The wine-glass whistle

['88 All-Trac]

My 1988 Camry All-Trac (DLX trim, if that matters at all) makes a peculiar whistling sound, akin to the whistling a wine glass makes when you rub your finger along the rim. It only makes the sound between 15-22mph and toward the end of my drive only occurred when the needle was right on 20mph.

The passenger-side CV shaft is clicking pretty bad and the driver's-side is getting there as well. I was going to replace both shafts, along with the wheel bearings and any support bearings for the shafts (if they are there, I don't know yet. Haven't even checked the Hayne's yet, that piece of junk) just for the sake of it being a used car and the previous owner gave me the passenger-side CV shaft.

Suggestions? I've searched this and found references to the older Camrys whistling, but I have not found any threads specifically about this whistle or what years of Camry had it. Does anybody here know which Camrys whistled, and whether or not there was a recall/TSB about it?

['88 All-Trac]

...Ba-bump?

[71Corolla]

I don't know if there was ever a TSB for this, but I do recall many years ago that owners were complaining about the noise. IIRC, Toyota said it was "normal" and it did not affect the reliability of the car in any way.

Now I can't say if you are having the same "problem" because your car has a different drivetrain. I would replace the axles first and then go from there.

[white90dx]

How's the rear diff?

Does the sound change with engine speed, or is it only wheel speed related? Does it change under load (up or down through the 20mph speed)?

-Charlie

['88 All-Trac]

As far as I can tell, it is only wheel-speed related. The sound is clearly coming from the front end; if I turn my head, I can only hear it through whichever ear is pointed towards the front of the car. It does not change under load but in the short range where it occurs, it starts out quieter/lower-pitched at the low end of the speed range and gets louder/higher-pitched as I continue to accelerate. There is a vague hint of the noise around the 40-50mph range but it is hard to notice.

The rear diff makes no noise when the center is locked in and I turn sharp; I believe it is functioning as it should but I'll be changing the gear oil fairly soon. I'll let you know how the fluid looks.

[white90dx]

It might be front wheel bearings then too... replace those axles, and while you are in there, check the wheel bearings.

-Charlie

['88 All-Trac]

Will do.

Thanks for the advice!