Bearings are a'whining!

FoneRunner

FoneRunner

New member
I bought my rig in May of 2009 with 165k miles on it(it has 191k now!)...and from the very beginning it made whining noises. I took it to the dealership where I was told it was a bad pinion bearing and that my third member would need to be replaced. I got a second opinion from another independent shop, and while they said they heard noise from the wheel bearings, they agreed that noise was coming from the chunk.

I got in my truck the next day and drove to Denver where with the help of DarkRunner, I found a used 4:30 with elocker and we swapped it out. Since DarkRunner had recently broken his ring gear, he took my old one and put it in his truck as a temporary fix for him. I drove mine away all happy...and noise free.

A short time later, it started making noise again. This time though, it only nakes noise when my foot is on the gas pedal. When I am actively giving the truck gas, it makes noise. When I am coasting, no noise. That's different because before the new third member, it was noisy anytime it moved. Now, this new noise has been with me for the last 20k miles...and I'm finally fed up with it. To add insult to injury, DarkRunner now reports that he never heard any noise from my old third member and is still running it!

I don't know where the noise is coming from. I went today to see if I could get the wheel bearings replaced only to be told that it's something the dealer needs to do since nobody around here has the right machine to press the bearings in. That stinks. I don't want to go back to the dealership because they are the ones who mis-diagnosed it to begin with. If I have to I will though...it's driving me insane.

So, what is the consensus? What causes noise only when the truck is being given pedal? Lets get this thing fixed!
 
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Check your u-joints, a bad one can whine under a load. Any chance there's a clunk when you press on or let off of the pedal?
 
fourwd1 said:
If your drv shaft has a carrier bearing check it also.
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I don't know what a carrier bearing is, but I will check the book and get back to you. I haven't noticed a clunking when I let off the pedal or give it gas either...how does one go about checking the u-joints? What do you check on them?
 
I would start with greasing the zerk fittings on the driveshaft, FYI if you are using a Toyota factory manual it calls it a propeller shaft.
 
FoneRunner said:
I don't know what a carrier bearing is, but I will check the book and get back to you. I haven't noticed a clunking when I let off the pedal or give it gas either...how does one go about checking the u-joints? What do you check on them?
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I think he is referring to a two-piece rear axle drive shaft with a "carrier" and a bearing in the middle. These are called center bearings. T-100s and I think Tacos have them, Runners do not. For the record, carrier bearings are the two side bearings of your third member that support the two drive axles going to your wheels.
Check out this page for some rear end noise diagnosis. He gets pretty specific about what kinds of noises and when they occur.
A brief quote:
Several situations can create ring-and-pinion noise. If the gears have been quiet and begin to howl, they are probably worn or wearing. If the gears howl during deceleration only, it’s possible that the pinion-bearing preload has loosened. Howling under acceleration at all speeds indicates that something in the differential -- gears, pinion or carrier bearings -- has worn or no longer keeps the gear alignment correct. If the gears howl while accelerating over a certain speed range, but not all speeds, it’s likely that the gears are worn due to lubrication failure or overloading. When a newly installed gear set howls, suspect the design or setup.
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Driving home tonight I felt and heard a clunk when I let off the brake at a red light....definitely coming from under me so not brake related...what does that indicate? A driveshaft issue?

I read the page you linked me to SkidPalace...good stuff. I just need some professional help though I think...unless it's a loose bolt or something. It's getting to the point where I wish something would just fall off the truck so I wouldn't have to guess at the problem anymore!!
 
FoneRunner said:
Driving home tonight I felt and heard a clunk when I let off the brake at a red light....definitely coming from under me so not brake related...what does that indicate? A driveshaft issue?

