Hi everyone,
I have a 2008 Toyota RAV4, with about 140000 km on it, AWD.
One day i was hearing like a humming noise from the left side - thought it was the bearing. Went to a mechanic, he confirmed that left bearing was bad. Bought a Beck & Arnley hub, the mechanic replaced it for me.
After a couple of days, i hear again two unusual sounds: one is like a humming/a bit grinding sound from underneath the car, another one is a like "dadadadada" as i am driving on a highway, especially to be heard at high speeds. I thought of the right bearing in front, but didn't know for sure.
Went to a garage i never been before, for a diagnosis. After driving my car, and keeping it inside for almost an hour, they came back to tell me that all my bearings and in general my suspension are fine, but it's my...transfer case. The sound it coming from there, and when i asked them for the options, they told that:
I called the local Montreal dealer to ask how much is a transfer case. The parts guy was a bit surprised, saying that he doesn't remember anybody ordering this,as it almost never breaks. He checked at dealerships in Quebec, Ontario, and BC - none available. He said it could be a special order from USA or Japan, and it would cost...1129 CAD (surprise, suprise).
So i thought the garage with 3300 CAD are crooks, and ignored them.
I started by replacing the fluid in the transfer case - just in case. The one which came out was perfectly clear, but the amount was less then what the mechanic put back in - he put almost 1 liter (1 bottle of 946 ml). The sound stayed the same.
Went to another mechanic - per some recommendation. He test drove the car, but not on high speed (no highway). He said it was my right bearing in front now. He also said the "dadadadadada" sound is coming from my tires - one or several tires have their inside metal rings bent. He also said my transfer case was fine.
I replaced the front right bearing, installed new Good Year tires, and aligned the car.
Now, the car seems to drive fine. Main humming/grinding sound has dissappeared. The "dadadadada" sound at high speeds is gone.
The only thing that worries me is that sometimes, especially at 80 - 100 km/h, i still hear some sort of grinding (like metal on metal sound) from underneath the car. It's not permanent, but it's there. Not so much as to bother or worry, but still to be heard/felt. Not heard at all when driving in the city, at 50-60 km/h, only when on highway over 80 km/h.
My questions are:
Any help would be much appreciated.
Thanks.
I have a 2008 Toyota RAV4, with about 140000 km on it, AWD.
One day i was hearing like a humming noise from the left side - thought it was the bearing. Went to a mechanic, he confirmed that left bearing was bad. Bought a Beck & Arnley hub, the mechanic replaced it for me.
After a couple of days, i hear again two unusual sounds: one is like a humming/a bit grinding sound from underneath the car, another one is a like "dadadadada" as i am driving on a highway, especially to be heard at high speeds. I thought of the right bearing in front, but didn't know for sure.
Went to a garage i never been before, for a diagnosis. After driving my car, and keeping it inside for almost an hour, they came back to tell me that all my bearings and in general my suspension are fine, but it's my...transfer case. The sound it coming from there, and when i asked them for the options, they told that:
- the oil inside the transfer case was never changed, so it's dirty. I bought the car 5 years ago and never did it.
- transfer case cannot be re-built.
- problem can be solved by either installing a used transfer case, or a brand new one (which they quoted me 3300 Canadian dollars).
I called the local Montreal dealer to ask how much is a transfer case. The parts guy was a bit surprised, saying that he doesn't remember anybody ordering this,as it almost never breaks. He checked at dealerships in Quebec, Ontario, and BC - none available. He said it could be a special order from USA or Japan, and it would cost...1129 CAD (surprise, suprise).
So i thought the garage with 3300 CAD are crooks, and ignored them.
I started by replacing the fluid in the transfer case - just in case. The one which came out was perfectly clear, but the amount was less then what the mechanic put back in - he put almost 1 liter (1 bottle of 946 ml). The sound stayed the same.
Went to another mechanic - per some recommendation. He test drove the car, but not on high speed (no highway). He said it was my right bearing in front now. He also said the "dadadadadada" sound is coming from my tires - one or several tires have their inside metal rings bent. He also said my transfer case was fine.
I replaced the front right bearing, installed new Good Year tires, and aligned the car.
Now, the car seems to drive fine. Main humming/grinding sound has dissappeared. The "dadadadada" sound at high speeds is gone.
The only thing that worries me is that sometimes, especially at 80 - 100 km/h, i still hear some sort of grinding (like metal on metal sound) from underneath the car. It's not permanent, but it's there. Not so much as to bother or worry, but still to be heard/felt. Not heard at all when driving in the city, at 50-60 km/h, only when on highway over 80 km/h.
My questions are:
- Can still my transfer case be/going bad ? Is there a for sure way to diagnose a bad/failing transfer case ?
- Is there anything else that could be broken that could cause such a sound ?
Any help would be much appreciated.
Thanks.
