OFFICIAL 2nd gen 4x4 front differential bearing vibration thread

Ha ha. But Moose is right. There is an extremely good chance of you developing one or more of these 'Tacoma' problems, but as you can see, there is a fix for most if not all at this point. You'll just have to factor in the extra coin and work to smooth things out. The good news is that most of the leg work has already been done! JUST LIFT IT!

 

OK, let me try to be a little more helpful.

The best explanation for why some have this particular front differential vibration is "insufficiently close manufacturing tolerances." Chase explains it much better than I can in this video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x4qw5GtfoRc&feature=share

What will Toyota do on the Baja Edition trucks? Two things:

1. Limit the "Baja Edition" lift to a "moderate" height lift of less than two inches in the front, so the CV axle change won't be quite as extreme (and as importantly, so the truck can still be brought to factory alignment specs) and

2. Hope for the best. It's a limited edition run. They can't afford to make fundamental changes in their manufacturing process. If a few folks end up with differential vibrations, they'll replace the entire differential under warranty.

 

hey guys I know there's always problems...I mean I already have a list of TSB fixes (before TW I didn't even know what a TSB was) and I'm a lot more informed about upgrading my suspension...I guess I was just crying about it haha, MY BAD!

 

Ordered last night just got an email shipped today you guys are great.

 

I have a 2004 1st Gen with this problem that started about 6 months ago. Too bad there is not a 7.5" fix. Mine has about 7k miles since the problem started. All the symptoms are exactly the same.

 

Hey Chase, I have a question. If these are being made in limited quantities (bushing, removal tool, etc), what happens when they're all sold out? The reason I ask is because I just replaced my needle roller bearing in August of last year and was going to wait until the vibe returned before installing the bushing. But if you sell out, will you be making more after that? Don't know whether I need to purchase this stuff now even though I'm not going to install it until later (maybe a year later). I'm waiting to see if my vibes ever return. But if they do, I don't want to have missed out on getting a bushing.

 

x2. The price is high but this is exactly why.

Chase called today and I ordered the bushing and tool and already received my new axle from CVJ.

 

How many miles since first experiencing the vibration/noise? I'm crossing my fingers that my axle is fine. It's only been 500 miles since my vibration became noticeable.

 

I noticed my vibe as soon as I lifted my truck a month ago. I figured I didn't' want to risk taking everything apart to install the bushing just to realize I need a new axle and not have one, so I bought that too. My truck has 80,000 miles

 

These will always be available and we will make plenty of them so there is no need to be worried about them going out of stock.

 

Chase,

I purchased a CV axle from the CVJ folks to go along with the bushing I ordered from you. I understand that it was unnessecary to clean the spray paint off of the bearing surfaces with the needle bearing. Do you recommend cleaning the paint off of it when installing it with the bushing?

Thanks for all the work,

Kevin

 

yes if there is paint on the bearing surface it should be cleaned off so that it is a nice polished surface. Thanks, Chase

 

Nice!! I get mine Thursday.. Will be Saturday or Sunday when I put mine on. Just in time too, its starting to get worse and at different speeds 30 to 50 mph now.

 

I was just looking through this thread (http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/2n...axle-replace-front-wheel-bearing-2nd-gen.html) to get an idea of the steps involved in attempting to remove the axle to replace the needle bearing with the ECGS bushing.

The thread shows the removal of the passenger side axle and shows nice up close pictures of the passenger side bearing as well as the drive shaft.





From the FSM it looks as though the passenger side diff bearing is your standard ball bearing with the internal steel race where the driveshaft would be in contact with.

Just wondering if instead of the PTFE bronze sintered bushing, one could use a steel bushing instead. Much like the passenger side internal bearing race. I believe those too are sintered races (steel) polished to precise tolerances during manufacturing. The passenger side looks to be doing very well in terms of wear.

During the development of the ECGS bushing, were there any thoughts about using the same material the passenger side bearing is made of? Also looking at the tolerances between the passenger side bearing and driveshaft to try and duplicate this on the drivers side.

 

The short answer is NO. Steel bushing would burn pretty quickly because in 2wd mode CV rotates and carrier is pretty much stopped. thats why needle bearing is involved.
Luckily for me my setup is as tight as ..... .... and if gives any trouble I will rebuild carrier and get new needle bearing.

 

I believe you're missing the part where the passenger side driveshaft does not use a needle bearing. The passenger drive shaft is installed into what looks like a ball bearing inner race (steel).

Reference pages DF-17 and DF-18

The passenger side inserts into what is labeled as the

Page DF-17:
FRONT DIFFERENTIAL SIDE
GEAR SHAFT RH BEARING​

whereas the drivers side is supported by:

Page DF-18:
DIFFERENTIAL SIDE GEAR
NEEDLE ROLLER BEARING​

The driver and passenger driveshafts both rotate at all times and the passenger side has no problems with the inner race burining up. Making a steel bushing to mimic this inner race that is part of the the "FRONT DIFFERENTIAL SIDE GEAR SHAFT RH BEARING" passenger side shouldn't be any different.

It's worth noting that whatever material ECGS did use, this method of holding a tighter tolerance onto the driveshaft and lengthening the bushing seems to be working on the passenger side just fine. I'm simply trying to bring up the question of longevity and discuss whether steel would have been a possible option as it is on the passenger side.

 

The passenger side tube runs a ball bearing to support the shaft the steel your looking at is the inside of the ball bearing. On the pass side of the actual diff is another Needle bearing same part # as d-side with a small stub shaft. This stub shaft never spins unless in 4wd and sees no side load as it is engaged by a collar and there is no weight on it. A ball bearing on the D-side is not possible as there is only room for a needle bearing or low profile bushing. The only way to run a ball bearing is to totally change design of differential. You could make an extension housing that bolted on D-side to house ball bearing and extend spline area of shaft likely weakening shaft. Running a straight steel sleeve would not be advisable as it would have to have a ton of clearance with oil galleys or it would seize the shaft. The extra clearance would add for even more vibration

I did have one more idea for fixing the issue however the cost for the fix would likely be $500 or more..... It may be a design change that could be implemented straight from the factory so that the cost could be brought down by producing a large qty.

Thanks, Chase

 

Well vibration seems to be gone...now if only I could figure out the clunking sound.

 

ECGS,

Does this needle roller bearing press in depth apply to your bushing? I noticed there was no mention of it in you install video. You pressed it in, and that was that. My question is, when do we know when the bushing is pressed to the right depth?

Thanks.

 

Can anyone else answer the answer the above question?

I plan on doing this this evening. Thanks.