Drive Shaft Vibrations Solved Step-by-Step

33yrsoftoys · Jan 10, 2024

You can try a 1° or 2° shim between the leaf and the axle? I can tell you from experience stopping these things from vibrating can be a crapshoot. I've seen them not vibrate with the angles off and vibrate when the numbers are all right.

elutheros · Jan 10, 2024

I figured that would be the next step. Funny how my 2007 Prerunner never presented any of these problems.

33yrsoftoys · Jan 10, 2024

With everything that you've done, if shimming the axle doesn't work I'd have to revisit the work done on the 3rd member?

33yrsoftoys · Jan 10, 2024

elutheros said: ↑

I figured that would be the next step. Funny how my 2007 Prerunner never presented any of these problems.
Click to expand...

Think of the drive line angles not in absolutes, but more in parameters. A new truck doesn't vibrate, put 1000lbs in the bed which changes the drive line angles (ie) saggs the rear of the truck, and it still doesn't vibrate. That's why I say parameters.

Jmin · Jan 12, 2024

TscotR214[OP] said: ↑

Update: A different method, probably easier and better

Let me start off by saying badger is a frickin’ Rock God from Mars when it comes to this driveline crap. I mean really badger, why let all of us newbies fumble around, you’ve got every answer and every angle covered! A BIG NOD AND THANKS TO BADGER for infinite wisdom. I was digging around another post when I came across some extremely useful information, that I feel was getting buried amongst page after page of responses. I want to quote badger here, so it’s a little more accessible. I didn’t ask badger first, so hopefully this isn’t creating bad forum blood, but again all credit goes to him for the following:

Quoting badger:
“Here are the three possibilities [for fixing this driveshaft shudder sh*t]:
1. (my [badger’s] preferred method and Toyota's method) Align the TC output shaft and pinion shaft to be parallel. On most trucks with well designed lifts they will already be correct. Then drop the CB a small amount until the two driveshafts almost form a straight line (less that 1 degree). This geometry puts the 1st and 3rd joints canceling. Joint 2 is (near) zero. Side effects > none.

2. (Beefy CB drop) Align the TC output shaft and pinion shaft to be parallel. On most trucks with well designed lifts they will already be correct. Then drop the CB until the rear shaft forms a (near) zero operating angle with the pinion shaft. This geometry puts the 1st and 2nd joints canceling. Joint 3 is (near) zero. Side effects: greater operating angle at the TC joint will cause faster wear and may limit high speed operation. DL clearance is reduced.

3. (Spicer diagram) Raise the CB until the first shaft forms a near zero operating angle with the TC output. Adjust the pinion angle to be parallel with the first shaft. This geometry puts joints 2 and 3 canceling. Joint 1 is (near) zero. Side effect: Driveline clearance will be increased. A custom crossmember will be required to relocate the CB. Operating angles at Joints 2 and 3 will be increased causing accelerated wear and possible high speed limitations. This method is commonly used in trucks with long shafts and little lift where the angles are not a concern. Most commercial trucks are set up this way.

Note 1: Joints should never run at a dead zero operating angle. That's why I keep saying "near zero". A joint that operates at zero will not rotate on it's needle bearings and will wear in one spot on each post/cap. The bearing must operate at a slight angle to move lubricant and to wear evenly around the post/cap. Joints can, and should run at a zero relative angle when parallel axis are established.

Note 2: Toyota did not make any mistakes in the design of this drive shaft system. They chose option one for the same reason I chose it. They used a 2 piece shaft to eliminate critical speed instability, and they designed it for the least side effects. My only complaint, or perhaps question, is why they used such a wimpy carrier bearing. I don't know. I think some of the issues stem from that, and I plan to change that on my truck eventually. For mild lifts of 3" or less the geometry can pretty easliy be returned to optimum by understanding the reasoning behind the geometry.

I think that's about all there is to say on the subject.”

End badger’s awesome wisdom quoted.

Turns out my originally posted solution was something along the lines of badger’s Solution #3, in that I had aligned the rear diff pinion darn near (0.1degrees) perfectly in line with the second shaft, then “tuned” the carrier bearing drop. Worked, but I was a little concerned over long term wear, as badger pointed out.

So, I decided to try badger’s Solution #1, along the lines of the OEM Toyota alignment. Step by Step:

1. First, I measured the transfer case pinion angle, and zeroed my digital gauge against that measurement. After getting multiple different readings from trying to use a socket on the u-joint caps (mine have a lock ring over the cap that makes the socket rock), trying to find a flat place on some part of the u-joint yoke that equaled the true pinion angle (couldn’t find any that weren’t a degree or two off) etc, I finally just placed a flat steel bar against the pinion, uh, what’s that part called… plate? See photos #1 and #2.

