front hum that's *NOT* wheel bearings (yes it is)

Hoping I can get some help here. something in the front is humming and it's really starting to get silly. I'll try to give the best breakdown here but feel free to ask whatever questions you think may point me in the right direction:

106k miles on a 2010 DCSB TRD
Icon suspension just installed (with light racing UCA and ALL in the back) but noise was there before and is not better/worse now.
265 Duratrac on Ion wheels

This noise started on a road trip to get a tool box for my truck in Seattle about 2 months ago. When I turn left and put pressure on the steering wheel (counter clockwise) it hums and has gradually been getting louder. After reading a serious amount of posts on TW and elsewhere I started with a wheel balancing (not roadforce) and all checked out. I knew I was having the lift kit installed so I waited for that for an alignment (they also changed my front diff seal on the driver-side as it was dripping some). With all that and the noise still I figured the next step is driver side wheel bearings. I ordered a set of bearings/hubs from kevin (nj636) and installed with correct torque with little issue on the driver side only. No change. Drives the same and makes the same hum when steering left. It makes it in 2x4, 4x4, and in Neutral going anything 20mph or more and getting pretty loud at 65mph. I took it apart and changed out the bearing/hub to the other new one I had while I inspected CV axle. Everything looks good and yet the hum is still there.
I don't know what to do now. I was thinking changing CV but don't want to keep buying parts when I'm sure there is a way to diagnose.
Thanks for any help!

 

mine had the same thing and turned out to be the needle bearing inside the front transaxle that he cv axle goes into, the needle bearings start doing that so a company makes a special brass bushing kit that you install in place of that needle bearing and it stops it dead. not saying this is yours for sure but id bet my wife on it and I kinda like her lol

 

Haha well thats pretty confident Chad! Is there a way I can tell? and what company was it that makes it? Did you do it yourself? Any special tools?
Sorry to ask so many questions. I don't have much knowledge mechanically speaking but I try to do everything possible just to learn and have good pretty good success. Mostly due to all the help in TW. Thanks!

 

no problem at all that's why we r here I hope. im new on tw as of a few days ago and already have got lots of ideas and help. but as for the bushing kit, its very easy to install took me bout an hr, I am a mechanic for over 30 yrs but I think if you've held a wrench and know that a wrench is a wrench not a ratchet and socket lol then you can do it, you just pull your cv axle and then pull needle bearing and press in bushing I will post the kit here in a minute soon as I find the info. I almost garuntee you itl fix it.ill get you the info. hang on a min.

 

this is a youtube video of the install. it is a very common thing. im surprised no one else has got in on this conversation yet. as it happens a lot. but watch the video I think the kit was around 30 bucks

 

sorry forgot to post the link duh, it must be bedtime lol https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X8UijTh2Mwc

 

I forgot to when I bought the bushing they sold me a special puller tool to pull the bearing but it wasn't that bad of price ill get all the cost info on here soon as I find it but that tool and a driver set is all the apeacial tools I think I needed.

 

and here is a post on this tw site about it https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/front-diff-bearing-replacement.78715/

 

ok here is the place to buy the kit, its went up a bit but still very worth it. hope this all gets you fixed up. im sure it will keep me posted if you have time.http://eastcoastgearsupply.com/i-8536125-toyota-8-clamshell-bushing.html

 

thanks a bunch Chad! I'll look at it all and see what I can make of it. Lots of good stuff there

 

no problem ifyou have time keep me posted as to if it fixes yours or what ever you do. have a great eve

 

I've read that thread actually. It could be the same issue but I have slightly different symptoms and am not sure. My vibs do not go away in 4x4 for one. That seems to be the constant in the thread. I also can make it hum anytime by turning the wheel or make it stop by straightening out. Hope that makes sense

 

mine didn't go away in 4x4 either it depends on how bad that needle bearing is, if you lift the truck up n stands and run it in 4x4 slowly,have someone inside to control speed and brakes for sure then get under it and put a long rod bout a ft long on the diff by that needle bearing and on your ear the oyther end and you can hear the grinding noise very good. the worse the bearing the noise will be in more times. if its just starting to wear then it may not make noise in all positions. know what im saying? cause I caught mine early so no nooise in 4x4

 

getting late ill be back tomorrow if I can help any more or at all. have a good eve. and do keep me posted if you have time or want to

 

If it doesn't go away in 4x4, it's not the needle bearing. I'd guess drive line vibe. You changed the u joint angles when you lifted. The fun part is now you get to play the guessing/ spending game until the vibe is gone. Some people have had luck just taking the carrier bearing bracket off, turning it 180 and putting it back on (I think it's slightly asymmetrical). Then a carrier bearing drop (cheap and easy). If the vibe persists, next is axle shims.

Regardless, I'd guess the noise is coming from the rear drive shaft. Up front, your cv angles changed (which is the usual trigger for the needle bearing), but nothing else.

 

I'm not 100% sold on needle bearing but did just watch the replacement bushing video. It's not a driveline vibe that I am familiar with. When I put in my first lift (5100's all around and an AAL) it raised the rear end a bit much and I ended up with some vibes. I learned to live with it as rotating carrier bearing didn't work and didn't want to get into shims or trying to correct the angle of the dif.
That aside I also feel the vibe only when turning the wheel left which doesn't seem like it would be the case if it were somewhere in the rear. Any other ideas are more than welcome though. I'm not a fan of drive it till it breaks

 

I was thinking it made the most sense if I was putting slight pressure to the cv while turning that it was something in there. I'm going to have to grab a friend and have him help try to diagnose. I am going to start with listening to the bearing and see what I can come up with. Will for sure keep you and this thread posted with updates in case it can help the next unfortunate soul

 

to tell for sure if its the front diff bearing just jack it up and put the rod or extension for ratchet works also, put it on the bearing when its turning and youll know if its coming from the diff or not.that way you will know if its front or driveshaft noise.

 

Did you change out the passenger side wheel bearing too? your original post was a little confusing on that. I know you say its not the wheel bearing, but one time i had a bad hum and i changed out what was supposed to be the correct side bearing (if it hums when you turn left its your right bearing that's bad and vice versa), only to find out that it was the other side bearing that was the issue. The bad bearing also did not have a loose wheel whatsoever so wiggling the wheel didnt tell me anything.