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Help! Drivetrain whine

mgmyota

mgmyota

6️⃣ Aficionado
Tacoma3G Supporter
So my truck has been regeared to 5.29's for almost 10k miles now. Ever since I had the work done my drivetrain had a bit of a whine more so when I'm at highway speeds. Didn't really think to much of it because I've never had a regeared truck before and figured it was normal. Decided to look into it recently though and learned it could be the pinion gear? Anyone really knowledgeable about gears and drivetrain whine that could help me out? This video is exactly the sound I'm having and is the reason I think the pinion bearing could be one of a few possibilities.

Original link: https://youtu.be/lv94-bItw-I
 
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Not regeared, but I've been doing some research trying to talk myself into it. I know some say certain gears whine, which doesn't make sense to me. Other say it could be a shim issue. Did you do the work or did a shop?
 
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bonifacio said:
Not regeared, but I've been doing some research trying to talk myself into it. I know some say certain gears whine, which doesn't make sense to me. Other say it could be a shim issue. Did you do the work or did a shop?
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Yeah actually by the end of that long video he ends up changing to a different brand for gears and it helped dramatically. Sounds weird to me as well that that could be an issue. I had a local shop do the work. I am never taking my truck back to them though. There's actually pretty much no local shops I would go to. I'll be back home on the east coast in about two months so I might wait till I get back and have a more reputable shop check it out. Just hope I'm not messing anything up. I feel like if anything was to fail it would have done it by now.
 
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Did you go with Nitro Gears?

From their install guide:

GEAR NOISE: While Nitro Gears are among the quietest aftermarket gears available, there still is potential for some gear noise. While the most common reason for Gear whine is improper setup, even a properly installed ring & pinion can sometimes make some noise. If the ring & pinion is setup properly yet makes some gear whine, it does not generally mean a defective gear. There are many factors that contribute to the potential for noise such as vehicle type, harmonics, tire sizes, lower gear ratios, etc. Gear noise is not a warrantable condition.
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bonifacio said:
Did you go with Nitro Gears?

From their install guide:
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Yeah I have nitros. I’m definitely going to have a reputable shop I trust inspect them to make sure they are installed correctly and everything is in tolerance. Figured I’d post here first for anyone else having a similar issue
 
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I just know Nitro acknowledges the whine and makes it seem normal. I guess it's the type of whine. If you're 10k in without any issues, should be alright right? Lol.
 
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bonifacio said:
I just know Nitro acknowledges the whine and makes it seem normal. I guess it's the type of whine. If you're 10k in without any issues, should be alright right? Lol.
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Shoot I hope so lol. If a trustworthy shop checks it out and says its all within tolerance, then I'm good with that.
 
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Don't know how much labor is involved or if they have to take anything apart or how often you should rebuild.

If there's a chunk of labor involved, maybe just do a rebuild, replace bearings and stuff. Maybe even check and make sure everything is still in good shape inside. Hopefully is just a standard whine that most "whine" about. :)
 
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bonifacio said:
Don't know how much labor is involved or if they have to take anything apart or how often you should rebuild.

If there's a chunk of labor involved, maybe just do a rebuild, replace bearings and stuff. Maybe even check and make sure everything is still in good shape inside. Hopefully is just a standard whine that most "whine" about. :)
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Yeah might be safe to change bearings and such. Good point. Hopefully the gears are okay lol
 
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I have around 30-40k miles on my Nitro 5.29s and have the whine. So far, it hasn’t impacted anything. Sometimes I’m waiting for the diff to explode but if it hasn’t yet, I guess the noise is fine in my case, lol. 🤷‍♂️
 
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Tyler said:
I have around 30-40k miles on my Nitro 5.29s and have the whine. So far, it hasn’t impacted anything. Sometimes I’m waiting for the diff to explode but if it hasn’t yet, I guess the noise is fine in my case, lol. 🤷‍♂️
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maybe it's alright then lol. Just seems a little excessive in my case maybe. I do have part of my rear seat deleted to so I hear more road noise a bit 🤷‍♂️
 
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mgmyota said:
Does your whine/howl happen both with acceleration and deceleration? Do you feel anything weird or just hear the sound?
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I don’t feel anything. I don’t really hear it with acceleration. I hear it more while decelerating and coasting.
 
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Great, just drove up to Denver Colorado and now my drivetrain is constantly squeaking whether I’m going forward or backwards 🤦‍♂️
 
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bonifacio said:
Try greasing the U-Joint?
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They’re fully sealed. For some reason only the double cab short bed trucks have sealed u joints while extended cab and double cab long beds have greasable. That’s what I read somewhere at least. Had the truck looked at while in Colorado at a really nice dealership and they said my carrier bearing and u joints look good. I’m gonna open up the rear diff soon and take a look
 
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For anyone still interested in the wonderful sounds my truck makes lol. I changed the rear diff fluid to lucas 85w140. Seemed to help just a bit with noise maybe. Also saw a lot of people recommending going to that fluid when regeared and ECGS apparently recommends it when you install their complete 3rd and clamshell. As far as the new squeaking sound I think it could be my carrier bearing going out 🤦‍♂️. Watched a youtube vid of a tacoma making the same sound. Probably going to try and have it covered under warranty.
 
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Well crappy news. Carrier bearing didn't fix my issues. Was trying to tear into the diffs last but that's where I'm at now and that's where the sound has been pin pointed to. Tuesday the truck is being dropped off to have it torn apart again. More than likely need a rebuild and I'll make damn sure the shop is paying for it since they fucked it up. Guessing they didn't replace the pinion bearing races which caused play. Just my guess until I see the inside though.
 
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