Another Vibration Question- Highway speed

So I recently picked up a 2013 Double Cab TRD Sport from my Father in law. He wanted a new truck that could tow a trailer so he moved this along to me for a good deal. It has 45,000 miles with no off roading. He babied the thing so I know it was well taken care of which is why I went ahead and bought it. Really wasn't in the market for new vehicle.

It has a Ready Lift 3"F/2"R lift and 285 tires which is likely important to this story. The Ready Lift uses blocks in the rear but they are angled to try to help the driveline angle.

So everything about it is great except for a vibration that shows up at around 50mph and 70mph. It drives pretty smooth at around 40 and then around 60. Unfortunately I spend a lot of time on the freeway around 70mph. The real odd thing is that it goes away immediately if you take your foot off the gas and returns the second you put the gas back on. This makes me pretty sure it's in the driveline and not in the tires or somewhere else but I really have no idea. I have a long stretch of downhill driving on my way to work everyday so I can clearly feel for extended periods of time how smooth it drives when the gas isn't applied at 70mph. The vibration is something i can hear and feel. Probably hear more than feel in reality.

So I have been scouring vibration threads and have learned a lot about the problems with lifted tacomas and driveline vibrations but now I am not sure which way to turn next with this issue so I was hoping someone here might help me. I also haven't seen too many talk about how their vibrations disappear when you take your foot off the gas.

Here are the details of my rear driveshaft at this point. I have worked to try to drop the carrier bearing to align the shafts pretty closely but I may still need to do some adjustment here.

Transfer case = 0 point.
1st shaft = 3 degrees negative from transfer case
2nd shaft = 2 degrees negative from transfer case
Differential = pointed 3 degrees up from transfer case, or 1 degree positive of 2nd shaft. This is achieved through the angled rear blocks that came with the lift kit.

So now what? Could it be something totally different? I have shimmed the bearing anywhere from 0" to 1" in small washer increments just to see the effect and it has almost no change on the high speed vibration. It seems to change the amount of low speed vibration I get. At the current angles the low speed vibration is pretty minimal.

I tried to stay away from posting another vibration thread but I think I have followed most of the advice when it comes to the basic driveline adjustments in all the other threads short of buying a new drive shaft without much luck.

Thanks

 

Single piece drive shaft is the easiest way to solve this, but possibly not the cheapest.

You could also either remove the lift or do all kinds of other work, which might not solve it.

 

What happens when you leave your foot on the gas and gently tap the break pedal ?
This is a missfire test and will usually rule out the lock up torque converter
At what rpm is the engine running when you feel the vibe ? does the vibration remain if you downshift to a lower gear but continue at the same speed ?
Have you ruled out the tires ? Are you running factory rims ?
Are you sure you are feeling driveshaft whip ? or does the speed of the vibration match your wheels

 

gearcruncher - thanks for the reply. I have read some of your previous posts on vibrations and have looked through the list that you have provided previously.

The first test I tried was the brake tap test and originally I thought that was it but after repeating it a few times the vibration did not go away when tapping the brake.

The vibration is very speed specific, not engine RPM specific from what I have been able to tell. My commute includes a 15 mile climb/descent that gains about 2500ft. So when going uphill at 70 I go through periods of cruising in at low 2000 RPM's to sustained periods of around 3000 RPM when it obviously downshifts to a lower gear. The vibration is constant during that time if the speed stays constant. If I slow down to around 60 the vibration improves. It seems to be the most noticeable at around 50mph and 70mph.

The flip side is that when I'm traveling down hill on this stretch I am doing 70mph with periods of just light to no throttle. When no throttle is applied the truck is smooth as can be. As soon as you apply the gas you can feel the vibration start again, and it goes away within a second or so of letting off the gas. So this is why I don't believe it has anything to do with the wheels or tires or I think I would feel it regardless of applying the gas or not. Again, i get a number of miles of cruising downhill with little to no gas applied so I can really feel when I lightly engage the gas at that speed that the vibration starts. If it wasn't for this downhill stretch I would be more likely to point at the tires or wheels because it's hard for the truck to maintain 70 on a flat section without keeping the gas on it.

Thanks for the help!

 

What he said.... with a double cardan joint.

 

I'm definitely ok to spend the money on the single piece driveshaft if that is what indeed will solve this issue. It just seems like it's slightly different than the vibration that I have read about on here when discussing driveshaft vibrations so I just want to make sure it's not possibly something else that I should be chasing.

Thanks

 

Yep

As long as it's not the torque converter. Eliminate that possibility first. I tend to forget about slush box issues like that, since I have a man trans.

 

If you pull the trigger on a new shaft be sure to let us know if it worked. Good luck.

 

Yes, I would be curious to see how this turns out.

 

Ok, I will let you guys know if I go that route.

Before I do I'm hoping gearcruncher might jump back in here and make sure there is no other routes I should take to make sure it's not something else. What I'm really hoping to avoid is buying a new shaft only to have to continue to chase this problem because it's something else. Like I mentioned above, this seems slightly different than what most people talk about when I have read the many pages of vibration threads. I haven't seen too much mention of the vibration going away when you take off the gas but maybe that is implied.

It's still under an extended warranty so I'm thinking I might take it by the dealership and see what they say. I'm sure they will chock it up to something due to the lift but sometimes they surprise me and are helpful.

I have started looking up driveshaft shops and there are a few in Salt Lake City that seem to be reputable so if everyone seems on board that it's the shaft and the dealer blows me off then I'll probably start heading that direction.

Thanks

 

blocks in the rear..... you are having axle wrap issues.

