Rubbing / Spinning Noise

[2010-Runner-Trail]

Hey Y'all,

I recently went wheeling, everything was fine on the trail and the way home (about 45 miles). The next day I hit the carwash. After washing I noticed a very weird noise I am having trouble identifying. The sound comes from the front driverside area. It sounds as if there is a rubbing mixed with a very subtle clunk. This occurs in neutral while coasting, as well as in drive (both 2wd and 4wd)... It is directly dependent on speed (the faster you go, the more frequent), however, it IS NOT directly tied to the rate of wheel spin. Seems like its cyclic in nature close to every 20-25 rotations of the tire.... if that makes sense. It is not a fast noise like it happens every rotation. I see no indication of rubbing. I have not been able to get it in the air and spin the tire manually yet, I will not have a chance until Sunday..... Just wondering if this sounds like anything someone has ran into in the past.

Thanks!

 

[Boyds4Runner]

Not that I have run into the same on any of my 4Runner's but on my Blazer I would sometimes get a small rock stuck in a gap in the brake caliper that would clink around until it bounced out or I could pull it out...maybe something similar is "floating" around between the inside Brake shield and the brake rotor?

 

[2010-Runner-Trail]

So it turned out to be the front driver wheel bearing. So I changed out the Hub assembly, $80.00 from Napa, then $40.00 to have the old bearing pressed out and the new one in. $120.00 and about 3.5 hours. (About 45 mins actual wrench time). Took care of the noise I was concerned about as well as a vibration rattle in the dash that has been driving me crazy!