northcoast
New member
I doubt that have any clue. It doesn't cause any problems... there are no threads about anything failing from this, so it's no big deal IMO. And yes, I have the whine. Dare I say I kinda like it...
Whining Noise From Engine
- Thread starter LaO_T4R
- Start date
I doubt that have any clue. It doesn't cause any problems... there are no threads about anything failing from this, so it's no big deal IMO. And yes, I have the whine. Dare I say I kinda like it...
So I bought this 2014 Toyota 4runner with 98k miles on it. We had went 2 hours away to a small dealership and found this one for 24,800.00 so we snatched it up in a heartbeat. It has 4wheel drive and everything she test drove it and said she loved it and signed all the paper. Was sold as is. When I get home I hear this and I literally shat myself. From what I deduced after reading all of these articles is possibly oil filter is garbage and possibly oil pump is bad or is this common. It sounds like a loud supercharger.
YouTube
YouTube
2014 4runner 98k miles
So I bought this 2014 Toyota 4runner with 98k miles on it. We had went 2 hours away to a small dealership and found this one for 24,800.00 so we snatched it up in a heartbeat. It has 4wheel drive and everything she test drove it and said she loved it and signed all the paper. Was sold as is. When I get home I hear this and I literally shat myself. From what I deduced after reading all of these articles is possibly oil filter is garbage and possibly oil pump is bad or is this common. It sounds like a loud supercharger.
YouTube
So I bought this 2014 Toyota 4runner with 98k miles on it. We had went 2 hours away to a small dealership and found this one for 24,800.00 so we snatched it up in a heartbeat. It has 4wheel drive and everything she test drove it and said she loved it and signed all the paper. Was sold as is. When I get home I hear this and I literally shat myself. From what I deduced after reading all of these articles is possibly oil filter is garbage and possibly oil pump is bad or is this common. It sounds like a loud supercharger.
YouTube
I have the same noise on my 2016 with 38k miles and I had the same concerns when I noticed the noise and found this thread. If it makes you feel any better, I’ve heard it on brand new 4Runners. That knowledge and the varied years/mileage that people notice the noise gives me some confidence that it’s nothing to worry about. I never had it on my many other Toyota’s, but the accessories on this engine for emissions control make strange noises on shutoff and it sure seems related. Congrats on the new rig.
I purchased my 5th gen SR5 with 39K on it back in December 2017. Last spring (May 2019) at 58K, I started the truck up in the garage and heard the whine at 1000 RPM and up out of no where. The day (weeks, months and years) before the noise was not present. I have an extended warranty on the truck so I asked the dealer to take a look at at my next oil change (only about 600 miles later). They tested the alternator output (normal), compared it to another same model on their lot and chalked it up to normal noise. Based on all that I've read on this thread and another similar thread, I decided to let it be and not worry.
Fast forward to my next oil change (just a month ago at 67K). For kicks, I went to a different local Toyota dealer to see what they had to say. They bit on the extended warranty work right away. They verified that they heard the whine and seemingly willy-nilly replaced the alternator as the "fix". Again, based on what I've read, I had a very strong feeling that this was not going to be the fix but was happy to take a new alternator anyway. They gave me the truck back claiming noise was gone, but, of course it was still there.
Fast forward to today (March 6 2020 at 67800 miles) when I was able to get the truck back in and verify the noise with the tech and service advisor. They heard the noise with me. I explained that via this forum, it seems they should remove the belts to isolate the issue. They did this and the noise was still present. They've now decided to order an oil pump for the truck under warranty. I expect to bring it back in for the swap late next week. There's been a few guys on this thread that have had the oil pump replaced and that seems to have fixed the issue. I'll post after the work is done and confirm if it fixed mine or not.
As always, thanks to y'all for taking the time to share.
Fast forward to my next oil change (just a month ago at 67K). For kicks, I went to a different local Toyota dealer to see what they had to say. They bit on the extended warranty work right away. They verified that they heard the whine and seemingly willy-nilly replaced the alternator as the "fix". Again, based on what I've read, I had a very strong feeling that this was not going to be the fix but was happy to take a new alternator anyway. They gave me the truck back claiming noise was gone, but, of course it was still there.
Fast forward to today (March 6 2020 at 67800 miles) when I was able to get the truck back in and verify the noise with the tech and service advisor. They heard the noise with me. I explained that via this forum, it seems they should remove the belts to isolate the issue. They did this and the noise was still present. They've now decided to order an oil pump for the truck under warranty. I expect to bring it back in for the swap late next week. There's been a few guys on this thread that have had the oil pump replaced and that seems to have fixed the issue. I'll post after the work is done and confirm if it fixed mine or not.