I just put a weld on budbuilt traction bar on my truck (stock 3+1 leafs with a 2in AAL... no block) cus axle wrap was HORRIBLE. I cant imagine on a stock pack without an AAL and blocks.

 

First and cheapest thing to do first is to buy a grease gun with a flexible hose, and grease all 5 zerks on the front and rear drive shafts. I haven't done mine in like 3 years - each one needed about 4-5 pumps, so it was about time to do it. My morning commute today was rather smooth and vibe free at high way speeds.

Also check the carrier bearing assembly while your greasing the zerks - the drive shaft can move in a cushioned and dampened manner (up, down, left, right) while through the carrier bearing, but if its shakeable or very loose, then it might be time for a new carrier bearing.

Second thing to do is to check the LH front drive axel (which can be done without lifting up the truck) connection to the front differential. If your LH front drive axel is extremely slopply (mine moves at least 1/8" inch in all directions), then you might need a new needle bearing inside of the front differential. Most people from what I'm researching are replacing the LH needle bearing with the bronze inlaid bushing from East Coast Gear Supply. If you go this route, you may as well replace the LH front differential seal as well. Only the LH side is affected and usually has this design defect manifest.


In my case, I was getting vibes through the steering wheel only occasionally while accelerating, and only during certain braking events. I installed new Brembo and TRD brakes back in July, so I don't think its defective or warped rotors (the steering wheel should shake under all braking events, not just some) contributing to the vibration. I also do not have any aftermarket lift installed.

 

Ok, will grease all driveshaft zerks. The truck has been regularly serviced at the dealership but I'm going to assume they never do that.

I have been messing around with the carrier bearing height for a while now so I believe the carrier bearing is fine. It doesn't seem to be in any worse shape than any description I have ever read of how it should be.

I will check the front axle tonight. So are you saying 1/8" of movement is sloppy? Or that is what you should be seeing?

Thanks

 

front CV vibes can be easily diagnosed by driving the truck in a straight line at the vibe speed you feel and switching to 4hi, if it goes away its the front diff.

The fact that you say when you let off the gas it goes away tells me its not the front diff as it would vibe regardless in 2wd as its being driven by the wheel and not the motor.

Again, its driveline angles under load that are caused by axle wrap. Pop a gopro under the truck pointing at the rear axle pinion and you will see what i mean.

 

This is an example of exactly how bad my 2011 front axel moves (not my video):

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=tdryK8v8cIc

 

I had bad drive line vibes when I was lifted. Noticed the needle bearing was bad, swapped that out with EGCS bushing. Still had issues, so I sold my lift. Still having issues so I’m going to be doing the 1 piece drive shaft. If that doesn’t work I will probably trade this thing in. I might trade it in anyway for a Ram. I don’t get nearly as bad of vibes when I tow my boat however

 

I went from a 2001 stock truck up until 2016 when I gave it to my 16 year old son. It was never lifted when I drove it but when I gave it to him we lifted it about 2.5". I have since purchased a 2007 that was lifted and man that roar is bad. I have narrowed it down to the front dif. and I have the East Cost bushing that replaces the needle bearing. Noise goes away in 4wd HI and I will replace one front axle because the boot is gone. I hope this eliminates most of vibe but it not I then will concentrate on the driveline. Will I sell my taco no but will agree it is very annoying. Rick

 

Hi. I think I had the same problem and solved it rather easily yesterday, but sometimes everyone's solutions are different. There are 2 stabilizing bars hiding under the front skid plate. Check the bolts on both ends of the bars. I think you will find that the bolts under the steering rack frame piece are not completely tight. This made my truck steer like new again. By the way, I self balanced all of my wheels so you know they are not professionally done. My truck is a 2005 Prerunner with 95000 miles.

 

Just wanted to update some of my comments - So after driving 3 days with the drive shaft re-greased, and hitting the 'normal' driving speeds of 50 to 70 mph , and the same normal braking areas along my commute both from highway speeds and from slower city speeds, almost all of the vibes I've been dealing with for the better part of summer and fall have gone away. Should have greased the drive shaft sooner!

That said, I still have a very very small pulse vibe coming through the steering wheel during initial braking and occasionally upon acceleration. I was messing with 4HI - turning it on seems to make the vibe go away, so its probably that LH needle bearing in the diff causing the vibe.

 

Ok, so an update on this one.

I shimmed the carrier bearing up and down with no real change. From one washer worth all the way up to 1" with some bushings I had machined.

So I stopped by a local driveline shop to see about building a one piece driveshaft since it seems to be the consensus on here that it's how you get rid of driveline vibrations. The guy was pretty helpful and he crawled under the truck and took it for a spin and was surprised with the vibration. He suggested that I take it by the dealer first since it still has a warranty before he built a driveshaft.

First thing this morning I dropped it off at the Toyota dealership and within a few hours they called me to tell me it was completed. They had their tech that usually installs lifts on tacomas work on it from what the service advisor told me and he said they replaced one of the u-joints and the problem was solved. I was skeptical since the truck doesn't have that many miles. Well I picked it up this evening and it is perfectly smooth! At all speeds and throttle levels. Not even a hint of vibration.

They told me that the driveline should be greased at every service. I asked if they did that since all the oil changes were done at the dealership and he told me no, they usually don't. I need to tell them to do it. Seems kind of stupid that I have to tell them to do it but ok.

From the work order it says they replaced one universal spider joint. I haven't crawled under the truck to see which one they replaced but for now everything is good. I was surprised that a universal joint could have worn out that bad that quickly.