LittleRedDevil

Truck: 1989 SR5, V6 3.0L, 4X4, A.D.D, 5 Speed

Problem: I have a noise, a noise that sounds kind of like the reverse gear but toned down to about 20% to 30% / a whirling, bearing kind of sound. I have been under the truck while it was running and couldn't hear the "noise". I can only hear the noise when driving at 25-30 KM/h and over but quiets down at highway speed. The "noise" is constant whether the clutch is depressed or not, and the "noise" is constant in all gears and coasting in neutral. The truck is mostly driven in 2WD but when driving straight in 4WD the "noise" quiets to about 50%. The noise seems to be coming from the transmission or transfer gear shifters. I haven't taken the truck offroading but can't speak for the P.O. though. I also haven't checked the trans, diff, or transfer fluids, but the P.O. told me he had checked the fluids and they were mint.

So let me know what you guys think, and I'll update tomorrow when I check the fluids.

snobdds

That could just about be anything. Noises are vary rarely diagonised through this world wide web thingy...

Fink

Bingo.

These are extremely tough over the interwebz.

Fink

Jkelley429

iTrader: (1)

an audio clip would be helpful.

bmcghie

Transfer case output shaft bearing? Sounds like it might be something to do with the transfer case.

Try driving at the speed when it's most noticeable, then dump the transfer case into neutral (while in motion). Does that do anything for you? Otherwise I saw diffs or wheel bearings.

bassbro1

How long has it been since you put the vehicle in 4x4 (before test)?

snobdds

Don't do this if you want to keep your transfer case. By doing what you suggest it would require one to shift into 4wd and then into neutral, thus binding up and putting unneeded stress on the drive train.

James Woods

iTrader: (1)

I vote a muffler bearing has gone bad

LittleRedDevil

I have only owned the truck for 2 1/2 months now and am aware that it should be driven about ten miles every month in 4X4.. The P.O. told me that he left the truck in 4X4 all winter and didn't use it in the summer. So I can't really say if 4X4 has been used regularly.

I just drained the fluids out of the diffs, transfer, and transmission. The rear diff fluid was a little low but very clean, the transfer fluid was the dirtiest (but still pretty good looking), the transmission and front diff fluids were almost pristine. I put in Amsoil synthetic gear oil, man is that ever a PITA job to do.



(I drained the diffs, transfer, and transmission into an oil pan and then filled up the Amsoil containers with the dirty stuff, so it does look dark like engine oil but when I drained them the fluid was nice and clear/yellow)

So then I took the truck out for a ride and still got the mysterious "Noise"! I am about 99% sure the sound is coming from the transmission / shifter. When I drive -adding to what I said in the last post- if I grip the gear shifter (while moving) and push it side to side while it is in gear it makes the already existing "noise" sound amplified. Is it possible for the shifter to act like a stethoscope? to the transmission? what about to a wheel bearing or other farther away components? I haven't taken off the boot from under the shifter yet but I am going to take a look under there soon. Are there any parts that can be serviced underneath that boot? I am also going to take a video tomorrow and post it and maybe see if anyone else can figure this out. And then.. I will take it to a Tranny Shop and see what they say. I would like to cancel out all other possibilities first so that the Tranny Shop can't make a false diagnosis.. and cost me moolah.

I did though figure out another problem I had. My blower motor resistor burned out so I put in my new one.

bassbro1

Yes the shifter can act as a stethoscope. Nobody ever likes hearing about something wrong with the tranny. If its a grinding noise or a metal tooth shearing noise, major problem. If its a rumble, it may just be a bearing. If you are sure you checked everything, then I guess it is time for the tranny man. Good luck.

HiredMind

Maybe I'm just not understanding what bmcghie said correctly. But if I am, I do this all the time - I regularly shift my '94 pickup in/out of 4WD at highway speed (with the hubs locked and going in a straight line, of course). Bought it brand new with no major problems in 140K miles. Have to do that in the snow up here

Anyway - LittleRedDevil, you said that the noise only happens when driving at a certain speed. Does it only happen in a certain gear? Does it happen at that speed, while in neutral or only in gear? With the clutch in? In neutral with the clutch out?

4wd4fun

makes noise when moving just less in 4wd? you have auto disconnect? maybe its not disconnecting and is spinning the front driveshaft and stuff and going to 4wd is changing how the gears and bearings are loaded?

only things turning when moving in 2wd and in neutral should be the driven gears in the trans and the output shaft of the trans itself since those connect direct to the rear end. for the noise to lesen in 4wd makes me think something about the front end like i said above could be happening

i just did that too mine only had speeds 3 and 4. its so much nicer to have defrost without the noise of a small tornado.

