Chirping noise

[Toyfan]

Compliments of the season to all.
Hi, this is my first post and have to compliment everyone on the info available on this forum. I was in the market 2 months ago for a 4x4 and my choice of 4x4 brand was not very difficult after reading this forum. I finally settled for a Hilux 2.7i 4x4. When I took her for the first long drive, I noticed a chirping sound which was well correlated with the speed of the vehicle and only after the bakkie was well warmed up.

My diagnostics:
The noise persisted even when holding clutch in (free wheeling) at any speed.
The noise speeds up on acceleration and slows down on deceleration and disappears when stationery. I had the rear diff on stands this morning to reproduce the noise but could not hear anything from under. The centre bearing and universal joints made no abnormal noises. I could only hear the chirping noise from inside the cab which appeared to come more from the front end of the bakkie. When placing my ear closer to the fire wall (under dash) the chirping was clearer.

NB - bakkie got 250k on clock and I also replaced the gearbox oil recently with BOT 130 as recommended on this forum. It really made a difference, smoother gear shifting and quieter.

I am getting frustrated with this problem and any ideas will be highly appreciated.

[Mr_B]

May well be the clutch release bearing!

[Toyfan]

Thanks for your reponse. How do I confirm this without taking out the box? The sound is more like a wagon wheel turning with a flat spot. I have noticed that there is no difference in the sound when driving at a constant speed eg 50km/h "in gear" and then "free wheeling" (clutch in). Tonight I will warm her up again and concentrate on the release bearing area. I have heard of a mechanic's stethoscope on this forum... where can I find one in Cape Town? I used a short broomstick but sure the stethoscope will do the job better.

[AM Racing]

Check the front brake pads. Some pad types have a wear tab that starts making contact with disc when the pads are at the wear limit +-2mm. Release bearing will be engine speed dependent and not vehicle speed dependent. Also check for wheel bearing play. (front)

[Muz]

Have you got Freewheel hubs? on my SFA, with the hubs engadged, and in 2WD there's a kind of "chirping", which i suspect is the universals on the front Propshaft. If my hubs are in the "free" position, no noise.

[Toyfan]

I have the IFS but it cannot be the front wheels as this was on the ground. Only the rear wheel were running (on stands) and I could still hear the noise but not as load as when driving on the road. This noise is definately related to vehicle speed and not engine speed. I think the propshaft spins to fast to create such a noise as per previous post. Thanks guys, have a save great new year, I'll leave this problem for the new year to resolve.

[AM Racing]

I had a similar noise recently on my D4D. It was the centre bearing on the driveshaft. Take the shaft off and do a physical inspection on the centre bearing and uj's

[Mr_B]

William, try asking the lady friend(wife/gf) to stop talking, if the chirping stops, the cause has been identified...

Mr B

[AM Racing]

William, try asking the lady friend(wife/gf) to stop talking, if the chirping stops, the cause has been identified...

Mr B

@ Mr_B. My D4D chirped yesterday as well but it was more like "....oh my word you're going to kill us!!! Stop I want to get out...." Tried turning the radio up but it did'nt help

[weskusvrou]

It can also be a dry fan belt that causes that noise. Spray any kind of rust oil on it.

[Mud Dog]

Sorry to hijack this tread even further, but how was your trip Dylan ... went to the Sasol station (in Abbotsford) to see you guys off, but there was nobody there ... one of the attendants could not remember any Hiluxes or group of Hiluxes leaving from the station. The day turned out to be a wash-out for me as well.

[AM Racing]

No we went. It was only myself and my swaar in his Outlander. Well we got halfway up the first hill made a u turn and parked the Outlander. Not enough ground clearance. So everybody jumped in the Lux and off we headed. Well it was fun. Two wives and three kids in the cabin. And a lot of "don't kill us, daddy I want to go home" ect ect....
We started the Scenic route, got lost after the drive down the mountain and then came down the Wild route. I want to plan another trip in the new year minus the family and tackle Diff-lock alley. I will post some pics tomorrow.

[Mud Dog]

I think you need to know that trail a bit before taking it on in the wet. Glad you enjoyed it, like I said, looking at doing a trip early in the new year... you might like to join us then.

[AM Racing]

It only rained towards the end. The last 3km's or so. Nothing hectic. There was no one there when we arrived so there were no maps available and the routes are not clearly marked. But I'm always up for a challenge.

[Toyfan]

Mr B, my wife was not too impressed with your comment, LOL. After celebrating new year and still fueled
with Amstel's. I was not going to give up on the tweety bird in my van. I was determined to save her, the bird
that is. Got my stethoscope and poked her hier en daar en siedaar...... Let's create some suspense in this story.
Untill the next epsisode on Hilux4x4.

[weskusvrou]

Toyfan - did you try spraying rust oil on the fan belt?

[Toyfan]

No, but I did find the problem. What a relief.

[Family_Dog]

Which brings us to the inevitable question....:


-F_D

[Toyfan]

I figured that since I could only hear the noise while in the cab and closer to the firewall that this area is where the problem is.
I then investigated the area on both In and outside of the dashboard area. The only item that had a rotational movement in the
engine bay area that could produce such a noise was the gearbox or speedo cable. I poked with the stethoscope at the speedo
cable where it enters the cab via the firewall and could clearly hear the firmiliar annoying chirping sound. That gave me a helluva
relieved feeling..... rather that than a gearbox problem.
Thanks guys and girls for all the attempts. Will replace it soon.