Vibration that I cannot figure out!!!!!

So in my truck I've got this vibration that can be heard and felt at speeds above 50mph. Today i thought i fixed it with new sway bar bushings but i was wrong. They did however fix the front end clunking i was having when on and off road going over bumps. There was a lot of play in my old bushings, i could grab the sway bar and push from left to right easily and also wiggle it over 1.5mms.

I did watch some youtube videos made by youtube channel: rudedogii he said he finally fixed the vibration he said he was having when he replaced his wheel bearings. Here is a list of things i've replaced that I was SO sure was the cause:

front pads
front rotors
rear shoes
rear drive shaft carrier bearing
rear drive shaft u-joints
cv axles
front wheel bearings
rotate tires
various wheel well fenders, bolts,

The vibration: Can be felt at speeds from 50mph-75+mph. on gusty days on the highway the gusts make the vibration louder, it goes away when turning on ramps and exits at high speeds [this i feel is a crucial part of this whole thing - maybe whatever it is tightens up when the weight of the truck is off center], it can be felt in the windshield, steering wheel, gas, clutch, break pedals, it can be seen in the rear view mirror [mirror vibrates/shakes]

I watched a youtube video from rudedogii and someone in the comment section said that it is likely caused from the lift blocks and the leaf springs. I asked him if he could explain it in detail but that was an hour ago - no reply yet. In his comment he suggested a 2-3 degree steel shim in between the leaf and the lift block

things I've considered it being:
motor mounts
transmission mounts
a bad differential bearing
off balance drive shaft

so what do you think? any help or suggestion is appreciated!

Thanks!

 

Give us any specs you have as far as lift, wheels, and tires.

 

265 75 16" gootyear wrangler duratrac, front 2" rear 2.5"

 

on the original wheels

 

I mean what kind of lift and what brand?

 

oh, i've got no idea, it came on the truck.

 

When is the last time you had your tires balanced? Reading it again that's what it sounds like. Did you go off road recently? One might have fallen off.

EDIT: One wheel weight might have fallen off, not a wheel

 

a wheel, lol that id notice that. Last balance was a few like beginning of the year. mind you i've had this truck for about 2 years and it made the noise the day i drove it home. yea i go almost every weekend, but i dont go crazy, i usually keep it in 4low and first gear and just creep around. theres nothing crazy to hit where i go, just a few steep hill climbs and a sketchy road down in a valley. I should get a rotate and balance soon though

 

If you think you're due for it, then it wouldn't hurt to rebalance the tires. If it's happened since day 1 though, it may not be that. Do you have blocks in the rear? They very well may be installed backwards throwing off the driveshaft angle even worst causing the vibrations.

 

hey, that might be a cause. yes blocks be in the rear. i just went out and looked at them after reading about the shims, and they are almost too small for the u-bolts. i'd expect the u-bolts to completely be over both ends of the block by a half inch, but mine are just the right size not to slip out it seems. I'd have to go look at them again before i wasnt thinking about their size and cant give you an accurate size until a later time.

 

Right now my best guess is the blocks are installed backwards then. One side should be shorter than the other and I THINK the small end goes towards the front.

 

i'm going to go look right now, ill brb

 

ok so i just went and measured the block and its exactly the same size all the way around. the block is literally in between the ubolts sandwiched by the leaf springs. to me they look way too short. i also scraped on one with my finger nail and it felt like a brick it could be just really rusty but it looks like a brick. maybe tomorrow i'll upload a photo.

 

If you really want to get this vibration, remove the blocks and see if that gets rid of it. If so, you know they are the issue and you need new blocks that have a built in shim to help your driveline angle.

 

I'm going to try messing with them this week
I replaced my sway bar links and sway bar bushings which eliminated this clunking in the front but I've still got a knock/clunk when I'm off road. Could it be steering shaft or steering rack issues? That clunk an slow speeds could rattle back and forth st high speeds, that's where this noise HAS to be coming from.
In which case I'll need a new steering rack.

Any helpful hints on what it could be? In the steering wheel or rack? A loose toothed worm gear? The truck was in a mild accident and the previous owner driver hit something with the right front (replaced headlight, bummpler, quarter panel, rocker panel damaged) so the passenger wheel and everything connected to it took a huge hit. My guess is it bent or damaged the steering rack somehow.
My dad's Tacoma is a 07 and his steering wheel is nice and firm mine slightly loose.
The vibration always felt like it was from the front end...
Good news though everybody!@!!!
I had my frame looked at by a special tybusiness who said my 2014 frame under my 06 taco is not bent!!!!!taco the bed still sits crooked - anyone know why or how to fix this?

The vibration vibes on down the road....