DIRT CLOD

U joint... replace em all.... probably could use them anyway... but I would bet a its a U joint

DIRT CLOD

vehicle is made to shift on the fly so no worries

bmcghie

Last I checked, I don't even have to clutch to go into or out of 4hi, as long as I'm going less that 80km/50mph. 4lo may be entered at speeds of up to 8km/5mph, but you need to stop and go to neutral on the transmission before coming out of 4lo.

At least, that's what the little Toyota paper above my seat says.

Any progress on the noise yet? DIRT CLOD makes a good point, it never hurts to change U joints...

LittleRedDevil

bmcghie I don't know if I can put my transfer into neutral, I have A.D.D and as far as I know I only have the option of putting it in 2WD, 4HI, and 4LOW.

I do have a plan for tomorrow though. I am kind of thinking I should do the easiest stuff first, on the account of the "noise" has not become any worse. I am going to jack up the truck and check all of my wheels for play and spin them and see what they sound and feel like. I will also check from the underneath to see if any of the wheel seals are leaking. I am going to lube up all of my prop shaft joints, I think I may have missed one last time. And then I might take off the rear shaft and drive around in 4X4 and see if I still have the noise, that way I can at least eliminate the u joints and rear diff. Hopefully I can find the problem.

It's kind of funny now that I think of it, I bought the truck in the beginning of October with no mysterious "noise". I lubed the prop shafts for good measure in case P.O. hadn't and since then I've gotten then noise more and more frequently. I hate coincidences.

Cheers.

LittleRedDevil

Yesterday I checked the driveline, checked the driveshafts for play and they were solid and tight. The centre bearing is a bit loose, I can move the driveshaft between an eighth to a quarter inch up and down inside the bearing. I checked all of the wheel seals and found no leakage. Greased all of the zerk fittings and they didn't take much. Then I jacked up the rear end and spun the rear wheels, smooth with no sounds. I then jacked up both front wheels, the passenger wheel spun smoothly with just a little bit of brake noise. The drivers side however had the brake noise and some other noise, a metallic screechy noise. I haven't taken off the caliper but here is a video. Let me know what you think.

http://youtu.be/MFIVlm4td30/

Note: While driving the truck I can not hear a screeching, just the whirling from the transmission/transfer area in the cab.

Moonfish

put the transfer case in neutral and try different gears and listen. Jack up wheels run it and listen. Or just keep driving until it becomes more obvious. Holding the shifter to the side always vibrates as far as I know.

bassbro1

Have you checked the calipers for rocks? Also if the pads have a metal tang on them to alert you when the pads are getting low, they screech. Also if the brake pads were put on wrong, they may make a screeching noise. From the sound on the video, it sounded like dragging brakes. Remove the calipers and inspect, would be my diagnosis.

LittleRedDevil

bassbro1 I know I have been pretty busy but I will get around to taking off that caliper and inspect further, thanks.

Just another note here: I took my truck out for a drive tonight shifting from 2WD to 4WD and back again trying to figure out this "noise", I eventually ended up on the highway thinking that if I got enough speed and put the truck in neutral, turned off the engine and listened I might be able to hear these "noises" better (because anyone who has a 3VZE knows that it is hard to hear anything beyond the engine and ticking injectors). I did my test and could only hear the squeaking brakes, calipers, bearings or what have you, at very low speeds (15 km and under) with my window down and engine off.

BUT, as I mentioned before the original "noise" (I'm sure now is a separate issue from the wheel noise) is the loudest when in 2WD and constant in city driving. So I put the truck in 4WD and drove highway speed for about five or ten minutes, "noise" gone! I drove around the city back in 2WD for another fifteen minutes with no "noise" BUT, it will come back, I've done this before just forgot to mention it in my pre-posts. See if you can figure that one out?!

So just to clear things up: I have a whirling noise coming from the transmission/transfer area, the noise is constant when above about 25 - 30km/h, constant if clutch in or out, constant with shifting gears, constant in neutral as long as vehicle is about 25km/h, BUT the noise will deaden if the truck is put in 4WD in city, will disappear if driven a substantial distance at highway speed in 4WD and will not reappear even with city driving regardless if in 2WD or 4WD maybe for hours or up until it is parked and driven again.

Cheers.