Dead stock 2019 Tacoma Limited: Needle bearing/front diff noise

My 2019 Tacoma Limited 4X4 Double Cab rides on factory tires and suspension (no lift). Regular, 5,000 mile, services have been conducted by dealers.

At 64,000 miles, I started to hear a low rumble/roar/howl noise coming from the driver's left front area. I can feel a slight vibration through my left foot (flat on floorboard), but there is no vibration felt through the steering wheel or shifter. The noise occurs between 40 and 50 mph. Not sure at higher speeds if the noise goes away or is masked by road noise.

Last week, after talking with a service manager, my local dealer agreed to replace the needle bearing under goodwill. A new OEM needle bearing was installed. The noise was not present after that work was completed. The technician and I drove the vehicle and we were not able to hear the noise or feel the slight vibration.

I drove the truck for the remainder of that day (Wednesday) and the two following days (Thursday and Friday) with no noise or vibration. Then, three days after the needle bearing swap (Saturday), the noise returned, but to a lesser degree than before; it wasn't as loud. On the fourth day (Sunday), the noise was back to where it had been prior to the needle bearing swap. The noise had stopped completely on Wednesday and then returned as before by Sunday.

I ordered and now have an ECGS bushing and am inclined to have it installed. However, whatever is going on with my truck has caused a brand new needle bearing to start howling after three days as opposed to the original bearing that lasted 64,000 miles. That tells me that something else is out of sorts.

To those who have solved the noise after installing a lift kit, thank you for all your comments on this site, but that isn't my issue. Again, no lift, no oversized tires... all stock.

Anybody have advice about where to look, what to do? Should I install the bushing and see what happens or... rebuild/replace the front differential before something more significant fails? Replace the driver's side axle and/or CV joint? Something else?

Thank you, fellow Taco fans, for sharing your experience and advice.

 

Lots of stock trucks need the bushing. I'd say install it and go from there. While something else could be your issue, replacing the needle bearing with the bushing is always a worthwhile endeavor.

You have tried 4 wheel drive to confirm right?

 

Does it go away in 4x4?

Install the ECGS bushing and go from there. The needle bearing issue with well document weak spot to these truck, and it seem like it almost doesn't matter if you are lifted or not.

I wonder that if when flexing the stock suspension, or when the suspension is at full droop when on a lift/jacked up, it can stress the fragile needle bearing and cause premature failure even if the truck is on stock suspension/wheels/tires.

Is the dealer offering to install the ECGS bushing?

 

Thank you for my very first reply!

Yes. The noise does occur in H4WD.

 

Rut ro.

Shouldn't be the bearing then.

 

@JackJoachim - No, the dealer would charge labor to install the ECGS bushing.

 

When the old needle bearing was removed, what wear did it show? Sounds to me more like a possible differential issue than the needle bearing

 

The tech brought the old bearing to me and we agreed that it had more play in it than did the new one. No measurements were taken, just rolling my finger around inside each of the bearings. The new one was tighter, the old one looser. Once the install was complete, there was also noticeably less play in the drive shaft/CV/plastic acorn. It would move, slightly, but not as much as before the install.

 

If I replace the front differential, would any of you have recommendations for a non-locking aftermarket diff?

 

Sounds like your just firing the parts cannon here. Get the noise diagnosed and replace that. The fact that the sound is present when in 4wd means its not the needle bearings again.

 

Yes, more of "firing the parts cannon" is what I was hoping to avoid by coming here to seek advice. The tech at my dealer has been willing to keep looking, but as yet cannot locate the source of the sound and vibration. While frustrating, at least he confirms that he hears the sound and that something is out of sorts.

In hopes of helping other Tacoma owners who might find themselves in my situation, over the weekend, I found this website: https://vehq.com/toyota-tacoma-vibration-while-accelerating/

That page is fairly new, having been published June 12, 2022. It doesn't spend time discussing the problematic needle bearing and/or results from lifting a Tacoma, FJ-Cruiser, or 4Runner. What it does is offer symptoms for nine different causes for vibration in a Tacoma while accelerating. Whoever the techs and/or owners are who put that page together, THANK YOU!

The second item on their nine-item list is "Inner CV joints". My tech has previously removed the driver's side axle/CV when he performed the OEM Goodwill needle bearing replacement. At that time, I asked him if there was any indication of damage or concerning wear. He was convinced that the assembly was in good working order.

