Mysterious front end rattling & vibration - baffles a dozen mechanics

I think the carrier bearing only lasted 15 months because the U-joints were shot and the driveshaft was unbalanced. I imagine that caused the carrier bearing to take a heavy load of constant abuse.

 

Sounds like a learning experience and a bit of a lesson, vehicle condition does matter IRT reliability and cost of ownership and a poor mechanic can be expensive.

 

I held the steering rod while ever so gently turning the steering wheel back and forth as shown here by Timmy I can feel that there is play between the wheel and the rod. It seems to be the same play that I notice while driving. So it seems that it is caused either by the tilt ball or the collapsible telescopic joint. Both of which seem pretty easy to repair without purchasing new parts!

Here is a little video that I took from underneath showing the rod spinning back and forth as it exits the firewall. I don't see any wobble and it looks centered to me.

 

Definitely seems caput. While you're there you'll definitely want to replace that boot around the steering shaft. If it isn't all crunchy it's not hard to do. When you go back together cover all the splines in grease so they don't seize back together.

 

I got sway bar bushings at O'Reilly's (don't remember the brand), end links at NAPA, and asked the mechanic to rebuild it with those parts.

So true about the front differential and CV axles. PreRunner is the off-road package minus the 4x4 detail.

Tires are 10 months old and were rotated 5 months ago. I don't suspect any cupping. I wouldn't call the vibration "serious" per se, as in pound pound pound, more like tap tap tap. So HOPEFULLY not the bearings. But I certainly can't rule that out quite yet.

 

is your braking noticeably affected at all?
my brakes were all wonky and so i went into a brakesPlus shop for inspection
told me the rear drums had a high mark and turned them... and also stole some SH!T out of my truck and threw in the trash that they obviously denied
another few hundred miles and the braking culprit was found at the dealership
but now IDk if a blown bearing would have the similar results on a front wheel with no CV axle through the eyelit or not
how the heck did brakesPlus miss this!?

perhaps disconnect the links and see if the vibe goes away to rule out junk parts?

 

Braking functions very well. I have had zero issues with brakes. Interesting connection here though:

The shop that swapped out my shocks also adjusted my brakes. They did a complimentary inspection and called me while my truck was on the rack. They said the brakes needed adjustment, I don't remember the exact conversation from back in December, but I said ya go ahead and make the adjustments. I've had the vibration ever since.

 

Shocks were all replaced, brakes were inspected & adjusted, and brake fluid was flushed (pm) on December 28th.

This was the pivotal moment when the vibrations began.

 

I've checked Longotoyota.com, RockAuto.com, eBay, and Amazon. I can't find that boot around the steering shaft. I think we are talking about #22 in this diagram, correct?

 

Yes.

 

do you have any pics of that ziebart application
i am quite curious to see what that looks like under there!

 

Pretty boring stuff to look at, but I took a few random pics. You can see some tiny chips here and there because it's been over two years. Ziebart guarantees no rust as long as you go back every year to get the coating touched up. In St Louis 2 yrs ago the price was $400 for the full treatment and $150 for each maintenance treatment, but you only qualify for the lower price if you come every year. The coating I would describe as somewhere between tar and black rustoleum paint. It took at least 12 months for it to cure hard. I remember working on the driveshaft 6 months after the coating was applied and I got quite messy. Note: They don't coat your exhaust or drive shaft.

And, now I realize that this rust preventative treatment really shouldn't have been on the list at. This is clearly not a repair expense.

 

LongoToyota.com provided that parts breakout showing the boot as part 22.

The official Toyota part number is 45292-35090

 

@ControlCar @tacoman2001$ I worked on my steering shaft and now the truck handles much better. Here's what I did:

1. Put a piece of yogurt lid into the "tilt ball". Very noticeable improvement.
   
2. Replaced the shaft dust seal (aka boot). Since this has no structure whatsoever, I assume this is mostly to protect the pivot gears from getting dirty.
3. Tightened the rag joint! It was just resting on the rack, held in place by gravity. The bolt was still there and keeping it from bouncing off entirely, but not from bouncing up and down 1/4 inch.
4. Regreased the tilt-ball and pivot joints and added anti-seize to the splines.

The telescoping safety joint is loose and still needs to be addressed. I made this short video demonstrating the looseness of the shaft. There is not much to see - the sound is the most telling aspect.

I hesitate to weld it or use a bolt because I'm not keen on voiding this safety feature. I like the idea of my steering column giving way in a collision scenario. Just like inserting a yogurt lid into the tilt ball worked so well, there's got to be a way to tighten the telescope without using a welder. I understand that welding and bolts are permanent fixes, but this is an EASY access location, even for me. I am willing to experiment, and I am willing to re-tighten this joint every few years if needed. Ideas?

 

The idea with the weld is that you just use a little tac weld that would still give way in the case of a front end collision. I did that with mine, and the steering feel was so much better afterwards

 

I have experienced most of what you going through so hopefully I can help.

Steering play:
Easy check, start truck and kneel down with the door open so you can see the steering rack, turn steering wheel back n forth. Is there play in the rack to frame? If so it's either shot bushings and or loose bolts.

Rattle / clank in "front end" :
I was pulling my hair out recently trying to chase down a noise that I thought was coming from my front end and replaced several parts before discovering the actual source...Bad front leaf spring bushings. When you hit bumps with your front wheels it will still transmit force to your rear end when it pushes upward. Since the clank is transmitting through the trucks frame it can be very misleading as to the source it's coming from. Jack up the rear end put it on jack stands till you can pull out that bolts and inspect the bushings. They wear out surprisingly quick so if yours are older they will likely be shot. I'd highly recommend replacing with poly. Be sure to lube the hell out of poly bushings so they don't squeak they will love you long time.

Vibes:
Stock Taco and 4runner wheels (at least the early ones ) are lug centric and will never be properly balanced unless you use a shop that has the right equipment to spin the wheels by the lugs not the center of the wheels. There is an adapter if memory serves called "Haweka" that will properly hold the wheel by the lugs. I was going out of my mind chasing a shimy vibration in my old 4 runner till I found this info waaay down the rabbit hole.

Good luck!

 

Have you replaced the radiator support bushings?

 

Sounds like you're already on it, but I would reinforce that you inspect that coating cautiously every year. I'm a coatings formulator, I also work with a WoolWax guy and once you have any kind of crack in these coatings (it will happen over time as the polymer ages), they will allow water intrusion and trap salt/water/grime behind the coating. Your truck will rust from the inside out and you won't notice until the coating fails.

 

From what you are saying, it's better not to have a coating than to get a coating and not maintain it. Am I interpreting that correctly?

 

I never knew there was such a thing. So, no, I have not replaced the radiator support bushings. Sounds like you are suggesting that noises could be emanating from these things. Good to know. I will keep this in mind. This week I will be replacing the lower control arm bushings. If the noise persists, now I have another place to look. Thanks. : )