Another..."What's that noise?" Thread

sport2004

sport2004

Member
'04 Sport, 6 cyl, 4WD, 157,000 mileage

Noticeable left front whining/whirring sound 15-20 mph, then a bit louder up to about 50 mph, still there, but then the road noise drowns it out. Noticed a barely detectable scraping sound recently, similar to what might come from the wheel hub, when coasting 15 mph (have to turn the radio off to hear it).

No problems steering/turning, braking, stopping, alignment, suspension (far as I can tell). I thought it could be a bad tire. They are year-old Michelin Defenders, about 10K on them. The sound is similar to lousy tires with 20K on them, something Michelins don't do, unless it's a bad tire, which I guess is not unheard of.

Brake job all around at 110,000 miles, front left caliper replaced, about ready for new pads all around, so that can't be ruled out.

What's wrong doctor? Thanks for any ideas.
 
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^^^^^ Thank you, Skip, appreciate you chiming in, as always. Did a search here and discovered the bearings could be the culprit. I've also looked at a few websites/videos discussing the options. I don't have the means to jack it up in my driveway, though a relative would do it if I lived closer to him. When I start calling around tomorrow I'll know as much, or more, about the job than the shop guy.

The other thing about the bearings, which I've read here before, and now verified elsewhere, is to make sure the replacement parts are not Chinese. Hoping I can pull that off in my communications with the shop. Thanks, again.
 
sport2004 said:
^^^^^ Thank you, Skip, appreciate you chiming in, as always. Did a search here and discovered the bearings could be the culprit. I've also looked at a few websites/videos discussing the options. I don't have the means to jack it up in my driveway, though a relative would do it if I lived closer to him. When I start calling around tomorrow I'll know as much, or more, about the job than the shop guy.

The other thing about the bearings, which I've read here before, and now verified elsewhere, is to make sure the replacement parts are not Chinese. Hoping I can pull that off in my communications with the shop. Thanks, again.
Click to expand...

James,

I just purchased new wheel bearing/hub assemblies for my T4R, I got mine from NAPA, I purchased the only ones they sell with a "Limited Lifetime Warranty", so if they go bad I can get them replaced for free, they were actually slightly cheaper than their "NAPA" brand and they are only warrantied for one year.
 
ArthurKotb said:
Does the noise stop when you step on the brakes?
OEM front rotors?
Click to expand...

No, the only thing that stops it is when you vehicle slows down and stops. Use of the brakes has no effect on the sound.

I suspect the rotors are OEM since I got a hold of the work record of the first owner, all at a dealership. Got the records from a dealer in Canada.
 
AuSeeker said:
James,

I just purchased new wheel bearing/hub assemblies for my T4R, I got mine from NAPA, I purchased the only ones they sell with a "Limited Lifetime Warranty", so if they go bad I can get them replaced for free, they were actually slightly cheaper than their "NAPA" brand and they are only warrantied for one year.
Click to expand...


Good to know, thanks.
 
sport2004 said:
No, the only thing that stops it is when you vehicle slows down and stops. Use of the brakes has no effect on the sound.

I suspect the rotors are OEM since I got a hold of the work record of the first owner, all at a dealership. Got the records from a dealer in Canada.
Click to expand...

If that L/F isn't getting hotter than the R/F I think you can rule out the brakes. With it being a constant noise that varies with speed but braking doesn't stop it then I too agree with it being a wheel bearing. I would pull the bearing on that wheel and replace it. If that stops the noise I would also replace the R/F. It's not necessary but that's me; belt and suspenders.
 
AuSeeker said:
James,

I just purchased new wheel bearing/hub assemblies for my T4R, I got mine from NAPA, I purchased the only ones they sell with a "Limited Lifetime Warranty", so if they go bad I can get them replaced for free, they were actually slightly cheaper than their "NAPA" brand and they are only warrantied for one year.
Click to expand...

+1 for the NAPA hubs, that's what I went with as well after a lot of research. They offer a military/veteran discount too if you happen to be eligible.
 
AuSeeker said:
James,

I just purchased new wheel bearing/hub assemblies for my T4R, I got mine from NAPA, I purchased the only ones they sell with a "Limited Lifetime Warranty", so if they go bad I can get them replaced for free, they were actually slightly cheaper than their "NAPA" brand and they are only warrantied for one year.
Click to expand...

The parts are warranted (maybe they'll honor it) but in any case, the big part of that, labor, is on your dime (or your time if you have the equipment and are capable.
Just get a high quality, oem quality, Japanese made bearings and hub assembly.
 
Bob22222 said:
The parts are warranted (maybe they'll honor it) but in any case, the big part of that, labor, is on your dime (or your time if you have the equipment and are capable.
Just get a high quality, oem quality, Japanese made bearings and hub assembly.
Click to expand...

I do all of my own work and yes they will replace them for free, with using the complete hub/bearing assembly it doesn't take very long to swap the assembly out.
 
Bluesky 07 said:
+1 for the NAPA hubs, that's what I went with as well after a lot of research. They offer a military/veteran discount too if you happen to be eligible.
Click to expand...

I paid for mine online and picked them up the next day at my local NAPA store, I got lucky and they had a 20% off any purchase over $200 so I saved $88+ by ordering online.
 
While you’re doing that, grease up the driveshafts. Couldn’t hurt to do some preventative maintenance.


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I've noticed on mine when I had a bad front wheel bearing that it quieted when turning as it unloads some weight on one side. Supposedly that's how you can tell which side is bad but I ended up replacing both as I picked the wrong side the first time. These noises sometimes resonate. Replacing the hub assembly can be done in an hour or two assuming you've done one before and no issues with stuck items. The lower ball joint assembly separates really easily on these cars.

Here's a tip video I made.
GEN 4 Toyota 4Runner Front Bearing Replacement Tips! - YouTube
 
MikeinNH67 said:
I've noticed on mine when I had a bad front wheel bearing that it quieted when turning as it unloads some weight on one side. Supposedly that's how you can tell which side is bad but I ended up replacing both as I picked the wrong side the first time. These noises sometimes resonate. Replacing the hub assembly can be done in an hour or two assuming you've done one before and no issues with stuck items. The lower ball joint assembly separates really easily on these cars.

Here's a tip video I made.
GEN 4 Toyota 4Runner Front Bearing Replacement Tips! - YouTube
Click to expand...

20 year old vehicle from the rust belt with no stuck parts? If thats the case document the R&R for Ripples Belive or Not.
 
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