mdenesha34

So I've been driving my truck for a few weeks with this slight humming sound which comes from the back. The sound just became much louder/worse last night. I wasn't sure if I was hearing things because it was really faint so I didn't pay much attention to it, but now I know there is definitely something wrong.

I've done searches and from what I have read it sounds like what people are describing as a pinion bearing. It sounds almost like a howling, and the sound is definitely in the rear.

Can anyone help me in diagnosing this further? And options to fix it

mdenesha34

Also, any idea what could have caused this. Had rear diff. oil changed 6 months ago

corax

drain the rear diff fluid through a paint filter and see what it looks like. If you get any chunks or the fluid looks like a dull silver / liquid mercury you may be looking at diff or bearing replacement



how many miles do you have on it? Do you drive hard or abuse it, tow much? This will all contribute

JWaldz

iTrader: (1)

I'll chime in cus I just went through this myself.

A good sign of a pinion bearing going out would be to test the driveshaft at the back of the diff for a slight up and down play. It's usual to have some rotational play but just test for up and down play. When mine was going out, I had a lot of speed orientated howling. The higher the speed the louder it was. If I was off the throttle it would stop. When coming to a stop, from about 10mph to 0mph it would hum and howl pretty loud.

I got lucky and replaced my whole axle with an elocker axle. When we pulled the diff apart on my old axle the oil was really low and dirty. Try draining yours and adding some good fluids to it, might help it out. Your best bet, if it's indeed the diff, I would buy a new 3rd from someone like singtoe has.

If you have an axle bearing going out you will hear howling all the time regardless of on the throttle or not, and it does get louder with speed.

mdenesha34

Yeah, I only hear the howling when I am accelerating.. when I let off the throttle there isn't any noise. So that means the ring and pinion are no good? So what needs to be replaced, the entire rear diff? What kind of damage to my wallet are we looking at, because I don't think that I have the tools to do a job like this in my driveway. Parts and labor?

camo31_10.50

i just pulled the diff out of my '92 4runner (chipped ring gear...made a loud click or clang lol)

all i needed was just BASIC BASIC tools...a 14mm wrench and socket..12mm wrench and socket...and that's about it to pull the diff...LOL

now once the diff is out that is a different story.



but if you don't want to tackle the job yourself...call around to local auto shops and tell them what needs to be done.....if you take them JUST the differential...it won't be as expensive...however if you make them pull it out and install it..then the price is gonna go up.

Nelsonmd

Yeah, and if you want the shop to fix your diff, be sure that they have a good reputation with diffs. It is really easy to set them up wrong. One guy on here went through 2-3 sets of gears because the shop couldn't set it up right. It might be easier/cheaper to replace the entire diff.


If you need it, this would be a great deal, even with shipping. Do the spin test and check your gear ratio.

JWaldz

iTrader: (1)

i would say find someone with a 3rd for sale with the same gears as yours. That way all you have to do is swap 3rds. Really, All you do is unbolt the 3rd from the back of the axle and put the other one in. There are some other steps but it's really easy.

mdenesha34

That doesn't sound too difficult. I should have mentioned I own a 2002 Tacoma SR5 TRD 3.4 L ... Will your open diff. still work for this?

A local shop changed it out the diff. fluid. I wonder if they somehow are to blame for this, or is it normal wear and tear, my truck does have 145k miles, but I don't beat on it and take pretty good care of it.

mdenesha34

Yeah, I'm pretty sure I have an E-locker. I know I have a Rear Diff. lock button in cab. I'm going to have to find an E-locker 3rd then. Can I drive my truck, by the sounds my 3rd is already screwed, or is there more damage that can be caused to other parts of my truck if I continue to drive it?

JWaldz

iTrader: (1)

ouch.. well, since you're probably not going to find an elocker third for cheep or anytime soon unless you get lucky I would suggest ordering new oem gears and having a good ring and pinion shop put it in. Won't be cheap but waiting around for an elocker third with your matching gears would make cuase a lot of downtown. I would check around for good gear shops that KNOW what they're doing and if you find a good one check these links out for gears.


