Rumble after CV shaft replacement - Goes away in 4WD

[AJ Mac]

Hey guys! I replaced both front CV shafts tonight due to torn boots. I've done several replacements with friends' 4Rs without a hiccup. Of course mine now has a rumble front the front end when driving any speed. The rumble also GOES AWAY when 4WD is engaged. Both shafts are seated properly and both axle nuts are tightened down to spec. Any idea where I should start to diagnose this issue?

Thanks!

 

[4runninxit4]

I had a similar thing happen when I changed my cv axles, except its only on my driver side. When Im driving forward or reverse under 10 mph I get a slight rotating squeak in one spot. Like every time it hits 12 o'clock it will squeak then stop until it comes around again. It only does it under 10 mph. Once I got faster it goes away.

 

[AJ Mac]

I had a similar thing happen when I changed my cv axles, except its only on my driver side. When Im driving forward or reverse under 10 mph I get a slight rotating squeak in one spot. Like every time it hits 12 o'clock it will squeak then stop until it comes around again. It only does it under 10 mph. Once I got faster it goes away.

Yea mine is definitely not a squeak. It sounds and feels like I'm driving over a rumble strip. I've found several threads that seem to pertain to tacomas with the exact same symptoms as mine. I pulled the driver side axle out to inspect the needle bearings and found there are NO needle bearings installed. Could it have came out when my CV popped out of place while driving on the trail? It got thrashed pretty well. Here are some pics. I'm sure someone can tell me if I'm just plain missing a piece.

 

[bugman-74]

You appear to be missing the entire needle bearing (cage, needles, and everything). 1st pic below shows what it should look like.

I'm guessing the whole bearing came out with the CV, but you are going to want to verify that. I would drain the diff and inspect the oil and magnetic drain plug. Assuming you don't find any debris, you should be able to get away with installing a new bearing.

I had a similar issue, except my diff ended up eating some of the needle bearings (2nd pic below). Strangely, mine never made any odd sounds in 4WD.