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My 07 Tundra is just a few weeks old now and I love it. No problems except for the following which I have yet to figure out. Hopefully someone here can give me some advice before I make the long trip back to the dealer for service.
A few weeks ago I posted a note in several forums about a metallic clanking noise which seems to be coming from under the front/center area of the truck. The noise only happens once after I start the truck and put it in gear. The noise doesn't happen immediately but it always happens within the first 300-500 feet of driving, then it never happens again until I park the truck and start it up the next time. Originally I thought it was the transmission shifting from 1-2 or 2-3 but I noticed that the noise still occurs no matter how slow or fast I am moving. It also doesn't matter whether the truck is warm or cold, the outdoor temperature is hot or cold, or if it is raining or dry outside: the noise always occurs just once and then never again. It is not a soft noise like a relay clicking or the gears shifting, it is a firm and fairly loud clank like someone striking the frame with a small hammer.
I did some more testing today by starting the truck, switching into 4-HI while still in park, then driving the first 300 feet to listen for the noise. I was amazed to see that the metallic clanking noise did NOT occur, however the truck seemed significantly harder to drive and it took more gas to get it moving and keep it moving. I switched back to 4x2 mode and it drove fine and smooth as usual. This convinced me that the noise has something to do with the 4x2 or 4x4 mode and I was concerned that the truck was harder to drive in 4x4 so I went to an empty level parking lot for some testing.
When I shift into 4-HI mode on the fly the truck switches modes smoothly and with very little noise other than what you would normally expect. It drives ok when moving straight ahead but then when I drive in circles it is significantly harder to keep the steering wheel in position during the turn. It also sounds like one or more of the inside wheels might be spinning and chewing at the asphalt while I am making tight turns but this is reduced or stops when I make wider turns. This is my first 4x4 truck in many years so I am not sure if this is normal behavior or not, but it sure felt odd since I was virtually fighting the truck through the turns while in 4x4 mode. Also, when I switched back to 4x2 mode on the fly the truck would sometimes make the metallic noise again but it was usually not as loud as the initial metallic noise which happens after every startup in 4x2 mode. FYI - my truck does have the LSD, TRAC, and VSC systems and I did not touch the VSC switch during any of the above testing.
So here are my questions:
A few weeks ago I posted a note in several forums about a metallic clanking noise which seems to be coming from under the front/center area of the truck. The noise only happens once after I start the truck and put it in gear. The noise doesn't happen immediately but it always happens within the first 300-500 feet of driving, then it never happens again until I park the truck and start it up the next time. Originally I thought it was the transmission shifting from 1-2 or 2-3 but I noticed that the noise still occurs no matter how slow or fast I am moving. It also doesn't matter whether the truck is warm or cold, the outdoor temperature is hot or cold, or if it is raining or dry outside: the noise always occurs just once and then never again. It is not a soft noise like a relay clicking or the gears shifting, it is a firm and fairly loud clank like someone striking the frame with a small hammer.
I did some more testing today by starting the truck, switching into 4-HI while still in park, then driving the first 300 feet to listen for the noise. I was amazed to see that the metallic clanking noise did NOT occur, however the truck seemed significantly harder to drive and it took more gas to get it moving and keep it moving. I switched back to 4x2 mode and it drove fine and smooth as usual. This convinced me that the noise has something to do with the 4x2 or 4x4 mode and I was concerned that the truck was harder to drive in 4x4 so I went to an empty level parking lot for some testing.
When I shift into 4-HI mode on the fly the truck switches modes smoothly and with very little noise other than what you would normally expect. It drives ok when moving straight ahead but then when I drive in circles it is significantly harder to keep the steering wheel in position during the turn. It also sounds like one or more of the inside wheels might be spinning and chewing at the asphalt while I am making tight turns but this is reduced or stops when I make wider turns. This is my first 4x4 truck in many years so I am not sure if this is normal behavior or not, but it sure felt odd since I was virtually fighting the truck through the turns while in 4x4 mode. Also, when I switched back to 4x2 mode on the fly the truck would sometimes make the metallic noise again but it was usually not as loud as the initial metallic noise which happens after every startup in 4x2 mode. FYI - my truck does have the LSD, TRAC, and VSC systems and I did not touch the VSC switch during any of the above testing.
So here are my questions:
- What could be causing the metallic noise which always happens within the first 300-500 feet of driving after startup, but only in 4x2 mode?
- Is it normal for the truck to make a metallic noise when shifting from 4x2 to 4-HI or vice versa?
- Is it best to shift into 4-HI from park, on the fly, or doesn't it matter? (I know you need to be stopped and in neutral to shift to 4-LO and this works fine.)
- While in 4-HI is it normal for the steering to be harder and/or the inside tires to spin and skip during tight turns?