When I start the truck up usually when it's cold, there's a strange noise that sounds almost like the antenna motor actuating but the antenna doesn't go up. It ends with a kind of clunk like some door or something near the antenna is closing shut. It's coming from right about where the antenna is, but I can only hear the noise from inside the truck; it doesn't last long enough for me to run out and try and listen to it from the outside - believe me, I've tried. I don't know if it's a real problem or not, I've owned the truck for over a year and there have been no problems that I could work out that are directly related to that noise but you never know - it'd be nice to at least know what it is. I like to know what all of my runner's strange noises are. Thanks!

HVAC mechanisms in the dash maybe?? Are you starting it up with it already set to run in defrost or other mode?

I posted about a weird groaning noise coming from the firewall on the passenger side when I first got my runner.

Interesting groan from front end...

If it's the same noise that you are having it turns out that it is the ABS actuator moving, at least that's what I concluded on after doing a lot of research. It actually says in the 4runner manual (I checked myself) that you may hear this noise and it is nothing to be worried about. I thought it was temperature related as well, but it turns out that it does it right after you start the truck, put it in gear, and begin to move. After that it doesn't do it again until you restart.

Just realized someone posted in that thread and I never followed up...

The cable that powered my antenna broke about 3 years ago. Prior to it completely breaking I could push/pull the antenna to get it into position. Had to be quick though. Once completely broken, it would not work at all but the motor would still turn on and sound strange. Does your antenna actually ever work? Try turning the radio on and off a few times to get the antenna to cycle and see if it repeats. I purchased an aftermarket antenna from the internet that works but is not a perfect fit. It slides too far down into the guide. Oddly enough where I live (Houston TX) the radio worked just fine with no antenna. If I had known that I would not have bought it.

My antenna works perfectly oddly enough. I don't think it's the antenna motor because (at least from the interior of the truck) it sounds like the noise is coming from behind the dash or something. Maybe it's that cylindrical black piece in the top left of the engine bay. I don't know what that is. I wish I had a diagram of EVERYTHING in the engine bay. I mean everything, not just main parts - every hose, wire, etc. and what they do, where they go, etc. It would make my life easier. That's not my engine bay by the way.

Attached Images

 

Interesting thought, but it makes the noise right at the place I described (I think) in my above reply to TX4Running. When I go home from college for Thanksgiving, I'll try out all possible scenarios (AC on/off, recirculation on/off, defrost on/off, etc.) and see if it makes it under some of those conditions. Then I'll be able to narrow it down. I doubt it's anything serious. Thanks for the replies though!

Maybe take a video and someone could ID it