1995 LC squealing noise during idle

[wrxFTWdey]

Didn't see you mention having replaced the idler pulley for the fan belts? Mine was making noise because some gorilla managed to get a set of belts up and over the top of the idler, routing them incorrectly and causing premature failure.

Just a thought...

You're correct because I never replaced the Idler pulley for the fan belts. Completely removed it and the sound was still there and exactly the same.
This crank nut is about to catch these hands tomorrow when I go get a 3/4 inch breaker bar and use the starter to yank it out. I'll use the same breaker bar to tighten it as much as I can after I replace the harmonic balancer. Then I'll drive down the street to the auto skills center on post and borrow a torque wrench from them. Hopefully this will fix the noise and the problem. The idle has been extremely rough and the sound has gotten even louder so i need to fix this ASAP. Really hoping the front seal is good too because I don't want to deal with that as well lol.

 

[wrxFTWdey]

Quick update, I replaced the Harmonic balancer over the weekend and got it tightened down to 304 Ft lbs and the squealing sound is still present. At this point i've replaced, the water pump, fan clutch, AC compressor, harmonic balancer, and all 3 belts. I'm starting to think that it may or may not be a Tcase bearing due to the fact that the sound completely goes away as soon as I put it in gear. I'm thinking about taking the car into a nearby shop and having them take a look at it while addressing some other small things like changing fluids because I don't really have the time to do it.
If the shop can't figure it out, then look out on this forum, for a 95 fzj80 238k miles on it w/ a ton of wheeling and overland mods and upgrades on it sometime in the future lol. I'm about to give up on this thing and go pick up a 2018 taco lol

 

[blkprj80]

Somebody already mentioned a mechanic's stethoscope. I second that. Get one.
You can hear a lot when you can actually press the stethoscope rod directly on the parts.
Handy tool for sure.

You can take all the belts off the harmonic balancer pulley and run it for a bit to check for noise changes.

 

[wrxFTWdey]

Car is at a local shop in the area. I feel like there's a void in my life now that my yota isn't in the parking lot anymore. Even if I do have a love hate relationship with that slow, beautiful POS on wheels. I'll update everyone if and when the mechanic identifies the problem and hopefully it will help anyone else with similar issues in the future.

 

[FJP971]

So am I to understand that one can remove all of the idler pulleys without any issues? You seem to have removed them all. Why did Mr. T even put them there? Won't the belts slip without the extra tension and routing length created by the idler pulleys? Hope you find the problem and I 3rd the suggestions of a mechanics stethoscope.

 

[blkprj80]

@FJP971 There is only one idler pulley that can be removed, the one for the alternator belt pair. I believe it is there to keep the belts from vibrating while running. If you use OEM belts, they barely touch the pulley.
The other idler, for the A/C, is necessary and cannot be removed unless you remove the A/C drive belt.

 

[wrxFTWdey]

In case anyone was curious. My mechanic figured out this issue last month. It was actually a Oil Catch can that was installed by the previous owner. The catch can or the lines must have been clogged up somehow and the engine was creating large amounts of vacuum due to the fact that the pcv could not release pressure. He removed the catch can and rerouted the lines back to OEM config. and the noise went away completely. I never would've guessed that it was a vacuum issue. It goes to show that nearly 20 years of experience as a mechanic goes a long ways. Thank god there are great people like my mechanic who basically charged me for 1 hour labor and like 8 dollars in parts even though my truck was in his shop for over a week and he stayed late several times to diagnose it before he actually began to tear into it.

 

[ZackR]

Sounds like a good mechanic to have around. Drop off a half rack of his favorite brew next time you are in the area to keep that relationship solid!

 

[MoJ]

Sometimes it’s a good idea to leave Mr T’s original designs alone.

 

[MDJ]

Man, after all that...

Frustrating. Glad it's fixed though.

 

[Midgainc]

i just read your thread. I bought a 96 LC 12/21. it was in neglected condition, but ran like a sewing machine. I replaced everything on the engine front, plus head gasket, every seal, O ring, fuel line, brake line, power steering line, trans line, fuel pump, master cylinder, PT 4wd conversion, serviced both axles, dropped trans and replaced rear main seal. and more. started her up and she had a squeal around PS pump, have not been able to isolate. any ideas?

just bought a 96 80....

Picked up a bone stock, leaking everywhere, nasty and stinky interior, 1996 80 series Landcruiser. No lockers, new tires. 347k miles. this was a mall cart, grocery getter that appears to never have been off road. interior is shot, power steering leaking, prob oil leaking too, nasty on...

forum.ih8mud.com

 

[Midgainc]

In case anyone was curious. My mechanic figured out this issue last month. It was actually a Oil Catch can that was installed by the previous owner. The catch can or the lines must have been clogged up somehow and the engine was creating large amounts of vacuum due to the fact that the pcv could not release pressure. He removed the catch can and rerouted the lines back to OEM config. and the noise went away completely. I never would've guessed that it was a vacuum issue. It goes to show that nearly 20 years of experience as a mechanic goes a long ways. Thank god there are great people like my mechanic who basically charged me for 1 hour labor and like 8 dollars in parts even though my truck was in his shop for over a week and he stayed late several times to diagnose it before he actually began to tear into it.

do you have a pic of the general area where the problem was discovered? I am frantically trying to figure mine out.

 

[wrxFTWdey]

do you have a pic of the general area where the problem was discovered? I am frantically trying to figure mine out.

It was from the pcv on top of the intake manifold. The PO installed a catch can there and it clogged up and that’s when the noise started. Removing the catch can solved the issue for me. Try running the engine without the belts hooked up to isolate the noise. That’s ultimately how I figured out it wasn’t a pulley issue.

 

[Midgainc]

well, I have already done that.....and the noise is pretty much coming from the power steering gear and oil pump gear area. I am wondering if the oil pump bushing has spun (or is spinning) or if there is another bushing like that for the power steering gear. It is the most bizarre thing I have seen in awhile. Couple that with my ignorance of the internals of the 1FZFE engine and you end up scratching your head. What do you think it could be?

 

[wrxFTWdey]

well, I have already done that.....and the noise is pretty much coming from the power steering gear and oil pump gear area. I am wondering if the oil pump bushing has spun (or is spinning) or if there is another bushing like that for the power steering gear. It is the most bizarre thing I have seen in awhile. Couple that with my ignorance of the internals of the 1FZFE engine and you end up scratching your head. What do you think it could be?

I’m not entirely sure where to go from here. I swapped over a 1hdt truck a few years back. My mechanic at the time thought it could be a noise from the oil pump so he was going to dig into that but then he ended up finding the issue before we did that.