2015 SR5 AT New purchase concerns - hard shift

First post. First truck. First dealer car. First toyota.

I got a tacoma because i knew about this forum and love the community...but I'm having some remorse.

2015 Sr5 AT double cab LB
33,000 miles

Purchased a week ago in Boston. The temperature has been in the teens this week.

So to the point.

Im getting a driveline vibration, which ive read all about and understand it is a common problem/personality trait. I dont know if im just a paranoid new truck/new buyer or its worse than others driveline vibration.

I cant pinpoint when it happens becsuse it doesnt happen 100% of the time and has a wide range . 4x4 doesnt seem to make a difference. It most commonly does it in the 30-50 range accelerating and decelerating. It however has done it at lower and higher speeds. Most noticeable vibration is in the seat. I have also noticed occasional hard shifts and im not sure if this is acceptable.

Any advice wouls be great !!

 

@gearcruncher

 

I had a maxima that developed delayed shifts and then when the shift did happen, was very hard.

Trans shit the bed twice... each time these hard shifts were precursors.

 

Welcome to TW! Is your truck modified in any way?

 

No, everything is stock. I got excited when i saw gearcruncher. Ive read many of his posts regarding this topic

 

Start here and try and narrow the vibe down .
Post back your results

Lets look at some Vibration diagnostics . Anytime someone asks a vibration question , I copy and paste this .
I believe there are at very minimum at least 12 different vibration issues associated with the Tacoma and all the vibrations / shudders get mixed into the same pot when members start posting . This leaves the guy trying to fix his truck scratching his head . Process of elimination is the key .

These are some diagnostics to try . If you bring your truck to a shop , they will be trying most of these to narrow your vibration down .
Universal joints need to be lubricated at every oil change
Have you greased your driveline ?http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/tec...rks-total.html
Do you know how to grease your driveline properly http://spicerparts.com/resources/lube-torque-specs
Have you slid under the truck and inspected to see if any driveshaft weights have fallen off ?
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 ? Maximum of 4 minutes run time . You are only running the engine to check for a vibe
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 off 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 body and frame mounts ? if the body is resting on the frame with no insulator , you are going to feel droning ..Thats for sure .
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 that are incredibly difficult to balance ? 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
As your suspension begins to age , the drive line angle will change creating issues


Want that vibration gone ?
Tome Woods driveshaft
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/single-piece-driveshaft-vibes-be-gone.475797/

 

Harsh shifting ? With only 33k on the odometer , my first guess is the truck was parked for long periods of time .
When trucks are parked , the throttle body corrodes .
Are you up to giving the throttle body a cleaning or at least checking to see if its all gummed up ?
This issue is known to cause driveability issues and a lot of members think its a transmission problem .
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/how-to-throttle-body-cleaning-2005-v6.94203/
can you break this issue down ?
Does the harsh shifting occur when the truck is cold or hot ?
What gears are you feeling the transmission harsh shifting into ?
Is the shift into reverse harsh ?
Any service records come with the truck when you purchased it ?
Are you interested to find out whats been done to your truck while it was on warranty or another owner ?
Type in your VIN # and see what,s been done to your truck at the dealership
http://www.toyota.com/owners/web/pages/home

 

For what it’s worth, my 2015 sr5 doesn’t do that, so I don’t think it’s common. If it’s stock, rule out first that it wasn’t in an accident and fixed improperly and then sold. 33k miles is nothing and nothing should be worn out. It could be as simple as an out of balance tire.

 

Hard shift = tire balance?

 

When you say that you feel the vibration in the seat and it's inconsistent, my first thought is wheel imbalance. This could be from ice or snow, explaining the inconsistencies. Since you don't feel it in the steering wheel, it would be in one or both of the rear wheels.

The hard shifts could simply be caused by low transmission fluid.

Start simple.

 

No.

But...he did say it only does it occasionally. Just about any vehicle can have a hard up or down shift from time to time. Cold temps with a cold tranny can make it worse.

Another thing that can cause it...is the occasional miscommunication between the e-throttle and the tranny. Once in awhile you get that perfect scenario where you're either applying throttle or letting up on it just as the tranny was trying to up or down shift....and clank....you get a bit of s harsh shift.

