OFFICIAL 2nd gen 4x4 front differential bearing vibration thread

I had mine pretty noticeably at the 1.75 on the 5100's so I dropped it down to the .85 till this new bushing comes out.... I still hear it faintly on occasions but the sound and vibes aren't that bad but the fact that I know what is wrong is what urks me lol

 

I just talked with Chase at ECGS. He knows his stuff (not that I know anything) about what's going on with this issue. The bearing replacement sounds like it'll be well worth the wait. As long as I don't have catastrophic failure, I'll wait in line. Chase assured me the diff should be okay. Cool then.

 

Hello everyone. I'm new here, I just finished installing my Bilstein 2.5 inch lift last night and during the install I noticed excessive play in the left axle shaft, after the install I went for a test drive and now have the vibration everyone is talking about.
Before adding the lift the truck was vibration free, I'm looking forward to the release of the ECGS bushing!!!

 

Finally had a dry day so I could try to get a further handle on this noise. I tried the 4wheel high test and the noise I am hearing did not go away also I am pretty sure it is coming from the right front. The noise I hear is more like a tah-tah-tah-tah-tah speeding up and slowing down with me not the urh-urh-urh-urh you all are probaly hearing. I dont thinks it is in the breaks because it is still noticable when i hit the breaks. Also I am not sure if it is a wheel bearing because it is consistant when I turn to the left or right, but I am not sure that is a good indicator. This weekend I should have time to investigate further and will jack it up to see if I can find anything also was thinking about putting the spare tire on just to rule out a tire noise. Have another appointment at the dealership I bought it from with the sales guy who has agreed to drive around with me until he hears it so he can help me with the service manager. Anyway I like to be prepared and know all I can before dealing with these people so if anyone has any thoughts on what this could be please let me know. Also how does one get in touch with toyota corporate to report a problem and get a regional rep to help you out?

 

Spent the last couple hours reading about vibes after lift install (TTORA, ToyotaNation, Google). Well I was kind of mad cause we do not hear anything about Toyota doing anything about this problem. So I just sent an irritable but professional email to Toyota explaining our problem. Hopefully something happens. Maybe everyone should just email Toyota in protest like we are doing for this crap SOPA/PIIA bill.

 

Get a mechanic stethoscope, put the truck on stands on all four corners, turn the engine on and have someone press the accelerator. Using the stethoscope, listen to the diff and wheel bearing locations. When I listened, I could hear the grinding on the left front diff. Pretty clear way to hear for sure where it's coming from.

 

i have same issue with my 11 truck, bring back to dealer and they balance the tires, the vibration still there, they said aligment and issue still not go away, bring it back and the service manager said it was nomal for the truck. I said no it not nomal becacuse it not vibration before, now told me it was my tires. so they replace 4 news tires the issue still there, now they stactic balance but it still there. the vibration only went away when i shift to 4H.

 

S-t-e-t-h-o-s-c-o-p-e

 

Dang, you've got some service folks that like to spend money.

 

And they don't know a thing about vehicles! Who in their right mind would think tires when it doesn't happen in 4wd? Complete incompetence!

 

Are 4Runner/FJ Cruisers/Tundras also having the same issue? I remember reading about a TSP for the Tundras, but seems that it does not fix the problem permanently, if all they do is replace the differential bearing.

 

Tundra's can have the same issue w/o lift and yeah, they get a TSB. I haven't heard as much about FJ's and Runners but I'd imagine they're in the same boat???

 

my dealership did tire balance, alignment, new tires, torque converter, new drive shaft, and finally a new front diff. i dropped the truck off the first time and told them what was wrong. months later after finally fixing it the service manager said "i guess you were right". i can not wait for a permanent fix.

 

There are enough of us that I'd imagine a petition would have to get its somewhere. With all the news about toyota and their reputation on the line...we could definitely get their attention. Anyone know how we can get the petition started? If we got some news coverage that would work wonders! As much as I love my truck...this is a major design flaw that MUST be addressed!

 

I agree about trying to get something done by Toyota in terms of a TSB. The trick is it seems some folks having this problem are lifted and some not. We'd have to get the stats and present the data. Chase has a strong case with the video showing the gear play and design flaw. Lifted or not the diff carrier is poorly designed as he demonstrates. Toyota needs to see this

 

I know how this problem works on the driver side and I know everyone talks about the driver side bearing going bad but does anyone have any idea how the passenger side works/ why its unproblematic or is it?

 

Passenger side connects to an intermediate shaft. Not directly into the diff with a needle bearing like the driver side. More Knowledgeable people, please correct me if I'm wrong

 

Correct. IDK the exact name of the shaft but Chased described as you did. That's why the sound may transmit to the right, like when I heard it with the stethoscope, but it originates from the left bearing.

I'm looking forward to that new bearing cuz my diff is growling louder each day.

 

for everyone in this thread

 

Are you lifted or stock? I think if everyone that posts this problem can let us know, lifted or stock, then we can get out stats going.

Again, this topic should be a poll and sticky. There's bound to be more with this issue.