Grinding sound on full turn

[fayraree]

Hi everyone,

I got some answers from the forum on a couple of issues I experienced on my new-to-me '08 Sport v8: vibration at 55 mph (wheel balancing), loud jerks when coming to a stop or going from a stop (zerks), but I didn't find info on what the cause is, or if anyone else has experienced a grinding noise when at a full turn (e.g., while parking / making a 3-pt turn, etc).

I'm coming from a '98 Nissan Pathfinder which would get all jerky when the 4x4 was engaged and I was making a full steering wheel turn, and I understood that was because of the difference in turning radius between the left and right front wheels during the turn (pretty sure I butchered that explanation! lol).

I thought maybe because of the all-time 4wd I was experiencing the same in the 4Runner.

Anyone else understand what I'm talking about or is there an actual problem that no one else has experienced?

Thanks in advance, this forum rocks! Pun intended


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[CruzadoBlanco]

i dont know what you really mean by grinding noise, but the V8 4runners use a 4wd system very similar to the 80 series land cruiser. its a full time transfer case that has a torsen style limited slip differential inside of it that allows the the front and rear to turn at different rates. it can be locked by using the switch on the dash to make it perform like an regular part time 4wd transfer case, and you should shift it to 4lo and lock the center diff every month to keep it all working correctly (find a dirt lot or a field or a gravel parking lot to do it in).

if it only does it in turns i would check for CV joint binding or just regular abuse, like torn boots and grease leaks. Then check to see if its your power steering pump going out. i know mine growls and screams, i just havent gotten to putting the new one on yet. i would also check to see if the steering rack could be and issue, including the bushings that mount it to the cross member. if that isnt it look at the wheel bearings, it could be one starting to go bad and the added lateral load of turning could make it more pronounced.

 

[fayraree]

Thank you kindly! Car was up on the hoist at the shop and I reviewed each of your points with the shop foreman who demonstrated that each was in good working order. The CV boots had a little bit of overspray from the rust proofing but that was it. Steering rack bushings and power steering were all good. It's an intermittent noise, too--took the foreman on a test drive and it only happened very slightly twice in a total of 8 full turns I did. That's enough to worry me but there was no issue diagnosed. The foreman mentioned it could be because of the weight of the vehicle putting pressure on the suspension during those full turns. We'll see if it amounts to anything long term.


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[RonJR]

Could be the front tire catching the skid plate. The tire runs really close to the skid plate in turns, and if it catches it once going forward it will bend the corner down so it does it every time from then on. Just need to put a sharp upward bend in front corner of the plate to fix it. Fortunately (or unfortunately, depending on your point of view), the stock skid plate is so flimsy that it's easy to bend back.

 

[97BlackAckCL]

I have this same issue, interested to know what causes it, it's only on full turn

 

[jt_3212]

I'm fairly positive this is your problem

http://www.toyota-4runner.org/problems-warranty-issues/11936-nasty-sound-right-turn.html

Wipe down and grease the two points a couple times a year and everything will be quiet. Scared the crap out of me the first time I heard it but ever since greasing those it's been fine!

Good luck!