Transfer Case Chain - Can anyone else hear theirs?

I've been hearing what seemed to me like a bad sound from my Tacoma since the day I picked it up. It has taken me some time to get the dealer to hear it in fact I had to get an appointment with the regional Toyota service rep for anyone to give me an answer as to what it is. Anyway apparently I am hearing the Transfer Case Chain. Sounds like a tha...tha...tha..tha...tha that increases and decreases in frequency as I speed up or slow down. It is most noticeable between 30 and 40 mph. I was able to drive another 2012 Tacoma and I could hear the noise though it was not as loud. Does any one else hear this? Should I worry about it over the long haul? Should I even believe the service rep?

SCROLL DOWN TO THE BOTTOM OF THE PAGE TO HEAR THE NOISE ON A VIDEO I TOOK.

 

Does the noise go away when you go into 4wd ?

 

T case chains pop like that when they are stretched. i had an AWD jeep that would shake the whole vehicle everytime you pushed hard on the gas it was so stretched. i can't imagine a new truck driving in 2WD making a noticeable noise or problem from the transfer case. . .These 4.0's however do tick a little bit. not like a bad way, just the way they are. maybe that's what you're hearing.

 

No its still there when in 4wd.

 

have you checked to see if there is gear oil in the t case? it takes no time to take that top bolt off and stick something in there. the fluid should be right below the top bolt. . . . but that's all i know to offer you. a brand new truck with a bad chain or worn out gears would be surprising. so bump for someone smarter than me

 

Yeah I would think if it was stretched I would hear it and if it was properly tensioned I wouldn't.

Also I can hear it loud and clear if I put it into neutral at 40mph and shut the engine off and let it coast which indicates that it has nothing to do with the motor.

 

Chain doesn't turn in 2 wheel drive.

 

I've heard conflicting thoughts on that some say it does turn others say it doesn't...what's your source? I don't know what to think. I do like the idea of checking the fluid level and will do that tomorrow or monday as time permits.

 

it does spin in 2 wheel drive, but thats because the whole front end of the drive train is spinning to. since 2nd gens don't have manual hubs, everything is always spinning as long as the front wheels are touching the ground, just not getting any power from the motor. but i doubt your chain is stretched or loose especially on trucks as new as ours. the chains are massive and there is no way to tension them in the tcase.

 

That's a nice looking piece of engineering.

 

Slide under it and see if you can turn the front drive shaft in two wheel drive the front dif disconnects at the spider gears the only thing turning is the axles. The two shift forks you see are low/high and 4WD connect and disconnect.

 

yeah idk what to say/think. don’t think it is the chain.

and about jgwheeler17 on the 4.0’s ticking. mine is an ’07 with 35k and i don’t hear it at all. inside (so little that i have tried to start it after it has been started like 3 times since last may) and hardly from the out side at 2 feet away.

 

I was able to turn the front drive shaft and when I did I could hear what I think is the sprocket engaging the chain in the transfer case however I can't tell if it is the same noise I am hearing when in the cab. I understand that there would be a noise when the chain is first engaged but I don't understand why it would keep happening every revolution. Like I hear when driving. Any thoughts?

Also I checked the fluid level by taking the fill cap (bolt) off and the fluid is right up to the bottom of the fill as it should be. I was thinking that maybe changing the fluid with a better quality synthetic fluid might make a difference. Any suggestions on a brand/type of fluid I should use?

 

When you turn the drive shaft by hand you are turning the driven gear the chain and the drive gear but nothing else yes it will make noise there is a lot of big parts turning but you will never hear it while it's running I have never seen a Toyota transfer case with issues with only one exception I'm sure some of the off road guys have been able to break them but not normal drivers. It is not turning at all in 2 wheel drive as you have seen otherwise you would not have been able to turn the front drive shaft so if you have noises in 2WD it's not the transfer case.

 

Indeed. Easiest way to see this for yourself is crawl under the truck (engine off!) when it's not locked in 4WD. You can move the front driveshaft by hand very easily.

Not sure what kind of sound tha tha tha tha tha is...

 

Its a hard noise to describe in the writing...it's not a grinding or a growl. I will see if I can get it on a video and post it. Also I am thinking of jacking up the rear, putting it in gear and bringing it up to speed to see if I can hear the noise which I think would rule out anything with the front end.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4aFc8yw1bjI&context=C30a5023ADOEgsToPDskLp7f_ciSYUst1bEgGSr55S

Here is the video, there is a lot of road noise but you can hear the noise too. Basically I took the truck up to 40+mph and then let it coast a couple of times. Maybe we can call the sound a ti...ti...ti rather than a tha..tha..tha.

Also I was able to jack the truck up and bring it up to speed and I could hear the noise too so I don't think its in the front end.

I am trying to get a call with the toyota service tech who diagnosed the noise as the transfer case chain but am having a hard time with that, we will see as I have been promised a call from someone by the end of the day tomorrow.

Please let me know if anyone else can hear a similar noise from your truck or if you have any further ideas as to what it could be. I think they may be right that the noise is in the tcase but it sure doesn't sound right to me...noise=vibration=somethings gonna break

Thanks!

 

search tacoma tick

 

Mine does not sound like that . Something sounds loose .

 

I am familiar with the tick...but this noise is not coming from the motor. It continues to make the noise when I put the vehicle into neutral and shut the engine off, it is most obvious coasting from 40 to 30mph.

Thanks