 

I recently looked at my rear shocks with a tape measure and guess what, the drives side has 2" less travel than the passanger. The previous owner had bed toolboxes which my guess is put extra weight on the one side for an undetermined amount of time and caused the suspension to get tired.

I might have found the vibration... I was underneath looking at my steering shaft. I grabbed it and pushed and pulled on it to see if there was any play then wiggled on it side to side and there is movement at the top end. The part of the shaft that connects to the steering wheel side, its under a cover but i can see a few mm's of play. This could easily cause that vibration at high speeds with a constant speed on the highway and moving parts. can anyone suggest anything for the steering shaft? probably replace the intermediate shaft?

let me know and thank you all!

 

Issue needs to be broken down

Lets look at some Vibration diagnostics . Anytime someone asks a vibration question , I copy and paste this .
I believe there are at minimum at least 12 different vibration issues assosiated with the Tacoma and all the vibrations / shudders get mixed into the same pot leaving members scratching their heads .
Have you greased your driveline ?http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/tec...rks-total.html
Do you know how to grease your driveline properly http://aftermarket.federalmogul.com/...%20FAQ%27s.pdf
Have you checked your carrier bearing https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/how-to-replacing-carrier-bearing.260283/
Does the truck vibrate in park or neutral and does the vibration change with accelerator pedal ? This is a misfire test for your engine
Does the truck vibrate while holding the brakes and hitting the gas - Automatic ? This is also a misfire test for your engine under load
Does the truck vibrate in neutral at a stand still ?or coasting in neutral ?
Does the truck vibrate in 4x4 ?
Does the truck " Only vibrate " from 1st to 2nd gear ? https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/vibration-when-accelerating-from-stop-anyone-fixed-it.300155/
Does the truck only vibrate in 2 wheel drive ?https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads...differential-bearing-vibration-thread.152173/
Does the truck vibrate with the serpentine belt removed ?
Does the truck vibrate cold or hot ?
Does the truck vibrate if you select neutral and coast to a slow roll without using the brakes ? What happens when you turn the truck of in Neutral at highway speed ? Can you still feel the vibration ?
Does the truck clunk over bumps ?https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/tacoma-loose-bed-design-flaw-explanation.388873/
Does the truck vibrate as you are braking ? When was your last brake job ? Consider the front rotors may be warped or the rear drums are out of round .
Does the truck vibrate with weight in the truck or empty ?
Does the truck vibrate while upshifting ? Have you checked your trans fluid ?
Does the truck vibrate while downshifting ? Have you checked your trans fluid ?
When was your last transmission fluid service ?
Is the vibration caused by your torque converter ? Tapping the brake pedal at highway speeds will release the torque converter clutch . You are not actually hitting the brakes ,but manipulating the brake switch . If the vibration goes away you can expect a misfire or a converter clutch issue .
Read here for more information regarding automatic transmission diagnostics
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads...th-pics-for-second-gen-4-liter-trucks.289913/
Now that you have a lift kit installed the truck vibrates . Did you cancel your drive line angles ?
Have you looked at the condition of your tires ? Toyota says to rotate every 5000 miles .Tacoma tires must be road forced balanced using the Haweka adapter on the tire machine tsu00296.pdf
When was the last time you rotated your tires ? Are you using LUG centric aftermarket wheels ? have you considered " HUB centric rings " http://www.amazon.ca/s/?ie=UTF8&key...vptwo=&hvqmt=e&hvdev=c&ref=pd_sl_7ybe1f1pby_e
Have the balance weights fallen off the tires ?
A good vibration technician can tell immediately if your vibration is caused by the rotating speed of your wheels or by the rotating speed of your driveshaft .
If you go through this list carefully , you should be able to narrow down where the problem is .
The proper and only way to test for bad universal joints is with the driveshaft removed . You cant tell if the universal joints are seized or tight spots with the driveshaft on the truck . You may see play in the universal joints , but you wont be able to properly check the u-joints without removing the driveshaft .All it takes to create a vibration is one seized universal cup and there are 4 cups within each joint .
With this said , you cant tell if that cup is seized with the driveshaft connected .
Removing the driveshaft and manipulate each universal joint by hand from side to side feeling for tight spots as you go is the only way to check for bad u joints
If you beleive its bad motor mounts or transmission mounts , grab a big pry bar and pry at the mounts to see if the rubber is torn or weak .

CANCEL DRIVELINE ANGLES http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/2nd...tion-free.html

 

Whew...that is quite a list. Nice work.
Do you have this saved, I hope.

update: saving post to my build thread for the future.

 

Its all here
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads...th-pics-for-second-gen-4-liter-trucks.289913/

 

Remove your blocks and see if that helps.