Rear Diff Whistle 55-65mph

Maybe you didn't search hard enough

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/differential-noise.478274/#post-14539728

Well looks like you screwed up getting rid of your first gen. My sympathy to you.

Peace out....

 

OP Just ignore the people who pop up in your threads to bitch about people "bitching" about problems that they themselves don't actually have. It's a strange TW phenomenon, some people have fragile egos and can't handle someone NOT telling them how awesome their truck is. I think you did the right thing and yes I have a howling diff as well. Who the hell knows if our howling diffs will result in a catastrophic failure, Toyota won't admit that there is something wrong with them, they will tell you it's a "normal" characteristic of the truck. Which we all know translates to "we $ don't $ want $ to $ have $ to $ fix $ this $ manufacturing $ defect". So I see what you've done as a way of calling them out on their BS. Good for you.

Oh, and welcome to TW!

 

I love how manufacturers will call something a normal characteristic of the vehicle when it doesn't do it when it's new. Complete garbage and we all know it. Had mine howled like it does now it would still be on the lot. I love my truck but hate the howling diff. It's already driving me crazy. Maybe they will have a fix soon because I plan on keeping this thing forever.

 

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I have pretty much uttered those exact words!

 

Yeah, I get that we have a lot of diverse views on TW and I have never bashed anyone for them but Toyota kind of brought on the criticism when they touted, very openly, the refinement of this truck over the second gen and publicly talked about the "zero" driveline vibration and so on. I agree this truck is much more refined than my second gen and I prefer it. However, the rear diff is just ridiculous by any measure. Again, I love my truck but I hate noises like this on ANY vehicle no matter what badge is on it. It shouldn't do it, it's not normal, and we all know it. I'm just holding out for a fix hopefully sooner than later. I'll keep watching these posts until hopefully someone posts a fix.

 

"all four Michelin tires had flat spots"

Were you in 4WD? Or did you have a dually Ranger?

 

Yes here is op's ranger.

 

diff whistle......thats a new one hahah

 

I may never get this picture out of my head...,

 

Now this is just too much.

 

A little wax and a tune up and that thing may be ready to go. That's probably a 22R in there. I bet that diff is just fine...LOL

 

Ahh, now this is more like it. Got that space cab going on... Taking me back to my childhood!

 

Good luck

 

I've had a diff blow up in a Jeep with 2 young children and a wife in the vehicle... it's dangerous 110%.. luckily we were on stretch of deserted highway on Ocracoke Island, NC... so stranded and no people around ... and by no-one... talking 1.5 hrs before someone drove up. Then another 2 hrs for a tow truck... I got fucked.... had to rebuild it a 2nd time when we finally got home with the Jeep.

Oh and the diff never howled... just snap bang and rear wheels locked @ 55mph.. Ever try slamming the brakes on in a Jeep going 55... yeah almost rolled it.

 

Yikes, l bet that sucked!

 

Anyone who says that a catastrophic failure of a diff is not dangerous has hasn't got a clue. My daily commute consists of 75-80 mph mixed up with tractor trailers, if my diff locked up I'd have a good chance of not coming home that day. Anyone who says our whiny diffs wont have a catastrophic failure also hasn't got a clue, that would be useless speculation until the source of the howl is actually identified.

 

I'm not saying a differential failure can't be a dangerous situation. My point is how do you know that the whoo noise will cause a catastrophic failure.

You've read all the threads on here too and many believe the noise is an improperly set crush washer and eventually will cause uneven wear and fail.

I'm a drive train engineer, I design, work with manfacturing, troubleshoot assembly issues and the occasional odd noise, and do failure analysis on industrial gearboxes.

The preload on crush washer is typically set by the bearing vendor for optimum life. A 100,000 mile car only sees about 2200 operating hours (assume 45 mph), which isn't much, our product are designed for 175,000 hrs (different animal). If preload is less, bearing life decreases, preload has to be completely loss for significant end loading of the gear teeth to cause a catastrophic failure. If endplay was so bad, you should be able to measure this with a dial indicator and pry bar, actually you could see this on the yoke easily.

If small misalignments occur, the gears will not just snap. They will develop micropitting and then macropitting. This would clearly be visable on the gears when they remove the assembly in the cases of the diffs that have been replaced under warranty.

The fact that this occurs during decel, means that the inactive flank is being loaded when the sound occurs. This could be the amount of backlash designed into the gearing, quality level of the gear on the inactive flank, and several other variables. Annoyances but not detremental to the assembly.

It could not even be the gearing but a resonance issue. Trying to pinpoint the resonance frequency, load spectrum when it occurs, and which component is "singing" takes time.

Response maybe disjointed/grammer/spelling due to typing on a tablet.

Diff failures are not funny, but what is funny to me is the people who think the worst from what they read on a forum. And also form a direct link from a few failures to all of our diffs failing. What about component infant mortality, gross assembly error, inclusion in the gear steel/bearings, grinding burn, machining misalignment etc.. or the 0-20w oil that some differentials we accidently filled with that may have been the cause of those failures. What about the people with 15k-20k miles that have had this noise from 1k, they don't count?

I have it, the whoo, not the lower a arms, it's annoying but only happens a handful of times since I drive 75-80 mph mostly. I'm following the situation here like everyone else, it doesn't stop me from driving it or spending more money on mods.