Please help! I'm about to go crazy.

S

SeattleCyclist

New member
Here is the situation:
My 1999 Limited 4wd has been having this annoying tapping/clicking noise at low speeds. Minimal shudder at 60mph and up.
My car info:
1999 Limited 4wd, stock suspension and and everything else. 220K miles, very well maintained, full synthetic oil and all fluids. Original engine (no major repair), original tranny, TB and WP replaced last year.

To lessen the thread responses with Q&A, let me enumerate all the info:
It seems in-sync with the tire rotation (tapping/clicking noise goes fatser as I increase speed)..
The noise seems to be coming from the front passenger side.
The noise seems not from the engine. When When I'm on a full stop, no noise. Revving the engine does not make any tapping/clicking noise.
No noise when I shift to neutral (while doing 10mph). (So tranny may not be the problem right?)
Noise is present regardless whether I go 2wd, AWD, 4wd (I have the multi-mode model), or 4low.

Here are the things that we already did:
Replaced the tires and wheel with new ones (noise still there)
Replaced the 2 u-joints (noise still there)
Last night, we replaced the CV axle (thinking this must be it). But the test drive today revealed that the CV axle was not the culprit. Noise still there :crybaby:

So what must be causing it? Please help and I'm about to go crazy!:redbrick:
 
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rear links and sway bar links checked out.

rear shocks still attached up top to their mounts?

rock in the tire tread? can you drive around in a parking lost and have someone watching and listening as you drive around to help pin point the location?
 
Axles would have been my guess
If you lift the truck and spin the wheel does it make the noise ?
It could be a wheel bearing going out
Maybe a wheel weight rubbing on something ?
Best way would be to just get the truck on a lift and put it in drive
 
If not CV, then axle bearing.

Also make sure there's nothing rubbing on the dust shield or calipers as the wheel turns.
 
But the noise goes away when rolling in neutral? That says something drive train more than it does wheel/ axle.
Cracked flexplate?

Edit: no, cause that:d still make noise when idling in drive...

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CV axles will make that clicking sound when going bad. Did you replace both CVs? Noise travels and even though you think it's coming from the front left it could be coming from the front right.

Try this: With windows down, do some tight turning in a parking lot. If you hear the noise increase on a tight left, the right CV or wheel bearing is most likely the culprit because it's spinning faster. If it increases on a tight right turn, the left CV or wheel bearing is most likely the culprit.

I would try driving faster than 10mph and putting it into to neutral to see if the noise indeed goes away. It's definitely a rotational noise since you say it increases as you driving faster. If it only happens when it's in one of the drive gears and not in neutral, it would then make sense it's transmission related.
 
I was thinking its a wheel bearing or cv too. I had something similar happen to my 97 rwd it was also the front right. for me it was one of two things; i just fixed both. I had bad shocks and the bumper needed to be bolted down on the right side as it was a little loose. it could be a loose bolt and the vibration from when you put your rig in gear making it click/tap. Just a thought
 
mtbtim said:
CV axles will make that clicking sound when going bad. Did you replace both CVs? Noise travels and even though you think it's coming from the front left it could be coming from the front right.

Try this: With windows down, do some tight turning in a parking lot. If you hear the noise increase on a tight left, the right CV or wheel bearing is most likely the culprit because it's spinning faster. If it increases on a tight right turn, the left CV or wheel bearing is most likely the culprit.

I would try driving faster than 10mph and putting it into to neutral to see if the noise indeed goes away. It's definitely a rotational noise since you say it increases as you driving faster. If it only happens when it's in one of the drive gears and not in neutral, it would then make sense it's transmission related.
Click to expand...

I agree with Tim. I am almost always wrong when I think a noise is coming from a certain side. It could very well be the other CV axle, I would do the test he recommends.

If not, than I would start investigating the transmission...
 
Tapping/clicking sound going away in N is signs of cracked flexplate. Remove trans inspection plate. Get under truck with a trusted person in driver seat and when running. If you hear it from this inspection area and it goes away after going into neutral your flex plate is cracked. Known failure point on these rigs.
 
JayRolla said:
Tapping/clicking sound going away in N is signs of cracked flexplate. Remove trans inspection plate. Get under truck with a trusted person in driver seat and when running. If you hear it from this inspection area and it goes away after going into neutral your flex plate is cracked. Known failure point on these rigs.
Click to expand...

I had to look up flex plate because I had no idea what you were talking about. I know what a flywheel is and I thought it was called that in both manual and automatic transmission vehicles but I was mistaken. A manual has a flywheel and an automatic has a flex plate. Got it.

If this is indeed the OPs problem, it just got a lot more involved to fix on his own or a lot more expensive to pay someone.
 
mtbtim said:
I had to look up flex plate because I had no idea what you were talking about. I know what a flywheel is and I thought it was called that in both manual and automatic transmission vehicles but I was mistaken. A manual has a flywheel and an automatic has a flex plate. Got it.

If this is indeed the OPs problem, it just got a lot more involved to fix on his own or a lot more expensive to pay someone.
Click to expand...

For 15 years of my car life I always thought all cars had a flywheel. Lol.
 
I'm starting to think I might actually have the same issue as the OP but a milder case. I have noticed a light ticking sound but only when the vehicle is stopped. It sounds like it's coming from the oil pan area. Might be a normal engine noise but I did recently have the starter issue where my starter locked up and stayed engaged against the flex plate for a while before I could twist off the negative battery terminal to stop it. Maybe the starter caused undo pressure against the flex plate and caused it to crack.

I need to investigate this myself now.
 
I think I found the problem.

Fist of, thanks everyone for all the replies. :party:
This is the very reason why I love this forum. You get plenty of helpful replies :party:
So yesterday, I raised both rear wheels and then tried spinning the them.Eureka, it's coming from the differential.
Now the next question, how much do you think the repair (ballpark) would be with just the symptoms I enumerated in the original post? My friend said it my me a bent axle. His old Mazda MPV needed to replace the whole differential even though the problem was only the axle (the one emanating from the diff to the wheels). Is this true with the 4Runner too? Has anyone replaced just the axle? How difficult is it to do it?

Thanks again to y'all.
 
Our axles can be replaced without touching the differential. Search for the axle seal thread, it will show you how to remove the axles. I would drain the fluid and inspect it. If you see metal shavings (not a small amount of super fine metal sludge), then the diff is on its way out.

If the differential is bad, pulling the old one out and replacing it with a known good one from a junkyard (with the same gear ratio) would be the cheapest option.

Having it replaced with a new one will cost a bunch of money (I'm guessing over a grand).
 
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