Front end humming/whirring noise

Hello Toyota Gurus,

I am hearing a front end humming/whirring noise. Starts about 30mph and gets faster with speed. Truck has 155,000. Right off the bat, I changed both wheel bearings, both CV axles ( ripped boots both sides, mileage made me replace axles not boots), front diff flush ( no metal bits whatsoever ), tire rotation, wheel balance, alignment, switching from 2WD to 4WD.Only thing left is Needle bearing swap for ECGS clamshell bushing? There does seem to be " excessive " play on driver's side where cv axle meets front diff. Seen a few videos and posts that say that's normal. Don't normally throw parts at a vehicle until it's fixed, but , with the high mileage I knew it wouldn't hurt a bit. Now I'm completely stumped.

I appreciate any feedback whatsoever, thank you

 

Welcome to the forum.
The diagnostic test for needle bearing is an easy one, and very effective. Drive straight at whatever speed below 50mph the noise is present, and then switch into 4 high. If the noise/vibration goes away, it's the needle bearing.

 

Thank you very much for your super fast response! I will go and do that right now and respond asap.

Just realized I should have searched for this thread instead of starting another one, oops

 

So.....

I switched back and forth between 2H and 4H 35mph to 50 mph 3 to 4 times and no difference in the noise at all.

 

Is your truck lifted?

 

Need more info. What brand/size/load rating on your tires? You have a copy of your alignment to share? Is there a vibration also, or just a humming sound? Could be some driveline harmonics. So many possible options. One guy on here had a hum from wind on his roof rack, but swapped all kinds of parts before he realized it.

 

I have similar issue with my 4x2 sport.......have had all the front end components looked at and checked twice.....mine is between 40 and 52......faster it gets drowned out......

tires is my guess.....only 20K on them (half life)......so back to front tire rotation next, and will really look at spin on the machine.

$25 at Costco well spent

 

I’d imagine tires are your issue.

 

No lift, Open Range All Terrain tires LT265/75R16 max load 2470 lbs. @ 50 psi. Thank you

 

Thanks for everyone's reply

 

50 psi? Kinda high. Try 32-35.

 

Similar issue on my 21 SR 4x4 ACLB.

Initially thought it was a rear bearing going bad and making noise (I am not a car guy, so this was a wild guess.) Happens even in neutral while coasting, but seems related to engine RPM and not wheel RPM.

Not really motivated to hunt it down since it doesn't seem to affect how the truck drives/rides and it's getting traded in soon anyway.

Edit: dammit I commented in a 2nd gen thread again... this is getting too frequent

 

My third gen does this, I started hearing my right rear differential whirring a long time ago, and recently I started hearing a new sound in the front. It sounded like sirens in the distance but there was none. It comes and goes.

 

Alignment looks ok. Did you have those tires on before the alignment? Reason I ask is you could have worn them badly before you got right. You had a good bit of camber on the right before alignment. I'm no expert on this, but I ruined some Cooper ST Maxx by waiting too long to get re-aligned after changing my lift around. They got really loud.

 

Traded in for what?

 

Currently have a 21 SX (SR) MGM ACLB 4x4 6AT

Trading + cash to pay off a 21 Sport Voodoo ACLB 4x4 6MT

Can't handle this garbage AT any longer, plus Voodoo is just so loud and comes with black(er) interior than the current truck's Cement interior which shows dirt/water too easily for my liking. Plus the Sport will allow the Morimoto XB Gen2 to function as stock and not use a fuse jumper.

 

Nice!

 

Okay, so I’ve been trying to diagnose and remedy a new vibration noise coming from my front end with no luck. It sounds exactly like what OP is experiencing. I’ve searched around here and tried a few things others have recommended without success.

I have an 03 TRD 4x4, 3.4, ext cab with 148k miles. At around 80k I installed the OME lift kit for about a 2” gain. Installed diff drop as well.

Recently I drove the truck from Oregon to Virginia doing ~700 miles a day, primarily at 75 mph. The sound developed towards the end of the trip. At speeds above 20 mph, it sounds like a constant deep vibration noise or propeller sound. It’s almost as if I can feel the resistance the truck is pushing through. There is no change I can detect when turning the vehicle. It does not change based on transmission gear or engine RPM.

I’ve replaced the drivers CV axle and diff bearing (with a bushing), but the sound persists. I don’t want to just keep replacing components until it stops. Any clues? OP, did you figure yours out?

 

I'm experiencing the same thing. 135k on truck. 2015 4x4 AC. Diff drop, 31" tires, ECGS bushing installed, new front hubs 25k ago, fresh gear oil in front rear and transfer case. Also don't want to just start replacing everything I can think of. OP what did you find out?