Rear diff noise....then what?

[papapoopski]

2002 SR5 t4r

I am getting a whining noise from the rear, I thought it was tire hum at first but it's getting louder and I'm running AT tires, not MT's

I just had timing belt/water pump replaced and it was the mechanic that noticed the noise was not right. He suggested a rear diff repair w salvage parts at some point

Noise is always there when driving in 2WD, AWD or 4WD

So if the rear diff is bad and I keep driving, what happens? Should I just turn up the radio and keep driving till the noise is unbearable or does the diff break down and leave me stranded at some point? If the rear diff does break down, can I drive home in AWD?

I already did a search here. Thanks for any suggestions

 

[nevada]

you have a bad bearing.
you need to figure out which one.
it may just be a wheel bearing. much easier to repair than one in the differential.

 

[the great him]

if the noise gets louder in truners, say left turns then its the right wheel bearing, if it gets louder in right turns is the left wheel bearing... if turns dont make a difference then is either your carrier bearings or pinion bearings... if thats the case id just replace those... if you replace one side do the other side too -especially with the carrier bearings.

if you just turn up the radio and keep driving it it could just lock up on you one day and bring you to a screeching halt(thats probably the best case), or it could just completely let go and you will be doing what i was doing and pulling hand fulls of gears out of the and then buying a new ring and pinion set as well as bearings... its really hard to say. -i drove on mine for months after i threw a tooth through my housing, but it never made a noise until two days before everything went BOOM/BANG and yeah that was it no more go. -the thing was, i knew i was on borrowed time so i was expecting it. i also had the tools and know how to fix it when it did go boom -and i had a second vehicle to drive while my truck was down.

and no, when things go boom, you will not be able to put it in awd/4wd and just keep driving. i was lucky and able to put mine in 4wd and FORCE it home, but i was only a block away, and knew what i was doing(destroying everything in my rear end, including the carrier and housing)...

bottom line dont drive it, just fix it

 

[papapoopski]

Thank you for the responses.

There is no difference in noise when turning. I notice it more when decelerating or at 50+ mph while going straight. Its a low hum, like the sound of big truck tires. I am at 150k

This is my DD, I have no second car. Guess I'll be fixing it soon. I was asking about breakdowns because I just had the TB/pump done so I'll have to wait for some money to do the diff. I do not have the tools or know how for this job.

Anything specific that I should be asking the mechanic?
FYI, He is an independent Toyota guy, worked at a dealership for 10+ years, now has his own place. He seems to know the 3rd gens really well.

 

[the great him]

It would probably be cheapest to get a used 3rd member (diff) and just swap them. Just make sure they are the same ratio...

 

[Singtoe]

Check you rear axle and make sure it did not rust through and lose all of its oil.

If it did, you might as well get a whole rear axle instead.

 

[BlackCat914]

If the noise changes pitch when accelerating or decelerating, I'd say it's internal diff noise.

 

[Snowy21]

Check the rear u-joint. Put the truck in neutral on the ground to let the ds have some slack and pull it up and down and see if it moves. When mine went out it had play and would moan pretty loud particularly when letting off the gas around 55-70. I would have sworn I had a bearing going out but it was just the bad joint

 

[nevada]

Thank you for the responses.

There is no difference in noise when turning. I notice it more when decelerating or at 50+ mph while going straight. Its a low hum, like the sound of big truck tires. I am at 150k

This is my DD, I have no second car. Guess I'll be fixing it soon. I was asking about breakdowns because I just had the TB/pump done so I'll have to wait for some money to do the diff. I do not have the tools or know how for this job.

Anything specific that I should be asking the mechanic?
FYI, He is an independent Toyota guy, worked at a dealership for 10+ years, now has his own place. He seems to know the 3rd gens really well.

sounds like a pinion bearing.
and, pretty much any shop that works on differentials would be able to fix it.
its a fairly common repair, and not toyota specific.

i would change all the bearings in the diff while its out.
and, possibly the wheel bearings too. and make sure the housing gets flushed out good. the fine metal shavings from the bad bearing WILL get into the rest of the bearings, and possibly cause them to go bad too.