Yes, another growling noise thread.....but,

this isn't the typical "I have a growling noise, well here's your problem, fix it, and all is good again"
My '08 DC 4x4 TRDSport Auto just hit 100k of predominantly highway miles and developed a growling noise about a month ago. Around 40mph+ and the faster you go, the higher the pitch becomes. Was tugging our bikes on our 5x10 utility trailer when it manifested, so I'd assumed ( mostly hoped ) the trailer had an issue and the noise was translating through the frame, but after checking the hubs/tires on it, they're fine and in perfect working order.

There's no vibration in the steering wheel or pedals. I tried loading/unloading the driveline, coasting in neutral, swerving side to side, basically anything I could think of to narrow down the noisy culprit.
I did a diff service since it was well overdue anyway, but it had no effect on the noise. Checked the CV's, boots, and sealed areas.....all looked good, proper, and leak free. The shafts had very little endplay and aren't clicking/popping like a joint or spline was damaged.
Tires ( Wrangler SA's ) didn't look too bad but they are a year or less from replacement with about 55k miles on them now and getting short on tread, yet far from worn to the indicators. No cupping or odd wear pattern either.

Bit the bullet and took it into the dealer for them to diagnose the problem. Had them rotate the tires, but the noise didn't move around at all. Ultimately, $90 worth of labor later, they said my RH front hub bearings were going bad. $200 parts, $400 labor.....for ONE hub replacement. Told them to put it back together, I'm on my way to fetch it.
I picked the truck up, bought a pair of Timken bearing modules (

$92 BM500007 Preset, Pre-Greased And Pre-Sealed Bearing Module Assembly

BM500007 ) for $99 each, and hub seals were about $25/pair. Figured if I'm replacing one side, match the other while it's down.....especially since DIY'ing it saved me almost $800 in labor and an additional $175 in parts.
Jacked up the truck, tore the RH side down, held it to me ear while rotating by hand.....definitely some rashy noise like it's dry but no grit, grind, or bind to it.....???.....this made all that growling???
Proceeded to take the old hub assembly to work and pressed it apart, drove the new seal onto the new bearing, pressed it onto the old hub.....back to silky smooth behavior and so far I only invested 2 hours of my time between teardown and press work, which included some googling / YouTubing / TW thread surfing.

Oh, a HUGE thanx to all of you who posted info and DIY's, made the job simpler than anticipated!

So after reassembly of the front RH, I took it for a spin to ensure the problem was solved ( and to substantiate my dwindling faith in their diagnosis since the bearing didn't sound THAT bad )
Guess what.....still there. Semi-disgusted, I headed back home and did the LH side anyway.

I've not managed to get any further yet, but plan to run the truck on stands to try and get the issue within direct earshot so I don't continue investing in time/parts fixing what's not exactly broken. I might try over inflating the tires for a quick jaunt to see if it reduces or rids the noise, just to rule them out as the problem.

Not being a mechanic, but somewhat inclined, is there anything else I can do to systematically eliminate remaining possibilities? Has anyone else had experience with what else it could be?

Thanx in advance

 

Did you switch it into 4Hi? If you did, did the noise disappear or become less noticeable? The front differential needle bearings suck, quite badly. See this thread...

http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/2nd-gen-tacomas/152173-official-2nd-gen-4x4-front-differential-bearing-vibration-thread.html

Alot of reading, but the remedy is replacing the driver's side needle bearing with a pressed in bushing with much tighter tolerances.

 

Sounds like my problem. See my threads.
http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/2nd-gen-tacomas/267190-yet-another-front-differential-post.html
http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/2nd-gen-tacomas/269603-noise-wheel-bearings-video.html

Good tip and could be your problem but, do not replace if the noise does not go away in 4HI. I replaced mine regardless and didn't fix my problem. I recently swapped tires from another Tacoma and noise was still present. Next, I'm going to pull the rear driveshaft and drive in 4HI to rule out the driveshaft. I was hesitant but, found this diagnostic procedure in a Toyota tech bulletin so, it must be ok for a short term diagnostic.

Good luck.

 

Thanx guys, I'll definitely try the 4HI idea and possibly pull the rear driveshaft to see if my problem lies with either of those. I may opt for new tires soon as well, since they'll probably need replaced by winter anyway.
I'm tentative about driving the truck much until it's fixed which sucks because I'm getting soaked on my bike commuting in the rain, but it's a 75 mile round trip to work and back so I'd rather tolerate a wet ride vs risking a broken down truck along the interstate.