And finally...the length of our drive trains play a roll. Tranny - output shaft - u joint - drive shaft - at least 1 if not 2 more u joints - rear diff - axles. That's a lot of length and potential slack to deal with. An occasional clunky shift can be magnified by that.

On a side note....my particular rig suffers from zero vibrations. DCSB PreRunner

 

Do you know how to grease your driveline properly: No
Have you slid under the truck and inspected to see if any driveshaft weights have fallen off ? No
Have you checked your carrier bearing: No
Does the truck vibrate in park or neutral and does the vibration change with accelerator pedal ? No
Does the truck vibrate while holding the brakes and hitting the gas - Automatic ?
Does the truck vibrate in neutral at a stand still ?or coasting in neutral ? Coasting in neutral
Does the truck vibrate in 4x4 ? Yes
Does the truck " Only vibrate " from 1st to 2nd gear ? No
Does the truck only vibrate in 2 wheel drive ? No
Does the truck vibrate with the serpentine belt removed ?
Does the truck vibrate cold or hot ? Yes, but the vibe seems to mellow out at the end of my 30 minute drive
Does the truck vibrate if you select neutral and coast to a slow roll without using the brakes ? Yes What happens when you turn the truck off in Neutral at highway speed ?
Does the truck clunk over bumps ? No
Does the truck vibrate as you are braking ? No When was your last brake job ? None on Record
Does the truck vibrate with weight in the truck or empty ? Empty
Does the truck vibrate while upshifting ? Seems to vibrate before, during, and after shifts. Have you checked your trans fluid ? No
Does the truck vibrate while downshifting ? Seems to vibrate before, during, and after shifts. Have you checked your trans fluid ? No
When was your last transmission fluid service ? I dont think it has. It did receive a "4x4 Fluid Service"
Is the vibration caused by your torque converter ? Will check on drive home and report back


Have you looked at the condition of your tires ? Even tread wear with about 8/32"
When was the last time you rotated your tires ? Last record - tires were rotated by dealer about 13,000 miles ago
Have the balance weights fallen off the tires ? Will check and report back if they have

Are you up to giving the throttle body a cleaning or at least checking to see if its all gummed up ? Will check tomorrow
Does the harsh shifting occur when the truck is cold or hot ? More often/apparent when cold, but it did it going into 4th on the highway after 20 minutes of driving
What gears are you feeling the transmission harsh shifting into ? Every gear has done it.
Is the shift into reverse harsh ? No
Any service records come with the truck when you purchased it ? Oil changes, Sparkplugs, "4x4 Fluid Check"


For the record, I'm used to driving old beater 4 cylinders so I have been hoping its just my driving style that needed adjusting and...

...it is only occasionaly (but at least once per 25 mile commute) and I have wanted to believe it may have just been a miscommunication.

 

Frankly...it probably is. Read my sig.

 

If it is doing it regularly enough (every drive), Take it to Toyota and drive with the service tech and show them what is going on and get it documented.

 

It's still under warranty. Get it to the dealer and let them handle it. At least it'll be documented if you have to fight with Toyota later.

 

You said it vibrates before, during, and after shift. Does it continue to vibrate between shifts? You also said it vibrates while accelerating and decelerating. The the frequency of the vibration change with speed?

If so, your hard shifts and vibration are separate issues and I stand by both point in my first post.

 

Subbed. Welcome and Thanks for this post @Ian32688. I have a new to me 2015 AT 4x4 with some minor vibrations I’m trying to track down. Sometimes it feels and sounds like like a manual transmission lugging when it’s at low rpms, under 2k, and under 60 mph.
Thanks too @gearcruncher! Appreciate the guidance!!

 

I get this once every 500-1000 miles. Usually some combination of suddenly getting on the throttle as the truck is shifting up and the trans quickly shifts 2-3-2

 

I had this with my 15 .. purchases at 6k miles. At 25k miles I really noticed the vibe / wobble feeling.

My warranty covered a new drive shaft and U bolts.

They also updated the computer (which I think should have been done on a regular service ) the truck changed gears so much smoother after the update.

And the new drive shaft fixed any vibe I had

 

Wakecoach
do you by any chance know what computer flash they updated your computer to ?
Been looking for this info for a long time. Should be a TSB
Type in your VIN # and see what,s been done to your truck at the dealership
http://www.toyota.com/owners/web/pages/home