Drivers side needle bearing question. Temperature?

I've read for days now. Pretty confident my 17 with 5k miles and new ome lift has the well documented issue.

Only odd thing for me that I can't really find the answer to has to do with temperature. Roar is really bad when it's cold and truck has sat overnight. As temps rise and the truck is driven it goes away. Is this normal for the needle bearing issue?

Thanks in advance.

 

Not sure what you mean by "drivers side"?? The carrier bearing is in the center and there's only one its at the drive shaft in the center of the truck.

I added carrier bearing shims to my truck, took about 5 minutes and did away with a slight grumble I was hearing and feeling. Here's a pic of the carrier bearing. This one if from a Tundra but its the same.. you can see the spacers clearly here which is why I'm posting this pic - its got shims installed... they are much larger than the shim kit for our Tacos.

 

I think op is talking about the needle bearing in the front diff. OP you may want to change the title of your thread.

 

I edited it. Sorry seems like I've seen it referred to as both when reading the old threads.

Seems some have had the issue intermittently, just curious if they have noticed temps making it worse or not.

 

I'm not an expert at all nor do I have experience with this problem. I've heard that if it starts to make noise and you put it in 4wd mode and the noise goes away there's a good chance it's your needle bearing.

 

I'm having similar symptoms on my 16 after a 3" lift. Intermittent vibe/rumble while driving after the truck has sat outside in the cold for a while. Not there at all when it's been garage kept. Also goes away when 4WD is engaged. Trying to decide between pursuing it through dealership under warranty or going with the ECGS bushing kit for a more permanent fix.

 

I have the same exact problem. makes lots of noise when cold, goes away, or is atleast much quieter when it warms up. Goes away in 4x4. I will be doing the ECGS fix sometime in the near future.

 

Yeah, 4wd hi makes it go away too. The temp thing just seems odd, want to be 100% before I start throwing money at it. With the ome lift I'm positive the dealer is going to tell me to pound sand.

 

This. On my 2007 the needle bearing vibe goes away instantly when it goes into 4wheel drive.

 

Depends on your dealership. You could always talk about how it was an ongoing issue in second gen trucks. There was actually a tsb out for it. That being said, at most they will replaces it with another weak needle bearing which will likely fail again, especially with the lift. I think the ECGS bushing is the way to go.

 

There's a reasonable explanation for this - the oil in the front diff is pretty thick when cold. As the truck is driven, the oil warms up a little (but not at "operating" temperature since it isn't transmitting torque) and permeates more into the needle bearing, making the noise go away.

It's possible the bearing wear will worsen and the noise will become constant at some point.

 

I have the same issue. So whats this ECGS bushing and will a dealer install it for me?

 

I doubt the dealership will as it is not an OEM part. Here is the link....

http://eastcoastgearsupply.com/i-8536125-toyota-8-clamshell-bushing-eliminates-needle-bearing.html

 

awesome thanks!

 

On my 2011 that I lifted I had mine go bad so I bought a solid bearing and had Toyota replace the needle bearing with the new solid bearing. The shop that helped me out now install solid bearings when they do lifts and leveling kits on their trucks.

 

Did the dealership do it under warranty?

 

Dealer will install it if you pay out of pocket... Since the noise doesn't manifest itself at stock height, only with a lifted suspension, it is typically not covered under warranty.

 

I didn't have a needle bearing problem with my 2007 (but it wasn't lifted either). I wonder if this is the problem Toyota is trying to address with this addition to the manual:

You should drive in four-wheel drive for at least 10 miles (16 km) each month. This will assure that the front drive components are lubricated.

 

I have used 4WD plenty but I do think the issue is exacerbated with the lift

 

I think this will become more and more of an issue on the 3rd gen trucks, judging by how many have done a 3" lift. With aggressive tires, there are likely many that already have this issue, just not aware yet.