I have asked this before but no replies......this noise is bugging me!

It sounds like a rock in a coffee can....this only happens while in drive and when vehicle is hot.....I have been underneath and can't find it......what does a torque converter sound like when it is about rdy to go? Tranny shift fine and everything else is fine....it is hard to locate the sound from where it is coming from.

 

I had a similar problem that sounded like the noise was coming from under/behind/around the glove box. I only heard it when i was driving up a slight hill and the 4Runner would drop into a lower gear. Come to find out it was the gas i was running. Have you tried running the next level up in gas? It fixed my problem and for about $1.20 - $2.40 more on your next fill up, it might be worth it.

-John

 

1. if it rattles only when hot means something is not loose but rather resonates at a certain frequency
2. if it resonates means its more than likely connected to the engine, i.e. exhaust, and not something on the body
3. it's the cat converter heat shield

 

I thought about the heat shield, but it only happens when I put it in drive...will not happen in park....will also happen at idle while in drive. Could this be transmission? tranny shift fine...kind of a wobble sound....hard to explain....thanks for any info. Going on a trip next month and do not want to leave with this sound...

 

I've had 100% same exact symptoms. It's the cat converter heat shield.

 

I will go out and look tonight....

 

A rubber mallet and some tapping around the exhuast system should reveal the culprit too.

 

Do you have 4WD? If so, move your t-case shifter a little when it's rattling and see if it goes away. I had this same problem. The area where the linkage mounts to the rear of the t-case is where the rattle comes from. There is a little boot around it. It's actually a cylinder with two pieces of metal inside around a ball that's attached to the linkage. It's kinda hard to explain. If you get under your truck and shake your t-case linkage, you will hear the sound that you hear when you drive.

I solved this problem (for the most part) by taking the linkage apart where it mounts up and packing that cylinder with grease. That holds things pretty still for the most part. It's really not all that difficult to do. There's only two bolts that hold the linkage up under there.

Sorry if this post is kind of hard to understand. Once you get underneath there, you will see what I am saying.