I read the page you linked me to SkidPalace...good stuff. I just need some professional help though I think...unless it's a loose bolt or something. It's getting to the point where I wish something would just fall off the truck so I wouldn't have to guess at the problem anymore!!
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Grease your driveline first......
4Runners.org - Lubing Your Driveshaft
 
FoneRunner said:
I knew I forgot to mention something...I had all 9 or 10 zerk fittings pumped with fresh grease about 2 months ago...it didn't help though...
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That thump when you let off the brake is definitely the driveshaft slip joint.
My truck had it when I bought it with 16K on the odometer and I just assumed it was a tranny issue. I brought it to the dealer and I couldn't replicate the problem with the mechanic in the car. They noted the issue in case the tranny went after the warranty went out. I went on with my merry life for years and years with the thump. Just months ago it dawned on me to look the "thump" issue up. I found several references to the slip joint on the drive shaft popping in and out usually after braking to a stop.
I lubed the slip joint per instruction and the problem didn't really go away. I re-read the threads and noted it said that it took a LOT of grease to properly cure the problem. I went back and loaded the bejeezus out of the zerk. Both grease applications probably put a total of 40-50 pumps into it. You want to pump a ton of grease until the shaft pushes all the way out of the slip joint. You'll hear the air bubbles trying to escape as you pump. Now push up and down on the truck to work the joint in and out. You should have grease oozing out like mad. Pump some more grease and do the old up down again. I used my legs to push up on the spare tire rails while lying on my back. Or, you could climb out and jump up and down on the rear bumper.
Try this and hopefully your thump will go away. Mine disappeared and has not come back. Good luck.
I have read that the thump can and probably will return, so I plan to pay extra attention to the slip joint at every service.
 
Do you think that could also be the source of the whining noises? I distinctly remember right after putting in the new third member that there were no noises at all...and at some point the noise came back, but instead of being constant, it was only when I had my foot on the gas pedal. Could it be something is just not aligned properly down there that was ok right after putting the driveshaft back on, but that has worked it's way loose again?

Keep in mind that I only ever do highway driving...no off road or any extreme conditions(although some of these interstates could use a repaving!)...

The guys who did my driveshaft lube only charged me $20...it's worth takinig it back over there and having them do it again!
 
I am no expert, but I highly doubt the drive shaft would be the source of the whining noise.
Do the right thing and prop the rear axle up on jacks and put the truck in drive to get under and listen for the source of the noise. I've read you can try to localize it with placing the tip of a screwdriver on the various places on the axle and press the handle of the screwdriver sort of against your skull in front of your ear to kind of use it as a stethescope.
I plan to do that to mine in the spring. Mine howls between 20 and 30 under all conditions. Not loudly, but it is annoying. But then again, I wouldn't know what to do besides replace the entire third member anyway.
ZUK's site is great for learning about rear ends. Not sure if you've been there yet.
As for the lube, you should have a grease gun in your garage anyway. Just get one and lube the slip joint yourself so you know it's done right.
 
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SkidPalace said:
I am no expert, but I highly doubt the drive shaft would be the source of the whining noise.
Do the right thing and prop the rear axle up on jacks and put the truck in drive to get under and listen for the source of the noise. I've read you can try to localize it with placing the tip of a screwdriver on the various places on the axle and press the handle of the screwdriver sort of against your skull in front of your ear to kind of use it as a stethescope.
I plan to to that to mine when in the spring. Mine howls between 20 and 30 under all conditions. Not loudly, but it is annoying. But then again, I wouldn't know what to do besides replace the entire third member anyway.
ZUK's site is great for learning about rear ends. Not sure if you've been there yet.
As for the lube, you should have a grease gun in your garage anyway. Just get one and lube the slip joint yourself so you know it's done right.
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But his 3rd member/rear end was replaced and now it still squeals and Darkrunner who took and used his old one said it doesnt whine.

Fonerunner, Just a wild idea here but maybe your transfer case is bad or something is wrong with it, the clunking reminds me of a similar situation on a Defender my buddy has.
 
