Another noise diagnosis please! :D

DayDay13

DayDay13

New member
I have a "wom..wom..wom" noise coming from my 4Runner at 20-55mph. I thought it was a brake issue but I got new brakes/rotors (Every part) all the way around and it still didn't stop it. It happens when I'm driving straight ahead and seems to go away on turns. My steering wheels does not shake, pull or stray. I've searched a lot and can't seem to find anything.

I know it has to have something to do with a moving part because the noise it makes is very consistent between the wom wom wom wom wom sound. It's steady, if that makes sense :(

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

I'll see if I can get a sound clip somehow if that helps. Might not be loud enough though...

Thanks!
 
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wom wom wom usually comes from u-joints... in my experiences anyways.
I would start there since they're cheap and fairly easy to do.
Hope this helps!
 
Set your parking brake and put the truck in neutral to relieve the tension (preferably on level ground for safety sake), lay underneath it and wiggle the driveshaft up and down and/or side to side to see if there is any play in it... may not be much, but it doesn't take much to get your wom wom wom :)
I would say that 9 times out of 10 it will be the rear joint at the differential, so focus there first.
 
One more question. Is this something that can wait to get fixed, I wont crash and die in a car fire if I wait to get it fixed will I? :lookout:
 
They usually can go a while before they decide to break, but try to keep your foot out of the "go-go" juice.
Mine started squeaking enough to drive me batty, so I changed it out.
If you start to get some serious vibrations, it would be wise to park it until you fix it so it doesn't heat up your pinion bearing to bad...that's another thing, after you drive it for a longer distance, crawl underneath and feel the joints for excessive heat coming from any of the bearing caps, there's not much heat generated from a "good" u-joint... that would be another good indicator if one of them is hotter than the rest.
 
I am going to say that it is a pinion bearing or a carrier bearing. I think Universal joints clunk and snap when the wear out.

Is the noise more pronounced when you go around turns? Does the noise go away when you let off on the throttle?
 
From my expierence this sounds like a wheel bearing specifically a front wheel bearing, especially since it stops making noise when you turn the wheel, If its a U-joint which i doubt, it will vibrate at highway speed and wont be affected by turning the steering wheel, and progressivley get worse until it vibrates every panel in car and you get so annoyed you change it. If i am correct with it being a wheel bearing you don't delay changing these.
 
I'm not getting any vibrations or anything. The only thing thats wrong is the sound it makes. Other then the sound it drives like a new car.
 
DayDay13 said:
I'm not getting any vibrations or anything. The only thing thats wrong is the sound it makes. Other then the sound it drives like a new car.
Click to expand...

Yeah that sounds like a wheel bearing, it may slowly getting louder, but i get them replaced, should be the fronts, but you could do the rears while your at it.
 
Hmmm seems I'm having the same issue, it could be a whom whom noise mine comes in about 10mph and dies with tire noise at about 45mph. Turning has no effect, but 4wd silences it totally......go figured. I may have to try for some wheel play or the stethoscope approach with the vehicle on jack stands. I know it only does it when under load and stops when I let off the throttle. My drive shafts are lube'd and have no more play than normal.

A
 
With my bad wheel bearings the noise didnt start up until the bearing had time to heat up. Furthermore, it was progressive. It started off quieter as the bearing began to warm and hit max volume at operating temperature.

Just some additional experience to help you decide what to take apart first. U-joints are a super easy test though, so there is no reason not to give them a quicky.
 
DayDay13 said:
I have a "wom..wom..wom" noise coming from my 4Runner at 20-55mph. I thought it was a brake issue but I got new brakes/rotors (Every part) all the way around and it still didn't stop it. It happens when I'm driving straight ahead and seems to go away on turns. My steering wheels does not shake, pull or stray. I've searched a lot and can't seem to find anything.

I know it has to have something to do with a moving part because the noise it makes is very consistent between the wom wom wom wom wom sound. It's steady, if that makes sense :(

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

I'll see if I can get a sound clip somehow if that helps. Might not be loud enough though...

Thanks!
Click to expand...

How is treadwear on tires? run your hand across and see if it feels smooth. IF it is too far off, it will thrum. The tires build tension and release it over and over etc. It wll do it on smooth pavement but on bumps it won't, they relieve the tension.
 
That's a good point, I forgot about the tires, of course mine only have a about 7k left so they are pretty uneven. I'd swear I had a ball hoot going but the wheels pass the shake test. I think I need to inspect the front diff and front axle bearings just in case. When I did the manual hub conversion I have had some issues with cv's not fitting properly causing some odd issues.

A
 
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