High-Pitched Squealing Noise - '16 Limited

Can you give me a little in insight on the transfer case cap....the fill cap? Do you have a part number? And still no noise?
Thanks

 

Hey, here's what Toyota replaced:
Front transfer case driveshaft flange and seal, flange sub assembly and seal with type t oil.
Still no noise. I hope this helps.

 

Still no noise??? My GX460 has the EXACT same symptoms and I have tried everything and really don't want to start throwing parts at it (already replaced all 4 u-joints)... I did eventually take to dealer and Lexus and Toyota both had it for a week each and couldn't figure it out. I believe the T-case is the same with the GX and your 4Runner Limited with center locking diff. but I could be wrong.


Anyone know a good way to diagnose this for sure? Only thing I could think of is have it in drive on jackstands with a stethoscope.... (I know... doesn't sound safe...) But it is so difficult to diagnose when it takes 30+ minutes of driving for it to start...

 

Still no noise! It's worth mentioning this to your dealership. I take my 4Runner to Kerry Toyota in Florence, KY - they were very helpful in diagnosing the issue and working to resolve it.

 

I've same issue: screeching noise after 15 minutes drive above 70mph and vibration above 75mph. Can this "transfer case driveshaft flange and seal, flange sub assembly and seal" be done in the garage with common tools? Also, Nick when you said Front Transfer Case did you mean just Transfer Case (middle) or Front Differential?

 

Any updates from anyone? 2018 4Runner with this exact, intermittent high pitch noice. Super frustrating because dealership can’t figure it out because it’s so intermittent. Never hear at high rates of speed. It’s when I’m driving 25-40 mph. Maybe it happens when going faster and just don’t hear it.

 

Not 100% sure. To be honest, I'm not the most mechanically inclined 4Runner owner. I will do some more digging and let you know.

 

Sorry to bring this thread back up, but hearing this same sound in the same instances as mentioned above. Any other resolutions?

 

Bumping this up again. Changed the transfer case caps and it’s still occurring

 

Bump again... same problem... 2013 limited, squealing at speed, not brakes, sounds like a loud, high pitched cricket.

 

Sorry, I'm just seeing this.

If it's not the transfer case cap, I'm not sure what else it could be. I do remember seeing a thread on here when I was researching this issue pointing to the calipers. One guy said he had the same noise and his caliper pins had liquified. Might be worth looking in to.

 

Welp. After spending $1600 in pulleys, a tensioner, and acc belt, I still have the noise. The dealership then told me the noise was coming from my transfer case, and it will cost $5800 to repair. LMAO. To be fair, they are working on reimbursing me for misdiagnosis costs. Its like the time I told them my transmission was acting funny and they said it should be replaced... so I flushed the fluid, changed the filter and it has about 10k on it without a hiccup. Anyways, I was reading that the transfer case seals can make these screeching noises, so I ordered the parts to do it myself. The job doesn't look too hard, just remove drivelines (I'll prob do front and rear) and flanges and swap the seals/reassemble. I'll let you know how it goes, since I know how frustrating this can be.

 

Front Diff Needle Bearing. I didn't think of it at the time but after replacing my needle bearing with ECGS because it started to rumble at slow speeds the high pitch squeal is gone. I have not heard it for years (since 2020). Related or not to Needle Bearing I'm glad its gone.

 

Good to know! thank you! I did grab my driveshaft and try to wiggle it and there is a little play in it. Did you by chance do the bushing swap yourself? If so, how did it go and did you use their tool to remove the bearing? Thanks again,

J

 

Oddly enough, I called ECGS and they said my limited doesn't have a needle bearing because it's AWD... that doesn't make any sense to me...

 

Well, I replaced the front transfer case seal and output flange sub assembly. Noise is gone. The fact that the dealership recommended transfer case replacement is insane. They also never put any of the skid plates back on. I discovered that a couple weeks later. Totally insane. I guess I'm the only one working on my rig from now on.

 

this is interesting news, I’ve been living with this noise for a few years now and had zero help from the dealership. I’ve been monitoring this thread and the TSB for an update.

Looking to replace these parts myself now, by chance do you have part numbers you used? How difficult was the job?

 

Did you see anything obviously wrong or worn?

 

Yes, I have been to two dealerships, and they wanted to replace my transfer case for $5800. Uh, no. So I did some searching, and found a few people that had luck with the transfer case front output companion flange and oil seal replacement. The job itself was not too difficult if you like working in tight spaces (I did not remove my exhaust), are a pro at getting staked nuts off (took me prob 2 hours), enjoy the smell of gear oil, and can get some clearance under your vehicle (I have 24" jack stands). The entire project took me about 6 hours but I could prob cut that in half if I did it again, now that I know what I'm doing.