As always, thanks to y'all for taking the time to share.
Hi,
Just wondering if the oil pump replacement ended up fixing the whine?
My 2016 Trail edition just started making a whine this morning.
Making this exact same sound YouTube
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nimby
New member
Maybe all you Karens should voice your complaints to corporate regarding this noise with no known failures.
Perhaps a strongly worded letter on how difficult it is to co-exist with such an intolerable racket under the hood?
I'm sure they will be very receptive to your concern.
lololol
Perhaps a strongly worded letter on how difficult it is to co-exist with such an intolerable racket under the hood?
I'm sure they will be very receptive to your concern.
lololol
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Totally makes sense it sounds like a gear in the video, but the 4Runner uses a timing chain so it must have been really misaligned.
Wouldn't a worn cam gear/timing chain/etc show debris (metal bits) in the oil?
Ouch! That made my ears bleed. It sounds like a bad bearing.
georgeoftheandes
Junior Member
I mistakenly posted this in the 3rd Gen section.
Count me as one more with the whine. Bone stock 2016 SR5 with 74,000 Kms (46K miles). 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.
The noise is exactly the same as the one linked in the first page here:
The 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 after that shop visit so while the bill doesn't describe other work done I wonder if something was lubricated or adjusted.
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, but they 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 really be something with the transmission?
Is there any way I can diagnose this by myself? How mech savvy would I have to be?
I was beginning to think I was an owner to a one in a million lemon 4runner but it seems it's a very common mistery.
Count me as one more with the whine. Bone stock 2016 SR5 with 74,000 Kms (46K miles). 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.
The noise is exactly the same as the one linked in the first page here:
The 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 after that shop visit so while the bill doesn't describe other work done I wonder if something was lubricated or adjusted.
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, but they 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 really be something with the transmission?
Is there any way I can diagnose this by myself? How mech savvy would I have to be?
I was beginning to think I was an owner to a one in a million lemon 4runner but it seems it's a very common mistery.
My 2015, recently purchased, has the whine too. Yesterday I changed the PCV valve, just because I like to keep them fresh, and the noise got quieter but did not go away completely. Planning to drain and refill the transmission a few times and change the engine oil with Toyota components, so we’ll see if more maintenance has an effect on the whine. I started rolling my window down when other 5th gens pass by and sure enough, most of them go whining along haha. There is absolutely no start-up noise and the level of VVT clatter seems normal, so I can’t worry about it too much.
Update: Toyota corporate informed me that many of these cases have been linked to a fraudulent “repair shop” behind the old Bike store on Burmont road in Drexel Hill, PA. Apparently the proprietor, or shall we say “perpetrator”, was using substandard oil filters and dispensing the same viscosity oil no matter what the engines call for. They caught him on hidden camera, cackling “it’s whatever they want it to be!” in reference to the expired SJ-rated Motorcraft 10W-40 he was pumping into newer engines. Local muckraking journalist Herb Denenberg broke the story. I don’t know how some people sleep at night.
My 2014 just started to make this exact same noise as described and shown in video in this thread. Seems a lot of owners are having this issue ranging from new to higher miles. It’s not related to anything that the serpentine belt spins as it is present with belt off. I’ve tried changing oil filters including using OEM filter and OEM TRD filter. Some suggest it’s either transmission or oil pump making the noise. Yet I don’t find anyone talking about their oil pumps or transmission pumps going bad, as in non-functional. It amazes me how long this issue has been going on without a definitive answer from Toyota. Curious what seems to be the most successful fix for this problem after years of reading about this? Could this noise be related to an exhaust manifold going bad or with a hole?
Throwback
New member
Yeah, that's what's interesting to me. Sure there's no engine failures reported to this, but *something* happens in the drivetrain to start making a noise. Mine went 99k miles without it and now has it.
I've read this thread obviously, and a bunch on the FJ forums. I can't find any failures because of this, but also haven't read of anyone doing anything that makes the noise go away. And some guys are tearing engines apart replacing stuff chasing the noise. Weird.
I've read this thread obviously, and a bunch on the FJ forums. I can't find any failures because of this, but also haven't read of anyone doing anything that makes the noise go away. And some guys are tearing engines apart replacing stuff chasing the noise. Weird.
