Help diagnosing noise - possibly a wheel bearing?

First post here. I bought a 2013 Tacoma 4x4 TRD with 100k miles last week and I'm hearing a roaring noise between 30-50mph. It sounds like a loud wind noise, or maybe an aftermarket muffler would sound - not really clicking or grinding at all. Seems to get worse when coasting at those speeds. My wife says she can feel a vibration in the floorboard at highway speeds (passenger side). I've also noticed that the passenger seat shakes at highway speeds when I'm riding by myself.

I have put the car in neutral while coasting and the noise is there. Also still there in 4H. Doesn't seem to change much when turning right or left but I really haven't had a good opportunity to fully test that theory. I have searched through old threads and haven't really found a clear answer. Haven't been able to test for play in the wheel while jacked up. Only had the truck for 3 days now but I want to get this fixed ASAP.

I've seen that wheel bearings are a common problem on these trucks so I'm considering buying 2 hubs from Jersey Built and having them installed. Any advice here? Am I on the right track? Thanks.

 

sounds like you are on the right track, and sounds like a wheel bearing is on the way out.

another easy way to check to see if it's a front bearing is to jack up both front tires off the ground and turn/spin them to see if one has more resistance than the other. Whenever my front passenger one was going out, I noticed the wheel was much harder to turn than the driver's side.

 

Seat shaking is often a rear tire balance issue.

And tires that are cupped/scalloped can howl as well.

Before jumping to the wheel bearings, be sure to check them 'mechanically' as @rjbiii suggests above.

And a simple swapping of tires front to rear will indicate if the shaking moves or if the direction of the sound changes.

 

They are "kind of a thing" on these trucks. Had pretty much the same problem with mine shortly after I bought it, so I did just that. Ordered two from Jersey Built, and slapped them in after work one night. I'd say the odds are it's your passenger bearing, but thats not guaranteed.

 

When my wheel bearings went bad it sounded like aggressively lugged tires if that helps any.

 

So the tires on the truck have less than 100 miles on them. Do you think that could be the culprit? I emailed the dealership I bought from and told him what was going on, he says they were balanced when mounted but since the vehicle sat on the lot for a month it could be there are some flat spots that need to break in - is that BS or could he be right?

 

If they're only 100 miles I wouldn't think they could be scalloped or cupped. What specific tires? Another test you could try is jack the truck and spin the tires and see if they feel "gritty" or make any noise. Definitely switch them front to back to rule that out. The "flat spot" theory to me is total BS.

 

I am having a similar issue on my 2011 that I just bought so I am following along on this thread. I have a question pertaining to the issue, If it ends up being the bearing I see that you can get the whole hub assy with the bearing already pressed in which seems a lot easier. Am I looking at this correctly?

 

If it is the wheel bearing that's the way I'd go, pressing in a new bearing is much harder and more complicated.

 

yes, there are vendors like @nj636 that build and sell the assemblies

 

They are Mastercraft Courser AXT's

 

Ya, you don't want to press these together... Been there, broke that... There are a few on here that sell them pre assembled, I got one sitting in a box right now waiting to be installed, but it's to damn cold and the garage had no doors.

 

I would be looking for more answers before I jumped the gun and purchased the wheel bearings .
Wheel bearing noise changes in pitch when you turn from left to right as you are loading and unloading the bearings with the steering .
Got any drivetrain shops in your area ? it wouldnt hurt to have a professional road test performed and to boot road tests are free

 

Not sure wheel bearing noise is apparent at that low of a speed. When mine went bad, I wouldn’t hear it until about 65 meh with a low hum.

Maybe rotate and balance your tires first. At low speeds I would think that’s the culprit first.

 

This is what you need.

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/viberation-30-to-35.515902/#post-16289810

 

When I bought my 2012 with 89K on it, I was convinced I had bad wheel bearings. Replaced the tires and it was a whole new world. Noise free.

 

Sounds like a wheel bearing to me. Not every worn bearing gives the same symptoms. The fact it’s still there when switched into 4HI eliminates the worn needle bearing.

 

If those are like the Cooper version(Discoverer AT3),they are a naturally noisy tire.At least on a Jeep GC.To the point where I thought the wheel bearings were failing.Just had Firestone Winterforce tires installed,the noise is gone.

I would jack up the front,and listen for any noise/rumbling feeling.

 

Since you just purchased it from a dealer I would ask them to diagnose or even replace the wheel bearing. Worse thing that they could say would be no, but then you know they type of dealer they are.

 

After breaking in the tires and spending all weekend off roading at the hunting camp, I'm convinced it's one of the front wheel bearings. The noise was no different on gravel and grass so I'm ruling out the tires. I ended up ordering 2 hub assemblies from @nj636 . Will report back after installing them. Thanks for the help y'all.