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JohnsD90 said:
But his 3rd member/rear end was replaced and now it still squeals and Darkrunner who took and used his old one said it doesnt whine.
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That's true. Still doesn't mean that the salvaged diff isn't bad. So let's go back to the wheel bearing thing on FoneRunner's original post. That's what I assumed was my issue from day one. I thought I toasted a wheel bearing by letting a leaky axle seal go too long. Then a mechanic relative of mine told me that my symptoms were those of a bum differential.
FoneRunner, you say that your mechanic told you to go to toyota to do the bearings. You already know how to take the axles out, you can bring them to most machine shops and they can take/cut off the old bearings and press on the new ones. Unless you live in the middle of nowhere, you should be able to find a machine shop that has a press. They only cost like $100.
Call around the area to find a machine shop or a transmission shop and they should be able to do them for about an hours worth of labor. You can get a bearing and seal kit online for ~$150.
But you should get underneath the truck and sniff out the noise before you continue throwing money at an unknown problem. I tried reading through this diagnostic website, but I got a headache.
 
You weren't joking about that site causing headaches! I got out my slide rule and abacus to make the rotational measurements based on shaft RPM divided by engine RPM...until the fan belt pulled the slide rule out of my hand and broke my abacus!

Ok, but seriously I'll try to get under the truck and listen. It's just kind of cold to be laying on the ground underneath my truck listening for vibrations. That's why I thought about just taking it to a shop that has a lift.

I did call around to check in to taking my axles in to have the bearings replaced. They all say I need to take it to the dealership because they don't have the right press! I don't believe it either...seems like somebody around here would have that equipment. Maybe if I lived in Colorado!:D
 
Just as a routine maintenance I'm taking it to the dealership in the morning to have the fluids drained and filled in the front diff, transmission, and radiator...I don't think the radiator has anything to do with the noise though. Anyway, while I'm there I'll mention the noise to them and see what they say...I'll keep you posted!
 
$129 dollar investment and you can open your own bearing shop in your area!
Seriously, the first transmission shop I walked into said they could do it for an hour's shop rate as long as there was nothing tricky about the axles.
A quick Google for "automotive machine shop" in Douglasville GA turned up RPMCO Inc. Looks like they sponsor some Atlantacarscene blog about local cars and trucks. My guess is they can press a bearing.
Anyway, good luck with the dealer. I hope they find something simple.
 
Well, I'm still at the dealer and they are insisting the noise is coming from the rear diff...so I'm screwed I guess. They are finishing up the fluid changes and then I'm back to square one...no way I'm letting them tear it down. They want $1800 for a new one.

On a side note, it snowed here last night and the roads are pretty icy. I put the rig in 4WD and never slipped once. It was the first time I've used 4WD when I actually needed it and I am very impressed...and the whole way here I couldn't make it whine.
 
Dude, ur problem sounds just like mine. So i kinna hear a noise. Here i made it easier. Instead of going to stealershhip i went to Autozone.com and gathered this much.
Sounds Like
Symptom: Groaning
When: Driving
Where: Under Vehicle In the front, only loud when i go above 50mph, and when slowing down

Priority Action Part Type Cause
1 Inspect Differential Capacity Low Differential Fluid Level.
2 Inspect Differential Bearing Worn or Damaged Differential Bearing.
3 Inspect Differential Fluid Type Incorrect or Contaminated Differential Fluid

i not really sure, but i know it not my diff. fluid, i checked it with my finger when it was level after i had replaced the right inner wheel seal.
 
SkidPalace said:
$129 dollar investment and you can open your own bearing shop in your area!
Seriously, the first transmission shop I walked into said they could do it for an hour's shop rate as long as there was nothing tricky about the axles.
A quick Google for "automotive machine shop" in Douglasville GA turned up RPMCO Inc. Looks like they sponsor some Atlantacarscene blog about local cars and trucks. My guess is they can press a bearing.
Anyway, good luck with the dealer. I hope they find something simple.
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I have a local NAPA who will press bearings in for $10 each.
 
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