[Ixnay]

My truck makes a really loud and annoying squek now. It seems i have to be going at least 20 mph before it starts, but once it does, it doesn't stop. Its a continuous squeaking noise from the back end that stops at the slightest press of the gas pedal! ... So as long as i'm giving the truck gas, the squeaking stops, but as soon as i start coasting again it starts back up.

Does anybody have any idea what this could be? My first thought was an exhaust hanger so i asked the guys at my local muffler shop to check em out when i had my flowmaster installed ... they said they couldn't find anything. My second thought was maybe the spare tire ... but i shook the hell out of it without hearning anything. I'm still thinking about dropping off my tire tomorrow then go driving ... but i doubt thats gonna help.

Any suggestions??

 

[Tred]

Put your best friend in the driver seat, situate yourself firmly in the bed, and have him drive around until you find out at least which area the squeek is coming from.

Does it sound like metal on metal? Rubber on metal? Something else? High pitch? Low pitch? You've indicated that the squeek is there when you're cruising (no foot on gas) at 20MPH. How about when you brake at 20MPH+?

 

[Ixnay]

Braking has no effect on the squeek ... its kinda high pitched and would probably say its metal on metal ... but it doesn't sound mechanical ... and i have a cap on my bed so i can't go driving with me in the back ... not to mention its been snowing and really cold ... haha

 

[Eval Isao Ohta]

I had a simular squeel on my last Tacoma ('98 4x4 reg cab 2.7 simular to yours). It turned out that the upper joint on the rear drive shaft (immediately after the transfer case) was out of grease and needed to be lubed. An easy way to check for this is to put your truck in neutral after the noise starts (I had a manual, so all I had to do was push in the clutch). If it goes away, then there is a good chance that this could be your problem.

The fix is simple; grease the joint during your next oil change. If you have someone else change your oil, then you can usually have them do it for no additional charge.

 

[Ixnay]

well i just tested out your theory by shifting into neutral while it was squealing, but it didn't stop ... any other ideas???

 

[glassdoc]

Check for a bent heat shield above the drive shaft, it could be rubbing as you are moving.

 

[glassdoc]

well i just tested out your theory by shifting into neutral while it was squealing, but it didn't stop ... any other ideas???

Shifting into neutral while still moving will not stop the driveshaft from turning. You could block the front wheels, jack up the rear, turn each rear wheel to see where the squeak is coming from. It probably is in need of grease.

 

[Eval Isao Ohta]

The particular squeel I was describing tends to be more pronounced when the drive shaft is under load (either accelerating or decelerating). Shifting into neutral at speed reduces the load, which is why the squeak would stop.

It wouldn't hurt to grease the joint at the next oil change anyway, but it is probably not the problem. Good luck on finding the source.