Possible Fix - Door Seal Noise

+1

Hopefully combining all these threads into one will help people looking into this do two things - identify which of the probable sources is their cause, then trying the different fixes to see what works for them.

 

I recommended comming up with a descriptive name for each issue and starting a new thread with appropriate/descriptive title for each one. Didn't get much response.

"Noise: Drivers side ear/door squeak"
"Noise: Grill whistle"
"Noise: Crosswind Kazoo"

Or something like that.

 

That's a good idea and you don't need anyone's permission to do that. Simply start a new thread titled whatever you think is appropriate and consolidate all the info like this guy did with the frame rust topic:

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/rust-prevention-treatment-consolidation-thread.355928/

 

Well dammit, thought i heard something. Now its going to bother me till i fix

 

Hahahaha welcome to be club!

 

There's a ton of replies in here, so I'm sorry if this has been addressed already. In case it hasn't though here's my story and (hopefully) a solution.

I noticed this issue this spring, about 1 year after I bought the truck new. Didn't hear it at all for the first year and I put 15k miles on it so it was definitely seeing some use. This spring we had a long road trip with lots of wind and this noise showed up and was almost constant. It sounded like a kazoo and would switch from the driver's to passenger's A-pillar depending on the wind direction. After that it would start happening anytime there was a good crosswind and we were going over 65mph, but it was most common at 75+. I was certain it was coming from the upper windshield gasket from the apparent location of the noise.

I took it in to the dealer and by some kind of miracle was able to actually replicate the problem (very briefly) with a service tech in the vehicle to witness it. They opened a case and said they'd get back to me, and then for 3-4 months I didn't hear anything. Last month I called Toyota Corporate and complained directly and the dealer got back to me the next day. They had a Toyota factory service guy visiting the next week so I dropped it off for the day and he took a look at it. He told the guy at the dealership the problem area is the door seal weatherstripping along the A-pillar and he bent the metal on the doors near the problem area just a little bit, enough to help it seal tighter. I looked it over very closely and can't see any difference at all. I'm all about DIY but I don't recommend trying that particular solution at home. Didn't cost anything but my time so it wasn't too bad of an experience overall.

About a week later we had a good windy day that I'm pretty sure would have caused the noise again so I took it out on the interstate and went 85mph for a few miles in both directions and only heard it happen once. It was a brief muted buzz for about 3 seconds, so I can live with that. I have a long road trip next month so if it gets thru that OK and we encounter a lot of wind I'll get back in touch and let them know it's fixed.

Also for the record I printed out the TSB for the windshield gasket (from back in 2006 or 2009 I think) and provided links to those threads but the factory guy said that's a different issue and doesn't affect the 2014s.

 

Ha yeah. Thought I'd gauge interest before starting any more "noise" threads. There's a bunch and I didn't want to add to the clutter if it wasn't a good idea. Maybe I'll take some time and try to consolidate.

 

About to install my "fix".

 

Hope that works because then at least the tape is expainable. I have my doubts though - I think it will be too slick to help.

 

If the squeak doesn't happen on 98% of the seals on the truck, I'm of the opinion that all its gonna take to fix it is a very slight change in one of the two surfaces involved. We will see!

 

Reflector tape installed (on both sides for my OCD). I'll come back with a report after a couple days. On mine, it's just a very small area causing the problem.

 

Awesome man, hope that works out for you. Doesn't actually look half bad either, definitely better than my crappy blue tape haha. Looking forward to an update in a couple days

 

Well, the squeak with the reflector tape is about 20x louder than before. Complete fail

 

Bummer. Throw some friction tape on there and enjoy the silence for a while.

 

What is friction tape?

 

it's kind of a cloth tape, generally sticky on both sides. Sometimes hockey players wrap it on their sticks.

 

Exactly, something that isn't as slippery as a vinyl tape might be. Something like what I recommended above would be considered a friction tape. I just got mine today but I don't think I'll have time to put it on until tomorrow, I'll let you know how it goes. That stuff is a bit thicker and a little more rough than the painters tape I have on there now (which is still working) so I'm thinking it should do the job

 

For anyone doubting the source of the squeaky drivers side door seal, just stick a piece of paper up there between the cab and the door and close the door. You'll see that the noise disappears. My next sleuthing step will be using a narrow piece of paper and moving it back and forth while driving to see if I can pinpoint the exact spot or section causing the squeak. I've got it narrowed down to about 4-5 inches of the top section of seal (where I put that reflective tape in my photos above). I'll now use a 1" wide strip of paper, moving it back and forth. How I deal with that spot once identified is still in question. Maybe it's a 1/4" spot, maybe it's 3".

 

electrical tape has been working great for me for aprox 2 weeks.

 

Next up. This stuff feels kinda like the 3m paint protection film (like on our rocker panels), but it's not nearly as thick. It's thicker and more durable than electrical tape and the material is closer to the 3m in feel. The adhesive isn't gummy like electrical tape, yet it's very strong. It stretches and conforms, as you can see in the photo- I stretched it on my finger and you can see that it maintains its shape. Will report back. $6 on Amazon (add-on item).