Urgg, lifted 2.5" now I have wicked vibes...

2006 4x4 double cab, 120K miles, just put on front 5100's set at 2.5". Did all the work myself by the book. No diff drop was installed.

Had it aligned and I have WICKED vibes between 25 and 40 mph (I didn't even try driving faster than that for fear of blowing something up). I did the test that has been discussed a number of times to diagnose a potential front diff problem -- switched to 4H and, indeed, the instant I switched the vibes disappeared, and the instant I switched back to 2H the vibes re-appeared. I have read a number of posts here that suggest that this is indicative of a blown front diff bearing.

But I called 3 different Toyota stealerships, 4 different 4wheelparts stores, and 1 Les Schwab store that does its own 5100 installs and none of the 10+ different people that I talked to at all these places had ever heard of such a thing. ALL the people I talked to said that they had never received one complaint about vibes developing after lifting a Taco 2.5" -- they've only heard of vibes with 3" or greater lifts. These places have collectively lifted hundres of Tacomas and this was a mystery to everyone.

But there are threads upon threads here about vibes with as little as .85" of lift, so what gives???

As of now, I am planning on disassembling everything and resetting to 0" lift so I have time to reassess the situation. Any thoughts?

 

intrigued on hearing responses. subbed.

 

what do your cv joints look like

 

In terms of condition, the boots are in perfect shape, no noticable play in the joints when I tried to wiggle things around, and no other indication that anything in the CVs was amiss. In terms of angles, they look no worse or better than any other CV angles I've seen pics of here of 2.5" of lift (but then again, why should they look any different).

 

seems you have a 50/50 chance of getting these.i have the same thing,just not that bad.ive got almost 25,000 miles on it since i did the lift(2.5")and no problems.its almost not noticeable anymore.guess im just used to it.

 

Yeah, it's weird to read all the different threads and posts in which about half of the people have vibe and the other half doesn't. It was especially bewildering to hear 3 dealerships, 4 4x4 shops, and one Les Schwab all say that they have never heard a single vibe complaint when I described the problem that I was having. I did not get the impression that any of these places were putting an overly positive spin on things, particularly because they knew that they had nothing to gain from me by making things sound better than they really are. Sounded to me like they honestly had never encountered such problems.

What I should do it call some of the 4x4 shops in Hawaii. After all, there are more lifted Tacomas there than anywhere in the world, probably by a factor of 10! Out there, every 10th vehicle you pass on the road is a Taco, and probably a third of them are lifted.

 

i feal your pain,i was going to put mine back to stock as well because i cant stand shit not being right.but time went by and never did.kids didnt want me to anyways.

 

I'm on post #225 of 538 of that thread over in toyota nation about the front diff vibe issue (still reading posts from 2008, haven't gotten to any recent resolutions yet -- I should be to 2010 after another hour of reading ).

The suspense is killing me.

So far, the only solutions have been 1) a front diff replacement or 2) going back to stock ride height.

The main thing I'm trying to determine is if this is something that causes permanent or catastropic damage to the front driveline, or if it's just an annoyance that can be lived with if one so desires.

Here's the thread for anyone interested in doing a little light reading:
http://www.toyotanation.com/forum/showthread.php?t=220615&page=16

 

look into the carrier bearing drop. that has worked for many people.

 

i have the same vibrations i put in blistein 5100's at 2.5" and also have the vibrations it seems like ti si form 30-45ph

 

1 piece drive shaft for the rear

 

I'm on post #384 of that TN thread...lotttttts of reading

The consensus so far definitely seems to be that the vibes are caused by the front diff bearing being shot at various mileages (some as low miles as 12K), which is exaccerbated (or possibly even caused by) lifting the front end.

EVERYONE who is considering lifting their truck should read this long ass thread first. I'm hoping at this point that the damage is not irreparable if one chooses to go back to stock ride height. The cost of a front diff replacement out of warranty is in the neighborhood of $2K.

 

I'm 99% certain that this is not a rear driveline issue, but rather a front diff issue. I have not done anything to lift the rear yet (not even TSB), and all my vibes are coming from the front...and disappear when the 4H is engaged. So far, everything I have read indicates that this is a shot bearing in the front diff. Seems to be essentially a design flaw of our trucks, unfortunately.

I had really been hoping that our 2nd gen trucks would prove to be as reliable as their predecessors....but I'm worried now that this may not the case with regard to the front driveline of the 4x4's.

 

If it is a shot bearing, putting the shocks to 0 is not going to fix that. Why not invest the $30 is diff drop kit to see if it helps to put the axle angles back a little closer to stock.

 

Because I've read numerous threads that conclude that removing the diff to install the diff drop can cause more harm than good. That, and 05Moose tried a diff drop with his 5100's set at .85" and at first thought it solved his vibes but then later realized that it didn't solve as much as he had thought.

Check out Moose's posts in this thread:
http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/2n...-30-40mph-after-5100s-installed-1-75-a-2.html


Unfortunately, I think the driver's side bearing in the front diff is starting to sound like it's a serious design flaw in our 2nd gens, and it's a problem that seems to be amplified/manifested when these trucks are lifted, even as little as an inch or two.

It's a bummer that the symptoms may not manifest until the warranty is expired. Sounds like a LOT of folks have had their front diffs replaced under warranty because of this vibe issue. At nearly 120K, my warranty is a thing of the distant past. Shittiest news I've heard all week.

 

This is a major bummer. Besides this and the other threads I linked to, is anyone aware of this front diff problem being discussed at length in other threads? I did a search and didn't come up with much.

I'm surprised this hasn't become a recall issue yet.

 

Ok, I have a 2010 DBL cab off road. I installed the OME 886's and the dakar leaf pack. I have a ARB bumper and winch on the front so I needed the 886's I do believe that it rides pretty close to stock but it handles way better. I needed the swaybar relocation (I know I should have just removed it). I drove it for a while without an alignment and I had a minor vibration at around 20-30. Nothing major, I went ahead and ordered the diff drop and it got al little better but did not solve the problem. So, I went to summit racing and got 3* shims from Skyjacker for about $12 and installed them today and bam it is gone. I also greased all the u-joints, seems like Toyota skimped on the grease from the factory. It seemed like I put a ton of grease in each joint.

 

a lot to read but before you go blow tons of money on front diff this and that (which to me makes no sense...the front end is always rotating whether it's in 4wd or 2wd) ANYWAYS...ALL of my vibration issues were because of my tires. i tried this, that, and the other and finally gave up. then i got new tires, and and therefore a new balance and presto - no vibes. i'd try that first before you go tearing the front end apart, worth a shot

 

Which shims? For where?

 

shims for the rear axel, rotate it a bit to compensate for the new angles