Strange harmonic noise coming from engine

alex56

alex56

New member
Since a few weeks ago my 0'3 V6 has developed a strange whine/harmonic noise while only in gear under load; seems to be coming from engine. I cannot get it to replicate in neutral or park revving the engine. The noise is most prominent around 1,500-2,000 RPM at any speed under load. Pretty much I can feather the accelerator within that range weather i'm in town or on the freeway and the noise responds back with how much i press the pedal. Anything over about 2,000 RPM no matter the speed it just goes away, and anything below 1,500 or below it is non existent. If I drop back into that zone it comes right back.

I have no idea what it could be and am on my last nerve before I take it to the dealer, visually everything checks out OK. I'm leaning twoards it might be the air intake but I have had it for 5 years and never had this issue before.

I have attached a video I took earlier today. Put on a good set of headphones and take a listen you'll definitely hear it around 7 seconds!

I appreciate any input!

TIA

https://youtu.be/7SKUYynhzq0
 
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mine does the same thing. Bought the 4runner about a month ago but only started hearing this noise about 2 weeks ago. V6 with 133k miles. Hope someone can chime in with an answer.
 
Upon further testing I was able to come to the conclusion that it is in fact the transmission (I believe). Mainly for the fact that I cannot replicate the noise when not in gear. I drove today until I heard the noise and shifted into neutral holding it steady, the noise went away I immediately shifted back into gear and it came right back. Time to find a transmission shop to take a look.
 
alex56 said:
Upon further testing I was able to come to the conclusion that it is in fact the transmission (I believe). Mainly for the fact that I cannot replicate the noise when not in gear. I drove today until I heard the noise and shifted into neutral holding it steady, the noise went away I immediately shifted back into gear and it came right back. Time to find a transmission shop to take a look.
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Curious what they say, could also be the transfer case. I believe there's supposed to be a counter weight on it and if it's not there could cause the harmonic sounds. I've got the same issue though and figured it was something catching air like the skid plates and vibrating just enough to create it.
 
I have an 03 V6 260k OG owner and just about a month ago had that sound if not very similar and acted the same in response to gear and gas pedal and I ended up changing my drive belt and 3 new pulleys and no more sound.
Also think about your tensioner pulley and fan clutch as other options rather than tranny which by the way are pretty diehard.
If it your tranny I would say check your fluid level and what fluid is actually in there should be Toyota ATF Type IV. If not, then that would most likely solve your possible tranny problem.
Never stated your mileage and extra info that may help
 
Oneluv13T4R said:
I have an 03 V6 260k OG owner and just about a month ago had that sound if not very similar and acted the same in response to gear and gas pedal and I ended up changing my drive belt and 3 new pulleys and no more sound.
Also think about your tensioner pulley and fan clutch as other options rather than tranny which by the way are pretty diehard.
If it your tranny I would say check your fluid level and what fluid is actually in there should be Toyota ATF Type IV. If not, then that would most likely solve your possible tranny problem.
Never stated your mileage and extra info that may help
Click to expand...



I'm also OG owner of mine, currently have 184,xxx over 100,000 of those are on 35's :dancin: I've always ran royal purple ATF in the trans for a good amount of time. I couldn't imagine its because of the fluid but who knows. my trans runs around 200-210 degrees according to my gauge all the time which i know is a bit high.

I was thinking it could be the belt and pulleys also, I will post an update soon of what I find, for now I'm too busy to deal with it so I'm going to park it until I can drop it off this weekend to avoid damage just in case.
 
Before going to the trans shop, try pulling the serpentine belt and letting it run just a minute or two in the driveway to verify it's not a pulley or something else belt driven.
 
fdbyrne said:
Except the symptoms are exactly the opposite of what's been widely reported. When that needle bearing goes it usually only does it in 2WD and goes away immediately when switching into 4WD.
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I realized that after I posted, sorry. I would still say diff related if it only occurs in 4x :shrug:

I have a similar noise that I noticed as the OP, I have not diagnosed it yet, but I believe to be related to something in the belt system, perhaps the AC compressor pulley, as switching the AC on/off seemed to have some effect on the noise. I am going to check all of the idlers first though.
 
Wishbone said:
I realized that after I posted, sorry. I would still say diff related if it only occurs in 4x :shrug:

I have a similar noise that I noticed as the OP, I have not diagnosed it yet, but I believe to be related to something in the belt system, perhaps the AC compressor pulley, as switching the AC on/off seemed to have some effect on the noise. I am going to check all of the idlers first though.
Click to expand...

I agree with you that the front differential is a likely culprit in the specific case mentioned. It may also be the transfer case.

As for the engine RPM related noise it might be worth checking the tensioner and idler pulleys. Mine went bad just after 100k and I've read of others doing the same. I pulled my serpentine belt off and checked all of the pulleys for play. In my case it was obvious that at least two of the bearings on the idler pulleys were bad. There was noticeable play in two of them. Replacing the pulleys was easy and cheap.

Before figuring out it was the pulleys I was certain it was the power steering pump pulley. It sounded like my truck grew a turbocharger.
 
jonesmw10 said:
Mine does the same thing when accelerating, only in 4wd..... :(

I'd be interested to see what you find.
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If you're getting a harmonic vibration/hum only when in 4wd and at speed, say somewhere between 50-75mph it could be the the typical 120 harmonic drone that required a recall on the GX, unfortunately us 4runner owners got screwed. There's a service bulletin somewhere for an updated front differential damper that cures it, I've spent many hours researching it, but I just haven't had the time to get around to doing it yet on mine.

There are a bunch of threads about it on Lexus forums with complaints from GX owners, as well as some here, seems like luck of the draw whether you get it or not. I did notice with my newer tires freshly balanced it went away on its own for a while, probably need to re-balance them as it pops up from time to time again in 4hi unlocked only between 65-68mph.
 
JEL said:
If you're getting a harmonic vibration/hum only when in 4wd and at speed, say somewhere between 50-75mph it could be the the typical 120 harmonic drone that required a recall on the GX, unfortunately us 4runner owners got screwed. There's a service bulletin somewhere for an updated front differential damper that cures it, I've spent many hours researching it, but I just haven't had the time to get around to doing it yet on mine.

There are a bunch of threads about it on Lexus forums with complaints from GX owners, as well as some here, seems like luck of the draw whether you get it or not. I did notice with my newer tires freshly balanced it went away on its own for a while, probably need to re-balance them as it pops up from time to time again in 4hi unlocked only between 65-68mph.
Click to expand...

I've only noticed it at low speeds.. 25mph in 4hi it is noticeable but not super loud. Goes away immediately if I left off the gas. Sorry to thread jack OP. The noise I hear is the same as yours, same conditions.. Just 4wheel instead of all the time
 
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