The procedure is fairly straight forward - place vehicle on jack stands, drain transfer case (I forgot and had a nice, warm gear oil shower later on) remove driveshaft from front companion flange by removing 4 bolts on flange. you will need to put a wrench on nut on back of flange to prevent it from spinning. use a rubber mallet to whack the driveshaft flange loose. using a leverage device between flange and driveshaft, compress driveshaft to clear four studs on companion flange. tuck driveshaft out of way (get creative, its a tight space if you don't remove exhaust - mine wasn't going to be removed without a grinder since the exhaust nuts were rusted solid). unstake nut on companion flange/output shaft - good luck. This took me the longest time. I didn't want to damage anything. I ultimately sacrificed a small flathead driver bit that I fit between the staked part of the nut and the transfer case output shaft. Then, I placed a long wrench between two of the output flange studs to keep it from spinning and using a 30mm socket on a breaker bar, I tried with all the strength god gave me to get that damned nut off. Its supposed to be torqued to 87ft/lbs, but I ended up kicking the hell out of the breaker bar to get it free. In the process, I got it free, but bent one of the studs on the companion flange, which I didn't care about because I was replacing it. Anyways, I pulled off the companion flange, took my gear oil bath, and started inspecting it. There was a small ring around the companion flange where the transfer case seal was. using a probe, I could feel a very small indent. See photos.



in these photos, you can see how the transfer case seal fits over the companion flange:


The transfer case oil seal comes off with a $600 tool from Toyota or carefully prying at the edges with a flathead screwdriver - you pick.

The seal inside the companion flange that goes over the shaft is already in place if you purchase the companion flange sub assembly. I bought an extra seal just in case it wasn't there, but now I have a spare.

reassembly is straight forward.

Once reassembled, I noticed rubber sticking out from between the transfer case seal and the companion flange outer ring. Hmmm... that wasn't there before. I took for a test drive and smelled burning rubber. I looked below and hanging around my driveshaft was a rubber ring:


I broke it off and started swearing. I reinspected the two parts I had removed and realized that the companion flange dust shield - the wide rubber piece below my probe here:


was not the same size.

To this day, I have not had a problem. it just wore itself off. Still no noise, and no leaking. I double checked the part numbers, and they are correct per the Toyota parts site. I have no idea why the dust shield was bigger on the new piece. If I were to do it again, I would have the parts guy actually look the parts up instead of giving them part numbers and assuming they are correct.

Here is where the extra rubber dust shield was, I placed the broken off rubber piece on the old companion flange



Anyways, I saved a lot of money by replacing it myself and not letting the dealer just throw a $5800 transfer case at it.

part numbers I used:

33309-35113 - output flange sub assembly.
90311-41013 - Seal, type T oil.

 

Man that's awesome and I appreciate the detailed write up on it. So you just did the rear companion flange and you didnt do the rear kinda bearing carrier thingy part that bolts up to the transfer case behind the seal.

Looks like a good time, I'm mechanically inclined so not opposed to this at all.

 

This was the FRONT output shaft on the transfer case. The rear would have been soooo much easier!

 

Ah, interesting, what made you decide to do the front?

Now I understand your comments about not having enough room

 

Good question. Two things. 1) the other cases I heard of involved the front, and all were on limited models. I suspect this has something to do with AWD and more frequent torque on the front driveshaft than 4WD models, where power is being transferred to the front much less frequently. 2) I bought a cheap Bluetooth microphone and zip tied it to areas in front and behind the transfer case. The noise (among many other noises) seemed louder in the front.

I also bought the parts to do the rear, and they're sitting in a box on my workbench, but unless it leaks or squeaks, I'm not touching it.

Hell, for all I know, it could have been just changing the gear oil! (I used redline 75-90).

 

Hello everyone.. Hopefully my post isnt too late and I get some responses.

I have been hearing a squeaking noise from the rear end of my 2016 TRD pro intermittently for the past 4-5 months. When I say intermittently, sometimes I can go a week or so and not hear a thing, and then one day I hear something and the sound persists for a day or so and then goes away.... The sound can be heard around 5-30mph and then it seemingly goes away on the highway, but I assume its still happening but is drowned out by windnoise. It also seems to be louder when coasting.

When I first started to hear it I took it to a shop and we jacked it up and it sounded like the noise was coming from the rear pinion area, so I initially though that I should replace that seal even though there is no leaking. Then I came upon this thread and decided that I should post and ask to see if this is the same issue that you were experiencing!

Below is a link to a video of me recording the sound.

I have changed the diff fluild, replaced brakes and rotors, greased all the zerks on the driveline and the sound still comes up every so often... I have now become hyper sensitive to it and I think I hear it sometimes when it isn't even there.... There doesn't seem to be any negative affect on driving and its been intermittently been happening for the past few months. I'm hoping that replacing the seals will solve the problem!

https://youtube.com/shorts/WgRCHhN-cno

 

This exact noise occurred with my 2018 4Runner (high pitch noise, intermittent, starts after ~20 min after driving, starts sooner in hot weather). I took it to the Toyota dealership about six times to diagnose it and spent a small fortune changing my brakes, replacing the throttle body, lubing every joint. Thankfully, I discovered this post and suggested to them to look at the transfer case. Lo and behold, they found that the seal on the transfer case was slightly leaking although the source of the leak was not visible. After repairing the transfer case and resealing it, the noise disappeared!!!! After 5 months of hearing it, I savoured my drive back from the dealership. Anyways, I want to thank the OP for posting the video and the fix to this problem. I hope that this helps others who find themselves dealing with this very-difficult-to-diagnose and annoying squeal.