The linked webpage briefly addresses that scenario by explaining that a damaged CV joint "...is hard to troubleshoot because you will only see the damage after you remove the CV joint and clean off the grease inside." On the Tacoma, that would mean pulling the axle, removing the plastic "acorn", and then cleaning out the grease inside that housing.

The webpage states, "One particular characteristic of a damaged CV joint is that the vibration goes away when you let go of the gas pedal. When you start to cruise at a steady speed, your car will no longer vibrate." That describes what is going on with my truck and the description indicates that "one particular characteristic" is associated only with this one possible cause for the vibration.

The tech at my dealer is reviewing this information and, if he agrees, then I plan to have him install a new axle/CV along with the ECGS bearing later this week. I'll report back as to the success or failure of that effort. Hopefully, it will be an informed and final blast of the parts cannon at this particular problem.

THANK YOU, fellow Tacoma owners, for your advice. I hope that my small contribution to the effort is of help to someone in the future.

 

Sounds like it could be the driver front wheel bearing. I have replaced dozens for making noise.

 

@rolled93slc Would a driver front wheel bearing make noise ONLY when under acceleration? The noise in my truck stops immediately if I lift off the gas pedal, which is the unique symptom mentioned at the webpage that I posted above. Did they miss a second possibility that also stops making noise when lifting off the accelerator pedal?

 

Missed that part. No the wheel bearing would not stop making noise when you lift throttle. I have however replaced several rear diffs for that exact same issue. Under light accel 50-60 mph, there is a whine/low growl noise. Goes away off throttle or when given more throttle. Sometimes it has a vibration. Most of the time it did not. The noise will travel and sound like it is coming from somewhere else. First one I had, I chased for a few days.

 

Have you looked into the center driveshaft bearing?

 

@rolled93slc Thank you for the clarification. As for the rear diff being a possibility... another odd thing about the noise in my truck is that my dealer replaced the OEM needle bearing last week as a goodwill job. I was grateful for that work because the noise STOPPED. Then, three days later, it returned. That tells me that the issue is close to the needle bearing, either the front diff (expensive) or the drivers side axle/CV assembly. But... I'm grateful for your advice and experience. Can you think of a way that a rear diff would stop making noise after replacing a needle bearing and then... start making noise again after three days?

 

When jacking up the truck and shaking the tire at 12:00 - 6:00 and side to side, is there any unusual play? It’s strange it only does it while accelerating.

it very well could be the cv axle. I find it pretty hard to believe it would be the diff, however it is possible. Machining defects can and do happen.

 

@1776Taco Nope, no play. That's another reason why I'm inclined to go with the inner CV joint possibility referenced here:

https://vehq.com/toyota-tacoma-vibration-while-accelerating/

Hard to diagnose? Yep
Noise occurs only when under acceleration? Yep
Noise *still* occurs when H4WD is engaged? Yep
No play in wheel bearings? Yep
No visible damage to the CV/axle? Yep

 

Some people think the needle bearing is not the cause for the vibration to begin with. It poorly supports the axle especially after a lift and can cause stress on the front diff which is the cause of the vibration. There is a huge thread about it in the 2nd gen forum somewhere. The ECGS bearing supports the axle better and keeping it straighter, alleviating the vibrations coming from the front diff. Some trucks do it, some don't. I have had lifted Tacomas since 2009 and nonce have ever had a needle bearing go bad or had any vibrations. I have replaced about 3 of them on friends trucks (all replaced with the ECGS bushing), vibrations stopped in 2 of them that had them, the 3rd did it pre-emptively; none had any visible wear in the needle bearing.

In your case the replaced needle bearing temporarily solved the problem until it didn't. After you rule out the CV/wheel bearing I would replace the needle bearing with the ECGS bushing. If symptoms persist after that it's probably the diff. Other cheap things to try, switch the FR wheel with the RR wheel, in case it's just wheel vibration or alignment. also check the upper/lower control arm ball joints and bushings...

If you suspect a wheel bearing, often the noise/vibration goes away in either tight left of right hand corners

 

@5nahalf Dealer tech suggested that when i spoke to him Saturday. But... we then considered the fact that the noise STOPPED for three days after he replaced the needle bearing last week. Then, the noise returned as before. We couldn't come up with a reason for the center bearing to go quiet for three days after replacing the needle bearing so we turned back toward the driver's front axle area.

Really, really, trying to honor your perspective on the parts cannon. The tech has used a chassis listening device and ran the drivetrain with the truck in the air, can't find the problem. The website that I posted earlier seems to nail it as a hard-to-diagnose (Yep!) internal issue with the inner CV joint.