I need an opinion but also wanted to share my rear differential experience with other readers. The Toyota-4Runner forum has been an extremely valuable resource to me so I thought my story might be helpful to others. Members who post here are very friendly and have a lot to offer the community. Thank you.
Short Story and Questions:
In May 2015, I had my rear differential replaced. I had a very loud whining sound coming from the rear. I got my vehicle back. Noise was gone and I was very pleased. Now, it is November, six months later and I hear a very faint whine coming from the rear again. Might be just from the colder weather. The transmission shop gave me a 1 year/12k warranty on the job. Should I be concerned about the faint noise? Do you think this is normal? Should I take it back to the shop and have them take a look or am I being overly cautious?
The Long Story and More Details:
I have a 2007 4Runner SR5 4.0L with 101k miles. I bought the vehicle used in 2009 with 40k. For almost two years, prior to May 2015, I had a gradual increase in whining coming from the rear. The whining noise seemed directly proportional to vehicle speed and got louder and louder over time. It got so bad the passengers in the rear seat could not hear conversation coming from the front. Riding with friends on vacation at the Finger Lakes in July 2014 was almost painful. In April, 2015, I took my vehicle to my trusted mechanic who put it on the lift and ruled out other problems like wheel bearings. He does not do rears so he suggested a transmission shop that he trusted. I took it to the transmission shop and and the recommended I replace the rear at 97k miles. I was without the vehicle for about 10 days or 6 business days. Got my 4Runner back on 4/25/15. As I mentioned earlier, the vehicle purred. Not a sound. Cost for the job was $1850 plus 6% PA sales tax equaled $1961. My interpretation of the itemized description follows. Image snippet of the receipt is attached.
*Remove and rebuild rear differential
*New bearings-seals, gaskets
*Shim kit, ring and pinion set
*Shim
*Something I can’t read...
*Reset Pinion
*New oil in diff
About a month later, I noticed a small drip, took it back to the shop. The shop fixed at no charge. The mechanic said that one of the factory gaskets was very thin. They reapplied the gasket with some silicone. Leak stopped. Fast forward to November and I am starting to notice a faint whining. I will admit, I live in SE PA and it is now getting colder. During the summer, I love to ride with all the windows, sunroof and rear window down. Road noise could have prevented me from hearing the noise return earlier in the summer. I am now riding with the windows up that blocks out the road noise.
For those 4Runner owners who don’t know where that whining might be coming from, I hope my story was helpful. Please post if you have any other questions. I am not a mechanic, just a happy 4Runner owner.
--Ken
My favorite feature: The automatic rear window opens when your hands are full in the home depot parking lot.
Short Story and Questions:
In May 2015, I had my rear differential replaced. I had a very loud whining sound coming from the rear. I got my vehicle back. Noise was gone and I was very pleased. Now, it is November, six months later and I hear a very faint whine coming from the rear again. Might be just from the colder weather. The transmission shop gave me a 1 year/12k warranty on the job. Should I be concerned about the faint noise? Do you think this is normal? Should I take it back to the shop and have them take a look or am I being overly cautious?
The Long Story and More Details:
I have a 2007 4Runner SR5 4.0L with 101k miles. I bought the vehicle used in 2009 with 40k. For almost two years, prior to May 2015, I had a gradual increase in whining coming from the rear. The whining noise seemed directly proportional to vehicle speed and got louder and louder over time. It got so bad the passengers in the rear seat could not hear conversation coming from the front. Riding with friends on vacation at the Finger Lakes in July 2014 was almost painful. In April, 2015, I took my vehicle to my trusted mechanic who put it on the lift and ruled out other problems like wheel bearings. He does not do rears so he suggested a transmission shop that he trusted. I took it to the transmission shop and and the recommended I replace the rear at 97k miles. I was without the vehicle for about 10 days or 6 business days. Got my 4Runner back on 4/25/15. As I mentioned earlier, the vehicle purred. Not a sound. Cost for the job was $1850 plus 6% PA sales tax equaled $1961. My interpretation of the itemized description follows. Image snippet of the receipt is attached.
*Remove and rebuild rear differential
*New bearings-seals, gaskets
*Shim kit, ring and pinion set
*Shim
*Something I can’t read...
*Reset Pinion
*New oil in diff
About a month later, I noticed a small drip, took it back to the shop. The shop fixed at no charge. The mechanic said that one of the factory gaskets was very thin. They reapplied the gasket with some silicone. Leak stopped. Fast forward to November and I am starting to notice a faint whining. I will admit, I live in SE PA and it is now getting colder. During the summer, I love to ride with all the windows, sunroof and rear window down. Road noise could have prevented me from hearing the noise return earlier in the summer. I am now riding with the windows up that blocks out the road noise.
For those 4Runner owners who don’t know where that whining might be coming from, I hope my story was helpful. Please post if you have any other questions. I am not a mechanic, just a happy 4Runner owner.
--Ken
My favorite feature: The automatic rear window opens when your hands are full in the home depot parking lot.
