(FIXED: Wheel Bearings)Hum sound while driving as if I have off road tires

I am already thinking my problem might be a wheel bearing but I like to see what other forum members think.

Vehicle: 2008 Tacoma double cab off-road 4x4
Mileage: 69,000
Tires: Michelin Ltx Defenders 2,000 miles since installed.
Recent maintenance: Oct of 2017, drained and filled rear, front, and transfer case with Royal Purple gear oil. Rear diff is a locker.

Problem: Over the past month while driving there is a hum that sounds like I have off road / larger tires while driving. The sound is not that loud but is audible enough that my wife noticed it while driving the Tacoma. There are no secondary sounds or issues. The sound increases with speed just like the sound of over sized off road tires of lifted trucks I have ridden in. My Michelin LTX defender tires were replaced under warranty back in July of 2017 due to cracks in the sidewalks. The old tires where quiet and the new ones where quiet when installed and the old ones had 35k miles when replaced.

The truck has only been driven approx. 2,000 miles since July. Researching this issue has me thinking it is a wheel bearing. Over the next several days I will check the tire pressure, lift the truck and check for play by grabbing the front wheels. I have read the wheel bearings can still be bad if no play is evident. My Tacoma is only driven on surface streets and is not driven off-road. From my understanding the front wheel bearings are a weak link and can go bad around the 60k mileage area.

I appreciate any all comments.

***Update 1/23/18:
I installed two new front wheel bearings and it has fixed my problem. Interesting enough both front wheels had no play.

 

Does it do it in 4 wheel drive

 

I have not checked it in four wheel drive, only in 2wd.

 

It was my wheel bearings doing that. Quiet as a mouse since installing @BamaToy1997 wheel bearings some time ago

 

Wheel bearings are very common, I'd get it repaired sooner than later. Need a press for any of the 4 bearings.

 

How many miles were on your Tacoma when you changed them out?

 

80kish. Edit: turning 140,000k, shortly and silent

 

I am looking at buying the whole assembly from the forum member.

 

Just replaced both my front bearrings and what you're explaining sounds exactly what I was experiencing? When you let off the gas does your truck coast or is there a noticeable decline in speed? Mine were so bad that whenever I let off the gas, it wouldn't roll as expected, felt like the brakes were being applied.

 

You need to check this, could very well be your needle bearing...

 

Check to see if your tires are cupped. Had this happen on my Honda Accord after about 3-4k miles of buying new tires. Drove me nuts till I figured it out. I was told that my alignment was outta wack and it cause my tires to cup. I got an alignment done, and convinced Costco to swap out the rears that were cupped under roadhazzard warranty (they rock), and all was well after that. Two months later, traded it in for my Taco!

 

What symptoms would manifest outside of the current hum when I engage the 4wd system?

 

If the hum goes away, it's your bearings.

 

If your talking about the wheel bearings, then that's not correct.



If the hum goes away when you put it in 4wd, it's likely your front driver's side differential bearing.

That can be fixed with this: https://eastcoastgearsupply.com/i-8536125-toyota-8-clamshell-bushing-eliminates-needle-bearing.html

A good test for the wheel bearings is to find a road that has some good sweeping bends/turns, and if it's a bearing, it will usually quiet down when the load is taken off of it. A right turn will load up the left side, and vise versa.

The front differential bearing issue will usually appear when you lift it, so I'm thinking that's probably not your issue, but some guys have had the issue with no lift. I'm betting it's a wheel bearing.

 

69000 seems pretty early for wheel bearings, but not impossible. They are really easy to verify, drive about 35mph and swerve right and left if the noise comes and goes bingo, wheel bearings.
You should also consider U joints, they will growl pretty loudly.

 

Why don't you just grab the tire by the top and shake it back and forth like you have a pair. If you hear clunking, you now what the problem is. Bad bearingshape don't always have slop but 90% of the time they do.

 

That's what my wheel bearing sounded like when it was worn out. Replaced at around 165k. Bearings had no slop, just worn out.

 

I was leaning towards the OP possibly needing to do a ecgs fix.

 

I will be doing this today or tomorrow. We have several other vehicles to drive and the wife has me gainfully employed with things to do today so I might not get to it today. My only concern is that other members have stated on posts I have researched that there was no play when looking for play while moving the tire / wheel assembly and the wheel bearing was still found to be bad.

 

If the bearing is at the beginning time of wear failure, then it may not show any movement when lifted and wiggling it. I do typically suggest that when inspecting the bearings, spin the wheels by hand and feel for as well as listen for anything that is unusual or abnormal. You shouldn't hear any noise, and the movement should be smooth spinning.