Whining noise during acceleration
- Thread starter Seiji_1113
- Start date
jman11788
Member
That describes a bad pinion bearing sir.
Put the rear on jackstands and put the car in drive and get the odo to read atleast 40mph. See if you can get a friend and have you or your friend get under it and pinpoint the noise. If the rear driveshaft yoke moves up and down as you push the gas real hard then you have a bad pinion bearing
Last edited:
johnbyebye
New member
"If your transmission makes noise when you put it in gear and that noise goes away when you put it back in park or neutral that is your converter coming apart. If the noise does not go away but changes that is your front pump and the converter. The correct way to verify the noise is to use a technicians stethoscope and verify from under the vehicle while on shop lift or securely raised with all wheels off the ground."
Seen here: http://www.toyota-4runner.org/3rd-gen-t4rs/232206-toyota-4runner-transmissions-you.html
You need to get under your 4Runner and listen to it while someone has it in D or R. This could simply be the alternator or PS pump whining but doesn't hurt to rule out your tranny. My 4Runner did what you are describing and the torque converter was shot. Find out where the noise is coming from.
Regards,
Scott
XJeepguy
Member
Just came inside after doing pretty much all that , it's most definitely coming from the torque converter .
How long did yours last from the onset of noise to replacement ? I just replaced my muffler after a long disintegration so this sound could have been going on for some time , who knows.
I believe my buddies Runner has had this same sound for about the last year or more :shocked:
Thanks !
jman11788
Member
My bad I totally misread what you posted. I thought you put it out of gear while coasting..
If you can hear the noise in park it's most likely Tranny or alernator related
johnbyebye
New member
I drove mine for two months while I decided if I wanted to rebuild or replace. You could lay out what you want to do and just drive it 'til the TC gives out. I would NOT do this if you're going to have it rebuilt though. If some of your "hard parts" get worn in the process, the rebuild will be crazy expensive. I would start looking into your options regardless though.
XJeepguy
Member
Already priced out the TC today . It's the trans re n re price that I'm sure will scare me .
donaldtrump
New member
Hello everyone, great to see you all.
You know, this forum is just terrific, really the best. Everybody loves it they really do. Anyways, just wanted to chime in here after reading some of the troubles you all have been having.
i had experienced a whine under similar conditions to the OP's post. and reading what some of you fantastic Americans have to say made me want to chime in here.
the whine started out of nowhere one day, except it lasted only about half way through one of my secret service agents ~45 mile commute, and did not persist at higher speeds. (i.e. once getting out of traffic and up to normal highway speeds ~65 mph)
now, he tells me, he was parking at home and noticed an unsettling sound similar to rocks slowly rolling around a metal bucket, emanating from the transmission. however, it drove just fine, didn't lurch at all, and otherwise had no signs of transmission trouble. the sound would go away as soon as he placed the vehicle in neutral or park.
i had sean take it to two separate highly reputed shops.
they told me it was my trans, and that my administration was best off with an oem toyota reman unit, total cost would be in the ballpark of $3100 - $3500.
the second shop, this one was a large chain, a huuge chain really one of the best everybody loves it. they also said we would need a new transmission, but beyond that they would not be able to diagnose anything further until the trans was dropped. it would cost the taxpayers ~$600 to remove and reinstall, before any other costs.
You know folks, i realized that was shaping up to be the worst trade deal in the history of trade deals, maybe ever. So i decided to go a different route.
My cabinet and i convened & assumed it was the torque converter, or perhaps even the flex plate.
so when the schedule permitted, i had it driven over to my close personal friend Vladamir's garage and we pulled the observation panel off. two hours, a hot stethoscope, and a shirtless photo of him riding a horse later; we were able to pinpoint the sound as a broken component inside the torque converter.
cliff notes, that whine is probably your torque converter, and will turn into the rocky-rolly-metal-bowly sound if a fin snaps off or something.
You know, this forum is just terrific, really the best. Everybody loves it they really do. Anyways, just wanted to chime in here after reading some of the troubles you all have been having.
i had experienced a whine under similar conditions to the OP's post. and reading what some of you fantastic Americans have to say made me want to chime in here.
the whine started out of nowhere one day, except it lasted only about half way through one of my secret service agents ~45 mile commute, and did not persist at higher speeds. (i.e. once getting out of traffic and up to normal highway speeds ~65 mph)
now, he tells me, he was parking at home and noticed an unsettling sound similar to rocks slowly rolling around a metal bucket, emanating from the transmission. however, it drove just fine, didn't lurch at all, and otherwise had no signs of transmission trouble. the sound would go away as soon as he placed the vehicle in neutral or park.
i had sean take it to two separate highly reputed shops.
they told me it was my trans, and that my administration was best off with an oem toyota reman unit, total cost would be in the ballpark of $3100 - $3500.
the second shop, this one was a large chain, a huuge chain really one of the best everybody loves it. they also said we would need a new transmission, but beyond that they would not be able to diagnose anything further until the trans was dropped. it would cost the taxpayers ~$600 to remove and reinstall, before any other costs.
You know folks, i realized that was shaping up to be the worst trade deal in the history of trade deals, maybe ever. So i decided to go a different route.
