Squealing sound help

hiluxsurf1

New member
Hi all

My 4Runner has developed a squealing sound.
All the pulleys seem to be good except one tensioner which i replaced.

It is noticeable at about 20-30mph, possibly faster but hard to hear over the other road noise.
It starts when my foot is on the gas and continues for a little after I let off. I noticed it seemed slightly more obvious when I have my foot down only very slightly.

Have not been able to replicate it just by revving in neutral even to about the same rpm.

Would describe as something between a squeal and a rattle definitely more squealing though.

Any help would be appreciated as it’s driving me insane

2000, Rzn185, 2.7L, 3rz, Automatic, 4x4, 175,900 miles
 
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I would assume he is suggesting you grease the driveshaft. There are zerk fittings at the U joints
 
Have you checked your driveshaft recently?
Agreed, agreed, agreed. When u-joints start to go dry/bad they will begin squealing and more often than not, you'll develop a violent vibration in your driveshaft once it's completely shot. Like mentioned, I'd take a grease gun to all your zerk fittings and pump some fresh grease in there to see if it helps the problem.

And if/when you replace u-joints, just go oem. I've replaced my rear twice, the first time with Moog and the most recent time with oem. The Moog joint only lasted a few years. I've heard decent things about the Napa branded joints, and I have one on hand currently as a spare for an emergency. The Napa joints cost substantially less than an oem one, of course. Keep us updated on your findings.

Sent from my SM-T220 using Tapatalk
 
Agreed, agreed, agreed. When u-joints start to go dry/bad they will begin squealing and more often than not, you'll develop a violent vibration in your driveshaft once it's completely shot. Like mentioned, I'd take a grease gun to all your zerk fittings and pump some fresh grease in there to see if it helps the problem.

And if/when you replace u-joints, just go oem. I've replaced my rear twice, the first time with Moog and the most recent time with oem. The Moog joint only lasted a few years. I've heard decent things about the Napa branded joints, and I have one on hand currently as a spare for an emergency. The Napa joints cost substantially less than an oem one, of course. Keep us updated on your findings.

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Just wait till the needle bearings fail. They go from a violent vibrations to you think your driveshaft coming through your floor.

I have no idea why folks don't grease those at least once a year. Or every oil change. Maybe just slips their minds or they don't think of it...:)

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If you have an OEM driveshaft the only u-joint that can be serviced is the rearmost at the slip yoke, so keep that in mind. The two in the double cardan cannot be replaced with the current housing that they're in. It's been a while since I ditched my OEM shaft but I'm 90% sure the factory u-joints do not have grease fittings either, which is super handy...
On the plus side though a new aftermarket shaft typically costs on par with an OEM one, and will actually allow you to replace all the joints
 
Last edited:
Awesome thank you all for the help.
I don’t have a grease gun but I got a whole lot of moly grease and just stuck it all in the uni joints everywhere I could get.

Taken her out for a run and seems to have been the solution.

I will for sure be adding this to my general maintenance.
 
I'd highly recommend getting a grease gun so you can attach the coupler to the zerks and pump them full of grease. A cheapo one from Harbor Freight should do just fine and you may need it for future jobs even. Glad you were able to yield the results you were hoping to get!

Sent from my SM-S908U using Tapatalk
 
Awesome thank you all for the help.
I don’t have a grease gun but I got a whole lot of moly grease and just stuck it all in the uni joints everywhere I could get.

Taken her out for a run and seems to have been the solution.

I will for sure be adding this to my general maintenance.

You really need a grease gun to get grease into the joint where it matters and can lubricate the needle bearings rather than on the outside of the joint.
 
You mentioned your pulleys but have you checked the tension of your belts. Maybe one of them is loose and is slipping making the squealing noise.
 
If you have an OEM driveshaft the only u-joint that can be serviced is the rearmost at the slip yoke, so keep that in mind. The two in the double cardan cannot be replaced with the current housing that they're in. It's been a while since I ditched my OEM shaft but I'm 90% sure the factory u-joints do not have grease fittings either, which is super handy...
On the plus side though a new aftermarket shaft typically costs on par with an OEM one, and will actually allow you to replace all the joints

What you said isn't actually correct. There are DIYers that have successfully replaced the double cardan u-joints and the center ball. There are also driveshaft shops that will do it. But, from what I've seen of the process, it's a pain in the ass. Like you, if my double cardan joint went bad, I'd probably just order a driveshaft from Tom Woods.

You are actually wrong about the OEM u-joints too. The u-joints and the center ball of the double cardan joint have zerk fittings for you to shoot grease into.

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/w2cI42jRWU0" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe>
 
Awesome thank you all for the help.
I don’t have a grease gun but I got a whole lot of moly grease and just stuck it all in the uni joints everywhere I could get.

Taken her out for a run and seems to have been the solution.

I will for sure be adding this to my general maintenance.

It sounds like you could use some help in the realm of automotive preventative maintenance. The fact you don't own a grease gun to service your driveshaft u-joints is very telling. Check out the video below. It will help you with being able to perform the basic vehicle maintenance for your rig. I also have a ton more videos on my channel to help you do other maintenance, repairs and modifications to your rig. Good luck!


<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/a81i1Cayf_I" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe>
 
What you said isn't actually correct. There are DIYers that have successfully replaced the double cardan u-joints and the center ball. There are also driveshaft shops that will do it. But, from what I've seen of the process, it's a pain in the ass. Like you, if my double cardan joint went bad, I'd probably just order a driveshaft from Tom Woods.

You are actually wrong about the OEM u-joints too. The u-joints and the center ball of the double cardan joint have zerk fittings for you to shoot grease into.

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/w2cI42jRWU0" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe>

I've greased my double cardan joint a few times now. Zerks are right there in your face. My rear u-joint (OEM) I can't seem to slip the coupler onto due to the location of the zerk fitting. I can post pictures later.
 
As you can see, the zerk is facing in. It cannot be rotated or seemingly removed as I've tried. IMG_5269~2.jpg

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Looks like you have a zerk missing on driveshaft in the photo you just shared. :)

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I do indeed. I removed it, not really sure why. Maybe I was testing to see if it could be removed. I put it back in though, lol.
 
I'd highly recommend getting a grease gun so you can attach the coupler to the zerks and pump them full of grease. A cheapo one from Harbor Freight should do just fine and you may need it for future jobs even. Glad you were able to yield the results you were hoping to get!

Sent from my SM-S908U using Tapatalk

Ok I’ll be sure to get one thanks
 
It sounds like you could use some help in the realm of automotive preventative maintenance. The fact you don't own a grease gun to service your driveshaft u-joints is very telling. Check out the video below. It will help you with being able to perform the basic vehicle maintenance for your rig. I also have a ton more videos on my channel to help you do other maintenance, repairs and modifications to your rig. Good luck!


<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/a81i1Cayf_I" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe>

You’re 100 percent right there, I’m very new to all of this but I do want to be good at it.
Thanks I’ll be sure to watch these videos when I get the chance
 

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