ECGS Rear 8" R&P
Randy's R&P Tacoma

I don't know what gears you have.. if you want oem gears your best bet is to look around on the boards: TTORA, T4R, YotaTech, etc.. There is a chance you might have 4.30's. If thats the case then ECGS carries Nitro gears in 4.30s. I'm not really sure about the tacos and gears I just know that we have the same V6 8" rear turbo diff. I don't know if it matters with gears when you have elocker or not. I'm assuming no, but not 100% sure on that. I've read through this once and don't feel like reading it again but this should give you a good understanding of toyota front and rear diffs and what you have >>> Toyota Diff Information

Nelsonmd

I don't think it would be THAT difficult to find an e-locked 3rd. Not sure where he's located, but salvage yards are a good bet, especially it seems in the south. I guess if you need it fixed right now, then yeah, that may not be an option. If you can get by without it, I would at least try to find one. And JWaldz is probably right, it seems most all locked AT's have 4.3 gears. It is still worth doing the spin test to make sure though; you never know for sure until you do it.

I am pretty sure the there isn't a difference between the locked and non-locked gears. There is a difference between the 2WD and 4WD gears.

If you end up rebuilding with new gears, then read ZUK's page for some background on the setup process. It seems shops can screw it up easily and it would be good if you have a little knowledge to know what to ask about.

http://gearinstalls.com/index1.htm

mdenesha34

Rear diff. fluid was about 3 quarts low. Filled it up, the noise doesn't seem to be very loud anymore... seem to hear it more b/n 40-50 mph. Anyways, called a few local junkyards, no luck. One placed quoted me $1k ... The whine isn't that bad, will continuing to drive it destroy any other parts of my truck?

Delta Sonic changed out rear diff. fluid exactly one year ago... I think I may have seen moisture also around where the driveshaft goes into the rear diff.

Is it possible one of their tech's didn't fill it up enough? Afterall, the did manage to not tighten up my oil filter twice during oil changes, was leaking oil everywhere! ( Shame on me for going back again! )

JWaldz

iTrader: (1)

I agree with Singtoe.. and 3 quarts is pretty much empy. You can probably get away with driving for the time being but I strongly suggest you get it fixed ASAP. I would say stop going to that shop cus it doesn't sound like they know what they are doing. The reason why you don't hear it much any more is because you softened the howl by putting in oil. It's still there regardless. Your r&P are most likely shot and the EASIEST solution is finding a rear elocker 3rd. Only other solution would be buying the gears and master install kit and having a reputable gear shop put it in. Will be more costly this way but ya gotta do what ya gotta do.

mt_goat

OMG, that's all of it. You either have a really bad leak or someone drained it and didn't refill it.

mdenesha34

It probably wouldn't have lasted this long ( 1 year ) being that low on fluid would it? So its most likely a leak, which also would have to be addressed.

Last time I was under my truck I saw moisture around where the drive shaft goes into the differential. Could it have leaked that much fluid with just moisture marks ( no drip formed )

Calling around now for a used 3rd

mdenesha34

Thanks for all the help everyone! Want to let ya know I appreciate the help!

I've quoted prices all across the US, $650 is cheapest price so far (Cali), not including shipping. $900 for one here in NY.

Its looking like a possible rebuild.

c0ugar69

just get it rebuiilt, its probably just the large bearing on the locking side, i have heard that those can make a howling noise when they go bad, i just picked up a elocker for 250 with this same problem, a setup kit for that is about 200.00 I think the gears will be ok. just check around, get the setup kit yourself, a v6 diff setup kit and the large bearing seperate. then take it so a shop to get the bearings all swapped out. I have a guy here local in cali that said i can give out his info to setup diffs, hes been doing it for a while and worked at a shop that did nothing but rear ends. so lets say 200 for setup kit plus 200 for shipping and 175. for work and you looking at 575.00 to ship it out here and have it done. shipping may be cheaper not sure.

mdenesha34

I'm bringing it to a shop tomorrow, they are going to try to narrow it down. We just got 6+ inches of snow here in Rochester NY so I'm not gonna try pulling the diff. out in this weather!

Once I figure out exactly what the problem is, it'll be easier to narrow down my options. But I think you're right Cougar, a rebuild is probably going to be what I go with.

c0ugar69

i have been reading on the elocker and it seems the large carrier bearing is usually the culprit.