Strange Sound Coming from Rear

MikeinCincy

MikeinCincy

New member
Hey guys,

An odd sound is coming from (I believe) the rear of my 4Runner. The sound has been going on for at least 3 or 4 months, and it gets louder and more obnoxious the colder it is outside. When I start to drive, it sounds like "wom....wom....wom..wom.wom womwomwomwom". In other words, it is very loud at low speeds and as I start to go faster, the sound gets louder and eventually it just turns into a loud droning sound as I get above, say, 30 mph. I have put my truck in 4-wheel drive and it still makes the same sound. I have also driven in reverse and the sound is basically non-existant. Below are some stats for my 4Runner:

Year: 2006
Model: 4Runner SR5 4X4
Miles: 85,000
Tires: Goodyear Wrangler Silent Armor w/ 50,000 miles (have always been
rotated and balanced)
Maint: I Have always kept up with all of the maintenance

I appreciate any and all help that you guys can give me.

-Mike
 
Last edited:
Register to hide this ad
sounds like a wheel bearing.
or maybe even a diff bearing.

jack up ONE side and run it gear.
then jack up the other side, and do the same.
should help isolate where its coming from.
 
Sounds like a pinion when you drive in reverse it goes away because it runs on the other side of the teeth a bearing noise would be there regardless. Have you checked the rear diff fluid?
 
Thanks guys. I will take it to the dealership, I guess, before something bad happens. I just can't believe that it would be something this serious. I mean, the truck isn't THAT old and doesn't have THAT many miles on it. Plus, I never off-road, tow anything, or drive aggressively. Ugh.
 
i just rebuilt a rearend in an 07 v6 mustang. it only had 115k, and the bearings were wasted. it happens sometimes.
 
Imma guess tires. Not uncommon for them to become noisy when they wear. The cold also changes the rubbers stiffness which could add to the sound. Either way, good luck and let us know the outcome.
 
08T4R said:
Imma guess tires. Not uncommon for them to become noisy when they wear. The cold also changes the rubbers stiffness which could add to the sound. Either way, good luck and let us know the outcome.
Click to expand...

My tires, Goodyear Wrangler Silent Armors, have 50,000 miles on them. They have a pretty aggressive tread pattern. Do off-road/all-terrain tires get noisy around 50,000?
 
Never owned a set personally yet, but I've read reviews and from others on here that they do get noisy as they wear. What's the expected mileage out of those? Most all terrains are warrantied til 50k. I would guess yours are at least half, if not three quarters worn by now..
 
Hi Mike, any feedback on the diagnosis at the dealer ? I'm in a similar boat, thinking its ujoint, wheel bearing or diff bearings....

Thanks !
 
sounds like a pinion bearing. Same thing happened to me over the summer when i hit the pinion hard on a rock. Toyota dealer quoted me close to a grand. Luckily the guy that did my gears did it for $150 plus about 140 in parts. Wasnt too sure which bearing it was so i just had him replace both. it was extemely loud after driving on it for just a couple days. I could hear it grinding at idle speed and it just got progressively louder the faster i went.
 
Quick update on my issue:

I have the truck with a friend of my Dad's who has been a mechanic all of his life. He initially thought it was an axle bearing, so, he looked into that and that was not the issue. Turns out, he is saying that all four bearings in the rear diff need replaced. :yell: Oddly enough, he said the fluid level and the fluid itself was totally fine, there were no metal shavings, and the gears were totally fine.

I asked him how much (approximately) it was going to cost for him to fix it, and, he said that he replaced all four rear diff bearings in a Dodge Durango for $1,000, but, that truck I guess had a bearings kit and my 4Runner does not. So, I am assuming it will be well north of $1,000.

Sound reasonable?

Can't believe at 86,000 miles all four bearings would be shot...:yuck:
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.

Members online

Total: 1,279 (members: 3, guests: 1,276)

Forum statistics

Threads
278,312
Messages
3,554,089
Members
248,016
Latest member
Advally Service

Share this page

Trending content

Back
Top