front end growling noise

Agreed these tacomas are hugely over hyped, or the competitions are just that bad.

Any insight on what is th worst case scenario if the vibration is left unfixed?

 

i have the same problem and ive pulled my front driveline to try and isolate the front end it has to be in the front diff cv axles or bearing i wanna give manuel hubs a shot

 

It's a wheel bearing. Just had the same symptoms. Get it checked out before your wheel goes flying off while your doin 80mph

 

not a wheel bearing. Please read the posts..

 

As ywen said, please don't comment when you haven't read the thread. It was not a wheel bearing issue as wheel bearings don't stop vibrating in 4wd. It's a well known problem with the front diff.

 

I am going to take mine to get the same thing, glad yours turned out well. Good luck to everyone else having these problems.

 

Tex, How did you fair at the dealership? I see you have a 2010. Did you have the same problem described in this thread?

 

Yes, I had the same problem as described in this thread. The dealership replaced the front diff and both cv's about the 1st week of march. Now, I am haveing the same issue even after the problem has been so called fixed. Only been two months and the vibes are back. My question is for anyone who has had toyota install the TRD lift if they have had this issue? I don't want to accuse my lift as the culprit of this issue, but never noticed it until immediately after installing my lift, and by immediately I mean the effing test drive. I have a 2.5" fat bobs urethane spacer lift with a diff drop. The mech who replaced the diff reinstalled the diff drop, so this must be ok. I will be contacting the dealer with this issue on monday and hopefully getting it in by thurs or fri. I will update when I get some news. I am very disapointed that a $30k truck can have so many issues.

 

Texoma: for your vibration, do you hear/feel it mostly only during cruising and below certain speed? Or do you also hear/feel it during acceleration?

 

It is right now, intermittent. When it does vibrate, it is between 5mph and about 50mph. It is especially rough when slowing down (coasting). It's been a few days since it has done anything, but when it starts up bad I plan on pulling over and doing a lil troubleshooting.

 

i have an 06 prerunner and mine does the same thing. im thinking its a worn out universal joint?

 

You won't have a front end issue as explained here due to your front end lift. If you've lifted the rear with a block or leaf pack then you may have an axle vibe like a take off shudder. I also had a vibration issue with the rear end doinig about 60mph. I think that could be remedied with a carrier bearing drop or axle shims, or even the combonation of the two. Both are cheap. Old Man Emu sells the CB drop for about $10 and Pep boys has axle shims for about the same. I've also seen the shims at other parts stores in the section where the keep the truck stuff like over load springs n stuff. Do a search for rear vibes and you should find a lil more info on this subject.

 

Damn I love these forums!

I too have picked up this growling with the exact symptoms described by the OP and other who follow the topic.

A 3" level lift with diff drop was installed by yours truly approx 3,000miles ago. I currently have 13,000 miles on a Gen 2. Not sure who all is aware of THIS post, but Post #3 has pics of what I think most of us are experiencing.

I'll be scheduling maintenance tomorrow (Monday). Hopefully Warranty is still an option.



subscribed.

 

i also have a growl i can hear and feel. it sounds like front end, goes away when i turn the wheel to the right. took it to dealership and they say its a rear end problem. warranty will cover it but they can not pinpoint the bad bearing. sooooo i still have a growling truck until it gets worse and they can pinpoint it. i dont know how they cant pinpoint it cuz its real loud. also how does a rear bearing sound like its a front?

 

This sounds like a CV joint.

 

^^^^if its a cv joint why is the dealership telling me its a side bearing in the rear end? i am seriously doubting my local dealerships knowledge right now.

 

Hearing a lot of smack about the Tacoma's. This is my second Tacoma (I had a Gen 1 Pre-Runner for 90,000miles before trading up to a 4x4). The only problem I EVER had was the battery dying...twice. Once was under warranty. However, this was understandable as I was pulling a 5,500lb camper across CA frequently.

My Gen II has been a good truck, and I'd buy it again. However, I must say it has had a few more issues than the Gen I.

With that said, I just picked-up my Tacoma from the dealer to repair the dreaded 'growling' 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.

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

I am told they are updated parts.

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

Hope this helps.

 

I took it to the dealer and they had it up on the hoist we grabbed the front drive cv shaft and held it and spun the front wheels both wheels are grinding. When you spin them by hand. Has no play in the bearings at all. It was after I put the front lift on. I am a mechanic and had work for Toyota for 5 years. The mechanics all said that the Tacomas are really bad for front wheel bearings going. I am having them changed this week and will let you know if the noise goes away. I will inspect the old wheel bearings after they have been removed. I will Take some pictures if I find anything. Oblonged ball bearing rust etc. When you turn right the noise goes away. This is totally bad front wheel bearing characteristics from my point.

 

Did the wheel bearings fix your issue? I am chasing a bearing noise and wonder if it is wheel bearings or the dreaded diff bearing, although my noise does not disappear in 4WD so I am hoping not the diff.

 

I would say it is not the front diff since the noise doesn't go away in 4wd.