2. Next, with the gauge at zero (if your gauge doesn’t reset to zero, don’t sweat it, just remember the angle it measured), I slid back to the rear pinion and measured from the same place, that flat, uh, plate, and read that angle. Before I messed with any mechanical changes, I noticed that my readings were damn near exactly 4degreees off of each other (with the transfer case pinion set at zero, the rear diff pinion read 3.9degrees on the gauge). Remember from my first original post I had installed 4degree leaf shims. AHA. I f*cked up! By exactly 4degrees, as it turns out. Upon further reading the other awesome but lengthy post, it was either badger or maxamillion2345 that had mentioned the All-Pro expedition leaf pack didn’t need a shim. Double f*ck. Called All-Pro, sho’ ‘nuff, no shim required, their leaf pack doesn’t significantly change the rear diff angle in any way. Triple f*ck for stupidity on my part. At this point I’m holding Stupid Gun to my Loser forehead….. Whatever. Live and learn, hopefully. Promptly threw the truck on the lift, yanked those shims, and now both pinions read pretty much the same. See photos #3 and #4.

3. Thirdly, now time to mess with my favorite carrier bearing. Promptly when out and purchased an air tool for my socket set, my wrist was getting tired. (I have a hot girlfriend, wrist isn’t used to that much repetitive motion). Anyway, put the digital angle gauge on the rear shaft, set it to zero, and measured the front shaft to see the difference. Following Badger The Great’s advice (is my nose brown enough yet?), I dropped the carrier bearing about, oh, 10mm I think, using the ToyTec spacer I had and that original hardware store washer. Drove it, stuck another washer in, drove it, removed the spacer, drove it, messed with it, etc, until it’s fairly smooth. A bit of vibration at high speed, over 60mph, but right now both driveshafts are to within 0.1 degree of each other, so I have a bit more messing around to get them more like a full degree apart rather than a tenth of a degree, to lube the needle bearings. See photos #5, #6, and #7.

So here’s my point: while my original post worked, on a couple of different vehicles, it appears I was choosing to align the wrong parts, from a longevity standpoint. As badger pointed out, Toyota is not stupid, and it was out of frustration and ignorance that I had bagged on them so heavily. This second method took a total of 45minutes, including some road test time, incredibly easy, productive, and fast. Wish I had done it back in March when I originally lifted my truck……

In reading other posts, there seems to be tons of confusion over the terminology (TC output shaft, TC pinion, TC shaft, first driveshaft out of TC, etc etc), and certainly where and how to measure. I read lots of frustration and confusion amongst the posts. Hopefully this second method, and the enclosed photos, will help.

Click to expand...

I'll be trying method 1 tomorrow. It makes the most sense to me and if it doesn't work, I'm going to pull it outside, and light it on fire with a match. You can probably tell I'm a little frustrated at this point. I've read a ton of posts, made multiple adjustments, axle shims, carrier bearing adjusted 20 times, blah blah blah with no change. I'd love not to have to drop another thousand for a one piece. Every truck that goes by is jacked up a foot on 40's, and they're not having any issues? I've got a wimpy 3 inches and my fillings are falling out.

def1ance · Jan 28, 2024

So I had the vibration at 25 mph after I installed the Westcott Designs TRD Pro collar lift and a 1 inch block in the rear. The truck is a 2023 Tacoma TRD Pro. I did the measuring of the drive shaft, etc. and then tried a carrier bearing drop kit with no success so just decided that I was going to start from scratch with the Icon RXT Leaf Springs in the rear with a 3 degree shim and then see where I landed. I felt like the rear needed to be a bit higher anyway with the Westcott Designs lift. It came out perfect. Here are my angles before and after.

Jmin · Feb 7, 2024

Nothing appears to work at this point. I've made multiple changes, checked the shaft and carrier bearing, everything good. Any changes just change the problem. I have noticed with a rear lift block, there is quite a bit of axle wrap. I'm curious, anyone changed to the one piece shaft and still having issues?

essjay · Feb 7, 2024

IIRC, isn't the entire reason that Tom Woods stopped making the one-piece shaft a result of people attempting to return them because it didn't fix their vibes?

edit: I have to imagine this as being (at least partly) due to people not adjusting or re-adjusting the angle of their axle, right?

Jmin · Feb 8, 2024

33yrsoftoys said: ↑

Think of the drive line angles not in absolutes, but more in parameters. A new truck doesn't vibrate, put 1000lbs in the bed which changes the drive line angles (ie) saggs the rear of the truck, and it still doesn't vibrate. That's why I say parameters.
Click to expand...

Exactly. I can't believe that the shaft angles need to be absolutely perfect. I'm a bit of a dope, and lifted every single 4wd I've ever owned (GM,Ford,Jeep) Ive never had issues like this. Throw a shim in the diff and you're done.

bkrdave36 · Apr 30, 2024

Without going back and reading 60 pages of posts, does anyone know the torque specs for the carrier bearing?

SUMOTNK · Apr 30, 2024

bkrdave36 said: ↑

Without going back and reading 60 pages of posts, does anyone know the torque specs for the carrier bearing?
Click to expand...

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/the-torque-spec-guide.318116/

bkrdave36 · Apr 30, 2024

SUMOTNK said: ↑

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/the-torque-spec-guide.318116/
Click to expand...

Thank you!!

dvom · Mar 3, 2025

Is it known what the 05-14 updated transmission mount that Toyota redesigned in their tsb changes the transfer case angle to approx?

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