When my 90 2WD is first moved, usually in the morning, there is a creaking sound from the front end, especially when turning. After a couple minutes it goes away. Chassis is lubed, wheel bearings are tight. Drives normally.

Any ideas?

 

You say it's lubed but is it freshly lubricated?

Have you inspected all the rubber bits, are they soft supple fully intact?

Is it a rubber creak or a metal squeek?

Have the torsion bars been adjusted, is it sitting at the factory spec (from memory around 13" of clearance measured at the adjustment cam bolt center)

 

Kind of sounds like a wheel bearing or maybe even the brake pads rubbing on the rotor when the wheel is turning. I'll have to see if there is any grease left on the wheel bearings..

What's the life expectancy of front wheel bearings on a 2WD truck?

 

If it creaks only when turned to the stops, that is most likely due to worn-out "groan-stoppers." These are small plastic caps on the frame for the spindle stops. (I would call the sound more of groan than a creak.) Some get by with just greasing the stops, but that doesn't last long, and the caps are not expensive.
https://parts.lakelandtoyota.com/p/_...561936010.html

 

My 90 3VZE 4x4 makes a squeaking noise in the front end when it was really cold outside. After a few miles it would quit. Turns out it was the grease in the front drive half shafts where it goes into the joint tulip. Took and repacked it with a different grease and it stopped.

 

Turn stop, brr-qureek (load unload)
Brake, qureek ... qureek (rub silence rub) or squeeeeel (rub till it wears down or calipers retract)
Hub bearing, wah wah wah (rhythmic and constant, may or may not stop after they warm up, frequency match's wheel speed)

Not sure what the recommended service interval is but my 2wd is still running the original set in good shape and they've only got relubed once, and only cause I was already in there for the brake cylinder seals. It did make a notable difference in my coasting abilities, started gaining speed on a long hill I always coast down so much it required braking mid way or would have been way over the speed limit.

Worth noting the Toyota factory grease far exceeded anything you're going to be able to find to replace it with.

 

Turns out the noise is being caused by a combination of brake caliper drag and a noisy bushing where the steering wheel shaft goes through the firewall. I'll give the brake pads, which are new, a chance to loosen up a bit and give the firewall bushing a shot of silicone lube.

I was going to replace the wheel bearings, but even with more than 170K on the original bearings, they still look good. Repacked them and back on the road.

 

Not enough anti-squeel, brake caliper problem or actually rubbing due to caliper not retracting?

The last is likely due to infrequent fluid changes, this causes water accumulation and gunks up the lines. Best case it's annoying worst case a line ruptures (rusts through)..

Glad you found it, happy lubing!