 

subbed for outcome. My 07 also has pretty severe vibes while pulling anything over a couple thousand pounds. I first thought it was my driveshaft carrier bearing, which i haven't ruled out yet, but more recently i have noticed a bit more noise than usual coming from the torque converter area of the transmission(A rattling noise), so i wonder if my torque converter might be getting ready to give out on me. Another reason i am leaning towards the torque converter is because about a year ago my truck developed a torque converter shutter that went away immediately after draining and refilling my transmission. Im thinking my transmission might have been slightly low on fluid from the factory. Let us know what you find out.
Also note that i have already done the ECGS bushing on the drivers side.

 

Stay tuned then, it's going to be the weekend before I get a chance to really spend time on it again -- I've parked it until I can get back to it but I've got long hours at work this week, honey-do list before the family comes into town and stays Thursday through Saturday for the holiday. I'm going to try putting the tires around 42-44 psi to see if that quiets it down first, then I'll toss it into 4wd for the front diff bearing test. I'll post up my findings once I have some proper data

 

Sorry for the severe delay, been working on the house everyday these past few weeks on our basement plumbing, framing, finishing, flooring so I've not been on any forums much at all. Have not replaced the tires, but I'm fairly certain they are my issue as I've ruled out the other issues. Couldn't replicate the noise with the truck off the ground so my theory lies with the tires.
Plan to order Bilstein 5100's to level the truck and go with larger tires, so once the suspension is upgraded and set then the tires will be replaced. The noise, at times, has become less apparent recently so playing with tire pressures seem to have hopefully proven it is in fact a tire problem. Will post more once all is done for a final verdict

 

Welcome to the world of troubleshooting.....If you thought 'troubleshooting' on a DIY level was hard.... imagine what its like for the Toyota Techs (and why it costs so much). It's not always easy regardless if your a DIY or a professional.

Something else to try.... Find an empty parking lot and do some TIGHT circles in both directions. And I mean... drive the truck slowly while the steering wheel is maxed out in both directions.

You have a 2008 TRD Sport with the mechanical LSD. If your LSD is having an issue - you should be able to hear/feel it when doing the tight circles. I would think the rumbles will get worse when driving in these circles.

Good Luck

 

Does the growling sound go away when turning away from the side of the noise? For example, I have a similar grinding/humming/growling noise coming from the driver's side front wheel area, but it completely goes away when I'm turning to the right, especially while driving between 20-45mph and turning fairly tight radius.

It has something to do with the angle at which the stress is directed on whatever component is rumbling. Wheel bearings would make sense, but I guess that didn't fix your problem, huh?

 

I did some circling and swerving at our local mall's lot, but seemed nothing changed the sound. I stood the rear on jackstands and ran it in gear and heard nothing, so that told me it was my tires or another issue that's only affected when the truck is on the ground or under load ( normal driving )

The dealership diagnosed my issue as the front RH hub bearing, and although it was making a little noise, ultimately was not the problem. Does not matter how hard I turn, swerve, gas/brake, 4WD or not. I'm pretty sure my issue lies with worn tires, not worn out.....just worn.
Your issue sounds like hub bearing failing to me, especially since when you take weight off of that side the noise reduces

 

Or an issue with the front. Front Diff needle bearing was suggested.

 

I have this noise from the right front.. Esp when turning left... It only started after I changed the front diff fluid any one have ideas there's no real play in the wheel to point at bearings ? But I'm thinking it might be the issue? Wanna make apt to have it looked at but trying yo avoid dealer costs and labor...

 

Sub'd

 

I have the same issue; growling while cruising between 20-60 mph that goes away when I make a slight right turn. You ever figure out what was causing it?

 

If its been aligned....
Drivers side inner CV might be worn
Turning right makes it not wobble as much
running it on stands wont hear it as the parts are no longer running in the worn out area

 

would this effect my MPG at all? I’ve noticed lately since I’ve been hearing this “growling” that my MPG has dropped. A half a tank would normally get me ~140 miles but not I’m looking at ~120

 

Yes! I replaced the driver's side front wheel bearing, and all has been good since then! Since that post, I've probably put around 60k on that bearing, and it appears to still be going strong.

 

possible its binding the CVs or a CV has crud in it

When my pass front wheel bearing went, it made noise for like 5k miles before I could feel any play in it.