The rattle mystery....

Well, I know it's late and I haven't been very active lately as life is getting in the way, but I know for 100% that I need a new diff. When I put another Diff in and test if the sound is gone I will mark it officially as solved. Until then, I will say that it is very strong speculation. I would say that I am 90% sure this will solve the rattle BUT you never know...will update.

 

UPDATE:

SOLVED

Bad double cardan CV joint IN the driveshaft. (driveshaft failed again essentially after 1.5 yrs).

Bad double cardan joint in the driveshaft can cause a rattle sound reminiscent of a loose heat shield coming from the actual driveshaft.

GREASE YOU DOUBLE CARDAN SHAFT EVERY OIL CHANGE.

 

Update 2:

Rattle came back. 2-3 months later. Getting worse week over week. Need to take it back to the driveline shop. I need to figure out WTF keeps eating my DC joint.

I told them I want them to instead of just replacing the part (which is a lot of labor and not cheap for them) I would like for them to take the truck and actually measure the angles and make sure nothing strange is going on.

The Double Cardan joint is there IF the angle is wrong between the axle and trans hence why it was installed from the factory. I only have a 1.5" lift and that is by adding a leaf and the driveline guy said it shouldn't have any effect.

Well, regardless will update once I take it to them to measure everything out.

 

Any updates I have the same .....but cant pinpoint had the dealer say need new Shaft down the line, had another shop say it was e cable......, I have the money to get the shaft fixed but.....dont wana throw money at it, PLEASE UPDATE AMIGO

 

For me it is the Driveshaft. The double Cardan joint inside is failing and the needle bearings inside were vibrating and resonating through the driveshaft with engine rpm. I have had it rebuilt twice and it came back over time. Essentially what is happening is my leaf springs are bad which is causing excess axle wrap which in turn makes the driveshaft double cardan joint to fail.

Try to grease the double cardan joint itself. It is the grease fitting hidden in the joint. If the noise gets quieter or goes away it is most likely that. Then again if it does not go away it doesn't mean it isnt the culprit. mine was so gone that grease did nothing for the noise.

 

I boldened that line because it is so often overlooked but super important. Folks that don't DIY definitely will need to grease this actual double cardan joint itself like you say as most shops don't even grease the u joints,.unless you specifically ask. U joints are important too but at least a u joint can be replaced a lot easier than the double cardan joint.
GREASE THE DOUBLE CARDAN JOINT EVERY OIL CHANGE.

 

Yup. You can't just replace it either. You have to take it to a specialty driveline shop that can undo the factory crimps and can source the parts. I ended up just having them weld on a Spicer double cardan unit that has ujoints that aren't crimped in and parts are easy to source. Toyota doesn't sell the ujoints only the entire shaft.

 

That's likely how I would address that problem as well if my DC joint shat the bed.

 

First off thanks for the reply bro, so youre saying the problem will keep coming unless you get new leafs? I believe Ive gotten it lubed, but the noise persists.....when I took it to a mechanic he said it was the ebrake cable and he adjusted it a little and the noise is less, but said it was a 500$ fix and told me to live with it, I just don’t want to throw money at it w/o knowing whats the real culprit/s

 

my weird vibe only popped up last summer
it happens through every gear at approx 2.1k RPM for a bit then stops, i rarely go over 3k RPM unless in 5th so not sure if it resonates up there at all
during the summer it would vibrate the whole truck (sounded like coming from behind the dash on passenger side) only after having run the A/C on the freeway and then turn off A/C when exited freeway into stop and go traffic
if there was a day i did not need to run the A/C then there was no noticeable noise, at least none as strong like with the A/C operation
is this what is going on with your truck?

 

damn, sounds like you bot yourself a lemon

 

For me, yes. But I am pretty sure mine is more of an isolated incident. Dont think Ive see anyone else go through 3 driveshafts in 2 years XD

 

How long can one drive with a drive shaft that makes that noise? Because I get no vibrations when I’m driving it

 

you finally pinpointed it to the double cardan joint and the lack of routine lubrication?

 

Mine made no vibrations just rattle. IDK for how long. I do know if you do drive it long enough it will ruin part of the shaft and they have to cut it off and weld a new one on. Not cheap.

 

1) lack of routine lubrication
2) bad leaf springs causing bad angle for shaft

 

i would not know how to determine if my leaf springs are 'bad'
i push down on the bed several times and it pops back firm no bounce on original shocks

 

Mine does too but they are either weak or cracked because I get pretty significant axle wrap. Got a new gopro mount coming in the mail this weekend and I will put it under the truck and post.

 

it's easier for the auto crowd as the axle stays pre-loaded but for manual you can try holding the brake and let the clutch start to engage then let off the brake and see if it "lurches" forward. otherwise maybe someone else has a test?

 

my truck is subject to extreme cold at times, it was near 0 degrees F for the past week
for a number of years it does seem to lurch forward in the morning while in neutral before it warms to operating temp
clutch in to start, parking brake on in neutral so it doesn't roll, let the clutch out while still in neutral to get out and scrape ice, remove snow etc.
not really sure whats going on or if its a problem that's been getting worse?