3rd Gen Poll: Rear End Noise howling when feathering throttle

Mine presented at 19K.

 

This number keeps changing. When I first got the truck it was 7 k, then 10k, then 15, then... I see a lot of diffs whining pretty early on, so who knows.

 

CA. It's very interesting it always starts off with a test ride and their techs acknowledge the rear differential noise. Even make remarks like " could be a pinnion bearing or contact pattern". Today my red flag was the tech said " in the past we've replaced them on older trucks and it may not fix it". I asked specifically 3rd gens. 99% of the time they'll say " no, first time I've heard of it. Or hint that it's a issue".

Today, they did the same SOP which was to test drive another truck and claim it's " normal characteristic".

The irony is the tech was bitching about his Chevy Colorado with diff noise and how Chevy was giving him the round around ha.

It's like the techs mean well, but know theres a gag order.

 

Really, his Colorado does not have a diff noise--that its a bald face lie. Colorados' have other issues, not diff problems..

 

You have a 50/50 chance of a good diff--I think you got a good one!

 

The T4R felt like driving a damn boat. It was smooth and shifted like a vehicle should though. The 3.5 felt way faster to me once it was opened up, but I agree with those that say the shift happy low-end performance made driving it a frustrating experience.

I got a 2.5l Outback as a replacement when I dumped my turd (mostly because of the howl). It's slower on paper and is down 100hp/lb torque, but it feels (even with the CVT) lighter on it's feet, more responsive, and smoother. It's much more enjoyable to drive. Plus it's better equipped across the board (not a totally fair comparison because it's two different types of vehicle) and doesn't howl like a banchee down the highway.

My Tacoma experience probably won't have me back in a Toyota showroom anytime soon.

 

No idea if Toyota will ever fix the engine/trans issues, but OVtune has done a pretty damn good job. Other than the insane overdrive gearing choices in the auto, most if not all of the power delivery/driveability issues are stemming from the OEM calibration. It's complete shit. Now, my truck is a M/T but I can tell you with certainty that had it not been for OVtune, I'd probably be driving something else. Vastly underpowered? Nope. Well, not when tuned it's certainly not lol.

Yep, I had to pay extra to get the performance I should have had from the factory. At ~800 bucks though, I'm going to wager that's a better deal than taking a loss on trade/sell.

Lastly -not a fanboi/white knight/whatever... just letting ppl know there is a solution and it is worth it.

 

Now let's not get ahead of ourselves lol. No howl, yes I'm good(so far), keeping diff fluid inside the rear diff? Eh not so much. Can't have it all I guess. I do have the one that's actually fixable though.

 

Not easy to compare an Outback to a Taco or T4R--I am happy you got out of it and into something that does not howl. Can't blame you either for boycotting Toy. Got to give Toy credit for the ads and the cult following. They still own the market. I still can't find something else that I like better. Enjoy the Outback!

 

I'm loving this 4runner. It responds better in traffic without having to floor it. Therefore I can get around these fucking slow retards that accelerate slower than I can run haha.

 

Just dump the truck I strongly advise a 4runner haha. But it doesn't feel huge to me or anything. They sent a guy to waste my time claim it was normal and put tamper proof tape on the diff. He slipped out so I couldn't rage on him and they tried to get me to sign paperwork that said customer agrees noise is normal.... I was livid.

 

Agreed--I had a semi on my but tonight and had plenty of power to get ahead of him. The Taco would have been lunch meat. The field reps are tow the corporate line....Deny, deny deny..

 

I was told the same--don't accept it--make them buy it back or trade out...

 

I traded it and got the 4runner. The loss on mileage from a buyback would have been more than the trade loss. Plus I just wanted to move on in life and not waste my time with their crap.

 

Think you made a great choice! Post some pics!

 

My 1st gen. I got BFG KO2s the next day on the new runner haha.

 

16 T4R

 

3RD Gen -

 

I like your 4runner. I wish the tacoma had the exact same power train. The 6 speed may not be bad behind a 4.0