The Noises Keep Coming

2011 DC running 235 BFG ATs with Billstein 5100s at 0.85” lift. Truck has about 155k miles.

Noise(s) started in 2023. That spring I suspected a bad wheel bearing and left the truck with the local Toyota dealer. They diagnosed a bad wheel bearing on the driver side and replaced it. Pass side was “inspected” and mechanic said it was good. I made a 1500 mile round trip and had no noises that I’d describe as anything other than ATs on the interstate.
Fast forward to this spring. Took two tires in for balancing due to some noise, bad wear, and a shake following a tire rotation. The shake was resolved, but there was still noise beyond the expected. Alignment appears good. Checked the driver side CV and there was excessive play where the CV entered the diff. There was also a little grinding when rotating the passenger wheel. Called ECGS, made a visit last week and had the driver side needle bearing replaced with bushing. There was immediate improvement overall; however, it made it obvious that the passenger side wheel bearing was failing. I replaced that bearing and hub assembly this weekend. Torqued axle nut to spec.
Vast improvement in the overall noise and ride.

Still, there seems to be some wheel or axle noise that’s hard to isolate - something between a whistle and grind. No shaking or serious vibration. Entirely possible it is in my head as I have a full-sized Chevy company truck that I spend a lot of time in. I’ll rotate the tires and make sure all are balanced and running good psi, but are there other issues to look for? ECGS stated that passenger side failure of the needle bearing is rare and had no indication that was an issue on my truck.

Suggestions are appreciated. The truck doesn’t see daily use now that I have a company truck, but I do have a few trips coming up this summer.

 

When doing what? Intermittent? When turning? Braking? Sound changes at different speeds?

 

I would recommend removing your serpentine belt and giving all of your idler pulleys a wiggle. Also, spin them by hand, they should not rotate freely.
I would recommend putting the front on ramps and removing your front skid plate. This will give you better access to the front of your engine.

 

Sound is intermittent, but most noticeable at around 60mph and when steering into curves at speed. The noise is very much like the pitch change when your tires catch the paint in the road or some other surface anomaly but there’s not always an inconsistent surface.

 

that sounds like a wheel bearing, they get noisier when they fail
mine made it a long time until I could feel it be loose

If turning left and noise stops, its the right one thats failing. Less noise with more load from what i found

 

Noise is similar, but there’s no play at all. Replaced passenger side bearing 2 weeks ago. Driver side was replaced 13 months ago by Toyota. What’s the likelihood that it would go bad in less than 10K?

 

Mine squeaks when I make a sharp turn, kinda sounds like beginning of a burnout

 

Determined that the noise was due to some uneven tire wear (from the bad wheel bearing).

 

Anything’s possible.

Did Toyota replace the entire bearing assembly or just the bearing? Had my driver rear replaced. I wanted to replace the entire assembly was reassured only the bearing needed replaced. Fast forward 4 months and 3000 miles later and the drivers side was shot again. Shop that originally did the work told me to get bent, their warranty was 90 days. Took it to Toyota and they said that the assembly was wallowed out and it ate the brand new bearing. Suggested replacing the entire assembly like I originally wanted to do In the first place.

 

Toyota replaced the driver’s side assembly last year, but looking back I think part of the issue then was needle bearing failure. When I replaced the passenger side bearing (myself) I also used a complete assembly. I spend most of my day with a group of mechanics and the general consensus was to go with the complete assembly.