Thud thunk lunge lurch, stopping started, axle wrap SOLVED.

If your dealer submitted to greasing up this part of the shaft that is supposed to be sealed and non serviceable they technically should have replaced the complete driveshaft assembly.

Pugga, Feel free to pm me if you have any questions. Pretty straight forward. I did not mention placing blocks in front and behind the tires is advised for those with a driveway that has any pitch. Mark the shaft alignment as a time saver so you do not have to blindly find the proper groove for it to slip into. The rear mounting point for the shaft to axle can go on it any orientation but is likely best to be placed in the same way it came out.

 

Would this also cause wander especially giving it gas on the highway, just wondering if limited slip would cause one wheel to push harder and the axlewrap to be uneven causing a situation where it would seem your truck is going out of alignment until you start coasting again and it stabilizes. I will be getting an alignment soon(when I find my key for my lugnuts lol) and was wondering if tightening up the axlewrap issue first would be a good idea. Just seems my truck doesn't track very good and is very sensititive to any kind of change of road uneveness compared to any other vehicle I have owned also likes to wander and give me slight shake on highway.

Anyhow just wondering if the axlewrap is related to dogtracking or alignment issues as well? Thx.

 

Axle wrap is not related to wandering.

An alignment should be your first step. 4 wheel alignment if the truck has been messed with by shadetree mechanic or altered from stock a great deal.

Larger tires cause wandering as well, so if you have wide tires you will see the vehicle follow ruts/grooved roads.

 

New suspension, new rear Dakar leafs....

And it still has the "thunk"
What to do? Toyota has had it 3 times and still no fix. I am a dealer as well but not for Toyota... Suggestions? Thx!

 

Grease the slip yoke yourself it takes a half hour to do the work. Use the proper grease so it lasts. If it does take care of the problem but comes back then you it could be a bad drive shaft slip yoke. There is a coating on the splines, this coating can wear away.

A quality shaft has a nice hard chrome plating for long lasting wear but this is seldom found on a factory shaft.

I am surprised the dealer is just not blaming it on your suspension mods and telling you to get lost, or you are paying out of pocket.

Checking your driveline angles might be a worth the time since you are modded. You will need a angle finder and take your time reading up on the subject to know where and what to measure and how to adjust.

Tacomas are pretty bad with piss poor out of spec driveline angle right from the factory. The is why there is a TSB for the trans mount to resolve the driveline angle.

 

This is true. And the DYNAMIC changes to the driveline scare the shit out of me after watching a few GoPro videos. I'm not surprised people break these things all the time after watching things torque all out of position in every direction when the drivetrain keys up.

That's why I went with the trac bar. Can't recommend it enough. The slip yokes in these stock shafts are shit.

 

Subbed for reference because I love my truck

 

What's everyone using for grease? I used mobile 1 synthetic on the slip joint, (came in a little tub kind of like a Vaseline jar) and had some small vibes left over after doing this, but it definitely solved my clunk. I went to auto zone and bought a grease gun for $20 iirc and some mobile 1 synthetic grease for that as well. Took 2 seconds to put the gun together and load up the tube of grease in it, then I greased the shit out of my u joint zerks right in the parking lot. Truck drives smoother now with next to no vibes than it did when I bought it bone stock in January mobile 1 has worked well so far, but just curious as to what everyone is using as I'm always up to get something that works better!

 

Which metal band clamp do you remove? The one closest to the hanger bearing or the one closest to the rear diff? I know you can just remove both, but I'm lazy and want to take the easiest route possible.

 

since you will probably not be able to get it off without rendering it unusable, just take both off, and use zip ties... worked for me.

 

Take your time and you can reuse the clamp and place it back so it looks stock. I did it with no problem.

Gently pry the tab from the notch and it will come off, then open up the part they crimp so there it is easy to put back on and then use a tool of choice to tighten back up the part you opened up. I used a pair of end nippers.

You can use a zip tie as stated or band clamp of choice.

It has been a little while now but I took off the clamp towards the front of the truck from what I remember.

If I get time I will try to snap a pic.

 

The bad part is I didn't mod til recently. It was already making the thump and getting worse by the day. I had read that with new leaf springs it may help and I was going to do it anyway. So they greased it, it was great for a month then came back with a vengeance..... Now what? Lol

 

Grease the slip yoke yourself it takes a half hour to do the work. Use the proper grease so it lasts. If it does take care of the problem but comes back then you it could be a bad drive shaft slip yoke. There is a coating on the splines, this coating can wear away. I am not sure how well they greased it or what they even greased so do it yourself to verify.

A quality shaft has a nice hard chrome plating for long lasting wear but this is seldom found on a factory shaft.

I am surprised the dealer is just not blaming it on your suspension mods and telling you to get lost, or you are paying out of pocket.

Checking your driveline angles might be a worth the time since you are modded. You will need a angle finder and take your time reading up on the subject to know where and what to measure and how to adjust.

Tacomas are pretty bad with piss poor out of spec driveline angle right from the factory. The is why there is a TSB for the trans mount to resolve the driveline angle.

 

x2, they may not have used enough grease, or not synthetic grease. i dont think you can really use too much.. also grab a grease gun and do your u-joints while youre at it.

 

Also do not trust dealers they are not here for us, they are there to be profitable. I know you stated you are from a dealer as well and some are still good but the majority leave something to be desired. Even if they are a good dealer they could have a crap tech.

 

Subbed.

 

x2, best way is to just do it yourself, as much of a pain in the ass as it is

 

thats why I love TW!

Thanks guys!

 

update:

new shims... tried every angle. nothing

traction bar will be here tomorrow

 

FINALLY FIXED!

Pro Comp traction bar was fruitless and it was a POS I never even bothered putting on my truck. Final solution was a custom made aluminum one piece drive shaft. PERFECT! No shudder, no vibrations, no lurch from the yolk, no axle wrap..... its perfect! Thought I would let everyone know.