My cabinet and i convened & assumed it was the torque converter, or perhaps even the flex plate.
so when the schedule permitted, i had it driven over to my close personal friend Vladamir's garage and we pulled the observation panel off. two hours, a hot stethoscope, and a shirtless photo of him riding a horse later; we were able to pinpoint the sound as a broken component inside the torque converter.
cliff notes, that whine is probably your torque converter, and will turn into the rocky-rolly-metal-bowly sound if a fin snaps off or something.
AZ4Running
New member
97 SR5 3.4L Auto 4X4 297k miles. Same issue here, whine in gear only and slightly increases with speed, whine stops in park. I am an auto mechanic with over 10 year experience, by no means a transmission expert but I think its my trans pump making the noise. My 4runner has also had really poor throttle response/ get up and go from a stop once moving its as expected from a 3.4L good acceleration and passing power. Being a mechanic and working on several 4runners and tacomas I can compare others to mine and mine is lacking from a stop. I cant even spin the tires if I power brake. Trans shifts great, does not slip, offroads better than I can. Fluid was changed about 4 years ago along with the filter and pan gasket, still looks red, mechanic so yeah I check this stuff regularly. Thinking my torque converter is worn out and not getting all the power to the trans in lower rmps. 297k all original drive train, well serviced. It is time for new fuilds, spark plugs and fuel filter.
jgue467
Senior Member
Mine with 322k whines a little (can only hear with radio off) in 1st and 2nd gear, virtually none after that.
I guess they're all getting up in miles and everything wears out eventually.
I do take it easy on her, use OD off anytime I'm starting to climb an elevation that causes the rpms to increase, OD unlocks causing slipping heat increases and in TC temps.
Not sure if I should start shopping for a complete used replacement, just needs parts or a reman'd one? thoughts?
I guess they're all getting up in miles and everything wears out eventually.
I do take it easy on her, use OD off anytime I'm starting to climb an elevation that causes the rpms to increase, OD unlocks causing slipping heat increases and in TC temps.
Not sure if I should start shopping for a complete used replacement, just needs parts or a reman'd one? thoughts?
brillo_76
Elite Member
Whining in gear can be the Torque converter. Also the more rpms or poor throttle response is also a sign.
Is the transmission filter clean along with good transmission fluid.
Is the transmission quiet in N too?
I have one with a bad TC. Noisy in gear hard to move without giving it more beans and quiet in N.
You can also do the FSM test to verify it's the TC as well.
Sent from my SM-J337V using Tapatalk
georgeoftheandes
Junior Member
One more with the whine. Bone stock 2016 SR5, with the exact same description as the original post except the model. It's been going on for a month or so. The car hasn't been off road except in one dune ride and a five-day desert tour in 2018 and 2019.
Noise started a week after I requested the shop (a Toyota retailer) to look into why the transmission creaked when shifting between D and R. To them it was normal noise, to me it was too noisy. The transmission didn't creak that shop visit so while the bill doesn't describe other work done I wonder if something was lubricated or opened.
Two shops (one being this Toyota retailer) had issues just hearing the noise. The Toyota guy apparently was able to pick it up using a stetoscope and agreed noise frequency was out of specs. They claim to have solved it by changing a belt, pulley and tensioner ($1,000!), but didn't look at the transmission.
I now suspect they just did something to show work had been done but it had nothing to do with the actual problem.
Now after reading this thread I am worried about the transmission. Could it be self-suggestion or could it be the transmission going bad?
Edit: is there anyway I can diagnose this by myself? How mech savvy would I have to be?
Other notes:
- Noise doesn't go away when I stop accelerating, it just decreases along with RPM
- Noise doesn't happen all the time, sometimes it may be half a mile before it starts.
- Noise becomes noticeable between 1500 and 2000 RPM.
Noise started a week after I requested the shop (a Toyota retailer) to look into why the transmission creaked when shifting between D and R. To them it was normal noise, to me it was too noisy. The transmission didn't creak that shop visit so while the bill doesn't describe other work done I wonder if something was lubricated or opened.
Two shops (one being this Toyota retailer) had issues just hearing the noise. The Toyota guy apparently was able to pick it up using a stetoscope and agreed noise frequency was out of specs. They claim to have solved it by changing a belt, pulley and tensioner ($1,000!), but didn't look at the transmission.
I now suspect they just did something to show work had been done but it had nothing to do with the actual problem.
Now after reading this thread I am worried about the transmission. Could it be self-suggestion or could it be the transmission going bad?
Edit: is there anyway I can diagnose this by myself? How mech savvy would I have to be?
Other notes:
- Noise doesn't go away when I stop accelerating, it just decreases along with RPM
- Noise doesn't happen all the time, sometimes it may be half a mile before it starts.
- Noise becomes noticeable between 1500 and 2000 RPM.
spartacus
Senior Member
This is the 3rd Gen section. Different tranny and engine. Start with this thread Whining Noise From Engine
georgeoftheandes
Junior Member
Cheers! Got confused.
the_welfare_wagon
New member
Not sure if anyone has mentioned it but i had a similar issue. Whining noise that increased with RPM and no change when turning the wheel. Sounded like a bad PS pump before I ruled that out. Turned out to be a shot AC idler pulley bearing. They are known to go bad when mudding or hitting deep ass water which i did the day before I heard it. Nearly sank my 4runner a couple of times on a wheeling trip before I heard it so I knew it had to be related. I checked it with the screwdriver method and once I replaced it the noise went away. Curiously enough the noise was most apparent in the cabin, I guess due to the noise of the fan among other various engine noises
