I have finally caught this noise on camera to show everyone.. It happens when the truck is in both 2x4 and 4x4 mode... You can hear it in this YouTube video at around 3-4 seconds into the video..

[YOUTUBE]http://youtube.com/watch?v=iHElf0R_s-w[/YOUTUBE]

When I am sitting and then take off in 1st gear it sometimes makes this noise... Just wondering what it could be from?

The other clunking noises as I'm near the top of the hill are from the old axle I replaced the other day rolling around the bed

Any ideas.. Thanks guys.

 

I heard a similar noise coming from my diff a week before my spider gears went out. Maybe u joints?

 

Sounds to me like the driveline is slapping/hitting something. Gas tank maybe.....?

 

sounds like a u-joint going out, but you usually only hear that when you first take off.

 

I watched the vid and it sounds like you get the truck moving, then shift, and then the clank. Is that correct?

 

You've got a factory solid axle double cab truck, I feel no sympathy for you whatsoever.

Sounds like a gear tooth's broken in the rear diff. Given you're description of when it happens, sounds like a spider gear to me. See, the wheels have to be at specific position relative to each other to have the broken spider gear tooth make noise, thus it is not making noise when you stomp on the gas to make it up that hill.

You could figure out if its the spiders or the ring by accelerating hard straight, then accelerating hard driving in a circle. If the clank happens rythmically when turning at a rate depending on the diameter of the circle your driving in, then its probably a spider. If it happens whenever you floor the pedal, its probably the ring and pinion.

Either way to repair it, it will be cheapest just to buy a used third member (rear diff and housing). Here, they're worth about $50- $200 used depending on the gear ratio.

Here's the sounds of broken gear teeth (this instance a ring gear I think).

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fS3_N65xAjk[/youtube]

 

matt16-
the only problem I have with that theory is that the wheels make almost two full revolutions before the noise occurs
and do so when the engine rpms drop as if the driver is shifting gears.

 

Dual Cab SAS are too common here.. I was disapointed and found it harder to find a Single Cab when I bought this one..

The noise sounds similar to that doesn't it Matt16..........

I don't think it would be the rear diff, it's a very low K's one from one of the later leaf sprung 4Runner rears.. I inspected it before I installed it and it's in pretty good condition

I hope its an easy fix. I hate pulling gearboxes out

Thanks guys..

 

Its any easy repair, I've had mine out 4 times now for various reasons (never any damage). The worst part is the smell, old mineral gear oil smells like the worst fart you've ever dealt.

1. take off your wheels
2. drain the axle
3. pull the drums off
4. unbolt the 4 bolts holding the axle to the axle housing (theyre obvious from looking at the backside of teh brakes
5. disconnect the brakes (lines and parking brake cable)
6. set axles aside
7. unbolt driveshaft and the ten or so bolts holding the diff to the axle housing
8. wrestle the diff onto you chest from below

 

Yeah I figured all that out when I pulled the old axle and put in the 4Runner one


Just hate taking out the gearbox and xfer case.. It's a PITA to line it up right