended up doing was driving the seals in to be ALMOST flush with the housing knowing that they were likely a millimeter or so too far out, i smacked the CVs in with a brass tipped punch and let the CVs seat the seals to the correct depth. this took all of the guess work out of it.
Click to expand...
 
mesooohoppy said:
hey Tim, because of these videos i was able to do my front end this past holiday weekend and it was incredibly easy. i know ive said thank you in the past, but i just wanted to thank you again!

i also have a trick for seating the front diff oil seals to the correct depth and while i posted it in my build thread i thought i would share it here as well:
Click to expand...

You're very welcome. You're idea for seating the oil seals to the correct depth is interesting. I'd be interested to see that the depth measurement of the seal is from the end of the differential housing by using your method. I wonder if it would truly knock the seal in to a depth of 5.5mm. If you take your axles for any reason, please take a measurement and let me know what it was.
 
mtbtim said:
You're very welcome. You're idea for seating the oil seals to the correct depth is interesting. I'd be interested to see that the depth measurement of the seal is from the end of the differential housing by using your method. I wonder if it would truly knock the seal in to a depth of 5.5mm. If you take your axles for any reason, please take a measurement and let me know what it was.
Click to expand...

will do. like i said, i got it real close. i just wasnt willing to try to tap in the full 5.5mm and have the possilibility of pushing them in too far. i was surprised how much resistance i was given tapping the CVs in (more than the seals); so they shouldnt have any problem pushing the seals to the correct depth.

what i did do to minimize warping/cocking the seal up when pounding the cv in was try to smack the CV 'ledge' at as many angles as i could. of course hitting it from the bottom was the easiest due the subframe being out of the way.
 
tim, thanks for your LBJ vid. i felt quite encouraged having seen that, and it turned out well when i completed mine today. your vids are very useful. i'm waiting for the snow to stop, then i'll take it out for a spin.
 
photoleif said:
tim, thanks for your LBJ vid. i felt quite encouraged having seen that, and it turned out well when i completed mine today. your vids are very useful. i'm waiting for the snow to stop, then i'll take it out for a spin.
Click to expand...

Glad to hear your LBJ job turned out well. Welcome to the world of DIY Wrenching!
 
mtbtim said:
I have the same question about the 4wd statement. Driving on pavement in 4wd is ok only if you're driving straight. In 4wd, the front tires need to be on a surface that will give or slip a little . The only time pavement driving in 4wd is recommended is when the roadways are covered in snow or are icy. The rear wouldn't bind on sharp turns in 4wd unless you had a locking differential and you have it locked. You would hear the tires chirp because both tires are turning at the same speed but the outside tire needs to turn faster so it skips or chirps. The front would bind like crazy and that would end up braking a CV axle or break the gears in your front differential.
Click to expand...

What if your battery slowly dies while driving after the battery light comes on. Took to autozone but they said battery, spark plugs, and alternator are good
 
tweetyboy9 said:
What if your battery slowly dies while driving after the battery light comes on. Took to autozone but they said battery, spark plugs, and alternator are good
Click to expand...

Did the Autozone person tell you what your charging system was putting out? A healthy alternator will be charging somewhere between 13.8 - 14.3 volts. A strong battery will show a value of around 12.8 volts. Your rig is acting like it's not sufficiently charging and that's why your battery is dying. If I were you, I'd get your own multimeter and check it out yourself.

Here's a video where I show using my mulitmeter to check the health of my charing system and battery. Go to play time 24:11.

If you don't own a multimeter, this would be a good one:
https://amzn.to/2NcuGwr

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/71_kBhg6_-A" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
 
Toyota 5VZ-FE 3.4L V6 TRD Supercharger Nose Cone Rebuild

If you have a 2nd Generation TRD Supercharger on your 3rd Gen 4runner, this video will show you the steps to renew the wear parts in the nose cone.

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/56KhWJPUevk" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
 
New to the forums and 3rd gen 4runner ownership. Been spending tons of time here and YouTube researching. Thank you for your amazing contributions to this community.

I’m confident to take on easier jobs and considering doing harder ones. Earlier watching your inner and outer tie rod video I wondered if there was a list of work that involves special tools. definitely do not want to invest in $$$ Toyota special tools for a single job. Would rather not have to modify tools to make them work. A list would make it much easier for me to quickly reference and know what to pay the shop for on Tuesday
 
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