Bad Vibes with my Driveline Vibrations

Alrighty, hypochondriac time. 2023 TRD OR, 15k miles. All stock suspension and tires. Out of the blue towards the end of last week i got what i thought was a small harmonic/vibration issue that FEELS like its coming from the drivetrain/rear diff. The truck was smooth and quiet, i mean as smooth and quiet as these trucks are. This week it feels as if its getting worse.

I can hear an audible whirr or hum under load, and under decel with no throttle and no break I can her a rotational whirr sound different from that under load. This is NOT the whine that is so prevalent it has a 319 page forum on here i've listened to those clips and its not a tuning fork whine but a for sure whirr. I get a distinct constant vibration in the gas pedal, the drivers floorboard if i put my foot flat on it (i usually drive like this in tacos), and now the steering wheel. It does not seem to get worse when turning so i don't think its a wheel bearing. Perhaps pinion bearing? Trying to rack my brain on what it could be.

I did go looking for nails in my tires and found one in the drivers front, but it is below the tread block (IE the head is below the rubber) and the tire isn't leaking air at all. Holding 33 psi great. Plus the whirring doesn't sound like tire debris like i've felt before.

This was a CPO truck with 9 miles on it so i'm good on warranty, my friends keep telling me to keep driving it till it breaks and not worry then take it in, but my 21 TRD OR didn't do this, and my dads 19 SR5 doesn't do this. My hypochondria is setting in.

 

That’s a tough one. First thing I would try is the needle bearing vibe test, unless that’s the long thread you mentioned.

to test it, put your truck in 4H and see if it still does it. If it’s not making the noise it’s your needle bearing that’s bad. If it still is, then on to the next possible item. Maybe a wheel or the driveshaft threw a weight but not sure that would cause what you describe.

(Just in case your new to 4WD, avoid sharp/tight turns in 4H)

 

The needle bearing would cause vibes in 2WD? I threw it into 4H and it seemed to work just fine but this was at lower speeds, it gets really bad 60-70mph and between 1100 rpm and 1800 rpm.

Its almost like someone took their girlfriends biggest vibrator, and turned it on and stuck it under the truck. Constant hi rhytem vibes versus something more low speed and rotational.

 

Interesting take on it


But yea the needle bearing can cause issues in 2WD. Now I don’t know about the higher speed vibes. There are plenty posts about it around here.

with it being a newer truck, might be worth a trip to the dealer and take them for a drive to let them handle it under warranty.

 

Take it in to the dealer…why wait?

 

Just scheduled an appointment AND requested a tech ride along. I think my worry was the vibration is so faint that they would come back with the "its normal for these trucks" we always get. It always happens once the diff/driveline warms up so i'll have to hold them hostage for a while haha.

 

Good call…sometimes it’s good to have the issue documented as early as possible so if something happens further down the road they can’t blame owner for misuse etc.. And maybe they can catch something early before it does more damage.

 

Exactly my thought. I'm going to put a a mild lift on it in 3-4 months with new wheels and tires, and i wanted it documented in their system that this happened WELL before the lift so they can't blame it on that like they so love to do. Just wish i knew what it was. Going to rotate the tires and check for missing weights this evening. Worth a shot.

 

If you haven't already checked the ATF fluid level in the automatic transmission, do so.

 

oh they are going to blame it on the lift either way,,, I'd bet dollars to donuts.
Defiantly get anything worked out before making any modifications, or live with it after.

 

Agreed.

Do the front u-joints still have zirks? If so, are you greasing them?

 

When was your last tire rotation? Mine starts to get a small vibe, tire whine, when it gets close to the 5000 mile rotation interval. After rotation, back to smooth driving again. i have a bone stock 22 trd sport with the Firestone tires.

 

Last tire rotation was 5000 miles ago on the stock goodyears at the dealer. I did the oil change myself this past weekend since im out of toyotacare, but haven't had the chance to rotate the tires until tonight.

Also, u joints haven't been greased in at least 5000 miles if the dealer was actually doing them like they are supposed to... so if they HAVE been greasing them under service, they're only 400 or so miles outside the recommended regreasing.

 

Update #1, went ahead and rotated the tires and no change. Really weird vibrations over 45 mph mostly between 1400 and 1900 rpm. Cant tell if im now mandela affecting myself into thinking the AT is shifting weird being weak... who knows.

BUT i did find a nail in one tire and then a screw or drillbit broken off in the other. I don't think this is causing my issue, but i'll be heading to discount tomorrow to have them patch them for me.

 

it would probably be better to take to the dealer than asking random people on the internet

 

100% agree. I've had bad luck with a Gladiator in the past with dealerships and new vehicle warranties so i'm always skeptical, and would like to try and find the problem myself if i can. Was hoping more so the random people on the internet could help me think of something i hadn't yet that could be a cause to my affect.

 

certain problems can be learned here but what you are asking has a 100 different things that it could be.....the dealer will have trouble finding it

 

I have never heard of or experienced a dealer greasing the u-joints. If there is still paint on the top of the zirk, you are operating on the Spicer factory fill, which is not even a full fill, just enough to keep things from corroding internally while sitting on a shelf. The dealer tech likely won't catch this, if this is the problem. I don't even know if dealership have grease guns.

 

2023s should not have greasable u-joints, so that should not be a concern. Non greasable joints come with a specified amount of grease in them and last a very long time that way.

 

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/do-the-2022-trdors-have-zerk-grease-fittings-on-u-joints.787991/

Never mind, you don't have them.