Help - Clicking/clunking, coming from front hub.

I've got a 99 tacoma 4x4 xtra cab. I lifted the truck about 2.5" about 6 months ago. Recently I started hearing a loud clicking/grinding noise from the front drivers side wheel. If i lock the hub (aisin locking hubs) the noise completely goes away. I'm wondering if i have a bad hub lock, or if the cv is shot. Anyone know how to check the cv? and should i pull apart the hub to see if that's the problem.. Only issue is, if i do pull it, i have to find new gaskets. Any help would be great.

 

DOes it make the noise if you jack up the wheel and spin it? I think its a wheel bearing because none of your front drivetrain moves when it is unlocked. And I actually re assembled my hubs with no gasket because only one had one.. so I said eh!

 

mine did this as well tore it apart to see what was clicking here is what i found:
its kind of hard to see in the pics but you can see teeth rounded off and one tooth missing completely.

This is the part that is damaged its located behind the hub gear i havent been able to locate one since idk where to get parts for these hubs

 

And what is all that? I have a clicking coming from the passanger wheel side. I hear it from inside the cab when I'm rolling slowly and also at high speed down by the passanger floorboard or the corner of the floorboard by the wheel well. How are you guys hearing your clicking noises?

 

Thanks for the advice all. I jacked up the truck last night and did the spin test. With the hub locked, no noticeable noise, when i unlock the hub and give it a good spin i can hear something rattling around like it's loose within the hub. Lock it again, and i can almost feel the "slip, click" of whatever it is rattling around getting locked into place by the hub lock. In looking at the diagram it appears to be the follower pawl or maybe even the clutch that might be broken. If the tension spring has broken it may be allowing the pawl to free float in and out of the clutch essentially over time allowing the clutch to wear down/break (especially if this happens at high speeds, i can see that happening). Well, time for the tear down. I might just buy some warn hubs. Fairly inexpensive on auotpartswarehouse.com.

http://www.autopartswarehouse.com/s...660459.html?tlc=Brakes,+Suspension+&+Steering

 

I was hearing it the same as you. Thought at first it might be my skid plate loose. So i removed it. Problem still there. Then on a whim i decided to lock my hubs to see if the sound went away. It did. Note, i was hearing this whether going straight or turning. If you only hear this when you're turning it may be a cv axle about to go. (heard that before, fixed it).

 

Right I hear it no matter what as long as I'm rolling. Iv checked my exhaust heat shields and cats all seem on there tight and cat has no rattle when I bang on it. My noise isn't so much a distinctive click but more of a crackling like a fire or Almost like pop corn being popped but faster, but not really a pop lol. Also I'm not 4x4 just a prerunner

 

I'm no expert, but that sounds like a wheel bearing issue.

 

It seems to not happen everytime I drive though I just drove into town and I didn't hear it. But I haven't noticed a pattern either.

I'll have to jack it up tomorrow and see if I can reproduce the sound. Any tips on checking the wheel bearing

 

So I just jacked up my truck and spun the wheel-nothing irregular sounding, just by brakes and rotors is all I could hear. So I figure maybe it needs weight on the wheels so I dropped it and drove with my brother in law walking beside the suspected wheel and he heard nothing while I could still hear the crackling in my cab. So he jumped in the passenger seat to try and hear what I'm hearing and nothing! The sound goes away lol great! Maybe his weight in the passenger seat did something to sound go away. So than he gets out and the sound is now a squeak! It's a squeak iv heard before that I was going to address but now maybe there interlinked

 

So, found the problem with the hubs.. The bolt that holds the free hub to the axle was missing. I guess prior to getting this truck someone replaced the CV shafts, and neglected to re-install this Bolt+Washer. Good news is there are no worn/broken parts (since i locked the hubs as soon as i noticed it). Toyota has the part for $2.43 a piece.. ordering 2 as i know that i'm going to have to pull apart the other one to rebuild it as well. Thanks for all the help guys.

 

were you also missing your bolt (through the axle with washer?). I, and this is what appears to be causing the problem.. inside free-hub popping out catching the follower pawl, and spinning up the CV axle. Luckily i caught it soon, otherwise it would have blown the CV axle too from spinning up from 0-60 in 0 sec flat..

 

Alright, so I seem to be experiencing similar problem. For me, the sound closely resembles the rumble of mud tires across the road between 25-40mph. It occurs whether straight or turning and sound mimics road speed (i.e. not in transmission). When in 4wd it goes away. Then when in 2wd will sometimes be louder. Moving the front axle by hand, I noticed about 1/4" 'spin play' on the left side and slightly less on the passenger side at the CV housing (unsure what it's called) where it meets up in the transfer case. The more I listened, the more it began to sine like splines rubbing up against each other (Just like MMYota shows).

So does anyone know if this is a TSB? I'm under warranty so it shouldn't be an issue; other than that I installed a 3" spacer lift, but I really don't see how the lift could have caused the problem.
Little research revealed the following:

Front bearing vibration thread

Front end growling

Toyota Nation~noise


Thoughts...?

 

Thanks for the links they've been a great start to my research. I'm getting the same click click click or clunk clunk clunk when taking off from rest until about 12mph where it goes away. Then at about 35-40mph I get some vibes. Got the blisters set at middle setting for about 6 months and no problems. Also notice a very slow front diff leak which has been there since I got the truck. Not sure if this is all related or not.

If the noise/symptoms do or don't go away when u put it in 4wheel, what's that telling you?

 

Also hope my mph are somewhat correct, just converted kph mph in my head..

The front diff leak is from the flanged connection.

 

Your quite welcome

As post #3 of this thread indicates, it seem the 'growl' is coming from the differential splines slightly engaged while in 4x2. However, the growl goes away when 4x4 is engaged for the obvious reason that the splines are fully engaged.
Again this is only my view as I too am still learning about this problem myself.

Still researching this issue myself and hope Warranty covers it.

 

Okay.. So, I found the parts, through toyota.. if you need a parts description let me know. I have the chiltons manual, and it actually gives part numbers and descriptions (which is very helpful when calling toyota). I was able to order the bolts and the follower pawl & spring. It only cost me about $12.00 per side (24 total). Not too shabby for toyota.. although they wanted me to buy a whole new hub @ $360 per side.

 

Also i found this post that was extremely helpful in rebuilding the hubs. It's very long, with lots of pictures, and very well explained.
http://www.yotatech.com/f116/scubas-manual-hub-rebuild-157649/

 

Just picked truck and had front different. Parts replaced with upgraded parts. Will post numbers later.

 

Picked-up my Tacoma from the dealer this evening for the dreaded 'growling' issue in the front end. Like most of you, it happened between 25-45MPH and ONLY while in 4x2.

Dealer replaced, under warranty, and no questions asked, the Differential Carrier Assembly. As a note: I installed a 3" spacer lift 4 months ago and had the dealer align afterward; they said nothing about it.

Though I'm not completely sure, I think the part numbers are:
Differential Assy EMP#990956
Carrier Assy. 107557 & 178905

Cost: $1,789.
My cost: $0 Warranty paid it in full


I am told they are updated parts.

If anyone can confirm or deny the part #'s, I'll call my dealer and get it right.

Hope this helps.