OFFICIAL 2nd gen 4x4 front differential bearing vibration thread

You mean the dust shield? Try n push the cv inwards. It should slide a little in and out.

 

I'll check it out. Thanks

 

Man, I was hoping mine was the needle bearing, but the guy at ECGS said it was unlikely if 4H didn't make it go away.

Truck: 2005 Tacoma TRO SR5 dual cab with 100k miles and 1.5" lift.

Symptom: Rhythmic vibration and low hum at 55 mph and greater, hum cycles just faster than once per second. Can be felt in floorboard and is audible to passengers. Sounds just like an Aboriginal bullroarer, just slower and deeper, or the sound of driving over a series of rumble strips.

H&P: New tires (did it with old tires as well), balance and alignment; new front left axle. Happens in 4H. Happens in Neutral, and regardless of gear and rpm. Happens if you put it up on the rack, put it in gear, and accelerate to 55.

If you rule out tires, needle bearing, and air noise, what are the next likely possible culprits?

 

Driveshaft universal joints? There’s a TSB (ZH-2) on them until April 2019. Mine started acting up at 109500. Dealer inspected and replaced only the rear u-joint. It was vibrating at all speeds though. Still feeling minor vibrations at 35-55 and will go back to dealer before April.

 

How about a bad Wheel bearing?

 

Thanks for the ideas. Wheel bearing is definitely a possibility. Testing it more yesterday I noticed that the roar slows way down when going around sweeping turns, especially when turning to the right. But when I jacked it up and checked for play, there was zero up and down and very little left and right. When I spun the tires there was no real sounds that I could hear, but the right tire had a sticky spot, almost like the caliper was sticking.

I am taking it to the shop today, so hopefully they can figure it out. The last place said it made the sound and vibration when up on the lift and in gear, but they didn't block one front tire at a time. That should let us know if it's a wheel bearing.

Speaking of, looking back over the previous owners records, the front left wheel hub and bearing have been replaced 3x in the past 5 years. ?? What could be the cause of that? Weird!

If I find something conclusive from the shop I will post an update.

 

I don't know... Just a thought. Could the needle bearing in the front diff drivers side be the issue? I've just replaced that bearing with the ecgs bushing, that CV, and the wheel bearing. I'm chasing down a droning sound. It resonates through the whole cab but it sounded like it was upfront. Funny thing, I had become accustomed to having a vibration. It wasn't bad, so I ignored it; waiting for it to get worse, but it never did. It's gone now.
U joints and carrier bearings are next. At 300k they're due.

 

Mechanic buddy put it up on his lift and with both front wheels not moving it still vibrated the whole rack when up to speed. Took the back tires off, still did it. Found that the small, middle driveshaft section was oscillating, and the middle Ujoint had a clip that was different than the other three, which he thought may be leading to an imbalance. He replaced all the U-joints, then sent the driveshaft out to be balanced. Also needed rear axle bearings and the rear diff fluid was "weird and frothy", so changing that as well. Will find out later this afternoon if that does it. Fingers crossed.

 

Sounds like you’re getting there.

 

Decided to level my front end after I put 265/70/17 wheels/tires on as I am getting some tire rub with all the snow/ice buildup in my wheel wells. Noticed the "grumble" or vibration on my way home from the install. 95% sure it is the needle bearing as it wasn't making any noises before.

My truck has 175k on it, should I assume i'm going to need a new CV joint and seal? Any other parts I could change out easily while its getting done? I'm thinking of trying to do this myself including the ECGS bushing, I am not extremely mechanically inclined but have done some simpler repairs before. What is the difficulty of this install? Would a shop even understand/be able to install the bushing at a reasonable price?

 

You’ll need a new seal. A new CV isn’t necessary. I had a local shop do my ECGS bushing. I explained to them what it was and even provided them the bearing puller. They had no problem doing it for me. Cost me around 2 hours of labor.

 

Anyone know of a shop in San Diego that is familiar with and able to install ECGS bearings?

 

I did this on my brother in law’s 2011 with 80k miles this past weekend.

Here’s what I suggest:
Grab the driver’s side cv and try wiggling it around. If it’s loose where it goes into the front diff, change the needle bearing.

We found he also has a bad wheel bearing and it looks like his Lower control arm bushings are seizing.

I told him to order 2 new wheel bearings, tie rods, ball joints, and come over when it’s warmer and we’ll swap everything out.

You don’t have to be a mechanic to perform the swap.. watch the videos on YouTube and see how you feel about it.

 

Definitely a few keywords "when its warmer" lol... Thanks for your input. I will check these out.

That being said, am I alright to keep driving regularly with this groaning? If I do it myself it definitely won't be for a few months. If its more urgent i'll probably bite the bullet and have a shop do it.

 

I’m sure there are plenty of Tacomas out there driving around with bad needle bearings.. but I’m pretty serious about maintaining my vehicles. So if it was me, I’d swap it ASAP.

 

Just a quick update on mine. Short version: find a good mechanic. Following up a shitty one can be expensive.

1. Driveshaft needed balanced. Last person to replace the U-joints, in addition to using one clip that was different than the others, didn't properly stress relieve them. The center support bearing was also broken and rubber was spinning inside the mount.

2. Rear diff: on the lift at idle (30mph) the diff got too hot too touch within 5 minutes. Checked the fluid and it was 2 qts overfilled and wasn't the right kind of oil, it was very thin and frothy. Rear axle seal was also leaking. So completely rebuilt the rear diff, bearings, seals, proper fluid.

3. Front bearings were also bad. Driver side, there was a piece of rubber axle spring from a previous bearing jammed into the newer bearing, making it out of round and burnt up. Passenger side bearing was bad, and damage inside from a chisel from the last time it was replaced.

All I can say is "What the hell!?"

Drives smooth and quiet now. Well, it should, I replaced about the whole thing.

Just wanted to give an update for my part of the thread.

 

Driver side oil seal part number FYI....

SKF 18195A
Timkin 710596
National 710956
Around $5 at Napa, $20 through ECGS.

 

Need to show some praise to East Coast Gear Supply. I ordered my ECGS Bushing a couple days ago and was very surprised to see the cheapest shipping was around $20.00 for just the bushing. Well placing my order there was a box labeled " Comments About Your Order". I just wrote in there the shipping seemed high to me for such a small part and forgot about it. East Coast Gear Supply called me with an explanation as to why shipping was so high and a cheaper alternative. I am very impressed with there customer service!!! If you need anything I would highly recommend using them. When I wrote that comment I was not expecting to get anything out of it but was thinking they might consider other alternatives for future customers. I know I will be going back to them in the future as I am very impressed and thankful.

 

Hey chaps. Thought I’d give an update on my factory replaced (for free under warranty) upgraded front diff bearing. Replaced at 5k by Toyota dealer after pulsing vibration. Now have 70k. 285s the entire time. Still good. That’s is all. Not bashing the ECG bushing, just giving people options.

-Red.

 

Are u lifted?