At my wits end....(Shake)

Hey guys,
I'm at my wits end trying to find out the source of the shake.
I think I have it narrowed down to the front end. Checked the inner/outer tie rods, they seem to be ok with the exception of one of the inner rods. There is some slack but very minimal. I mean you can feel a little something, but I cannot actually see it. There also may be a slight slippage but not much in the rack an pinion unit, at the bushing on the right side. I went to the shop to have the tires balanced, but no one want's to do it due to the custom rims. The U-joint's also seem to be fine. When I get up the 50 mph, the shake starting in the seat, like a rear end shake, then at 53 it's all in the steering wheel and you don't feel the shake in the seat any longer. I literally cannot drive the taco faster than 50 without the massive vibration in the steering wheel. I have the taco up on jack stands now in my shop and really cannot see what is making it shake so dong much. So other than not being able to get my tires balanced, what else can I look for?

The shake wasn't bad last year, but this year it's almost unbearable.
I only use the taco during hunting season but do try and drive it at least once a month, when I'm not offshore.

Any advice?
Thanks,
Pujo

2000 Tacoma
Regular Cab
4x4 4 banger.

 

Find a place that will balance the tires, better yet find a place that will do a road force balance. Find an empty parking lot, throw it in 4wd and remove the rear driveshaft, see if you can get it to 50ish mph and see if the vibe goes away. If it does, it's the rear making the vibes, if not it's the front.

 

Don't mean to be lame, but what is a road force balance?

I will see if I can remove the drive shaft, but will I loose all my oil?

With the truck up on jack stands, I was unable to get any vibration running the truck up to 70 mph.
So does mean that the issue is not in the rear end? (Forgot to mention that in my first post)

 

Years ago, I bought one of these: I did my own static balancing ( severe offroading would sometimes strip off the balancing weights, or tear off chunks of tread ). I was on 33's and aftermarket steel rims. Worked well. No guarantees it would work on your 'custom' rims.

 

The road force balancing machine applies force like the truck has on it when the tire is on the ground to get a better balance. All Toyota dealers should have a road force balancing machine. What's so special with the wheels that the others won't touch it?

Could also be some worn out bushings or other suspension part. It is a 13 year old truck.

 

Custom rims meaning? Chrome rims? Plenty of shops balence bling bling wheels, find one that does to eliminate that as a problem

 

I don't know what makes these wheels so special.
I have called all the shops in a 30 mile radius, no one has even heard of "Road Force Balancing" I live in a rural area, so I expected that. Not wanting to drive over an hour for a balance, I will just have them done the old fashion way. Not too bad at $50 for a balance. Maybe the guy will see something when he get's it up on the lift. The only shop that said they would do it will not take responsibility for any rim damage. At this point, I really don't care. I just want the shakes to go away!

With the truck up on jack stands, I was unable to get any vibration running the truck up to 70 mph. So does mean that the issue is not in the rear end??
(Forgot to mention that in my first post)

 

Are your wheels hub centric or lug centric? Could be part of it.

And holy shit that sounds sketchy.

 

how about a picture of your wheels

 

Bingo! Could be the problem. You did say it did it when you first got them put on and has gotten worse (last year, maybe?).

 

http://sdrv.ms/1eGqAs0

Ok guys. When I purchased the taco several years ago it was fine.
The wheels came on the taco, I did not purchase them after, the previous owner did. I am guessing that the wheels are lug centric. The wheels are 32x11.5 R15 if that says anything. I was wanting to find some factory rims and put a little narrower tire, but haven't found the wheels yet.

Tried using my skydrive to post a pic, but doesn't seem to work, so I just posted a link.

 

These rims are not worth the effort.
Looks like some regular old paint peeling aluminum rims. Just a little bigger.
There is no bling unless you like the peeling paint......

 

No way those are hub centric. They make a ring that offsets the bore difference. You can try that.

 

Ok, Try what? I have not clue as to what you guys are talking about.
I will assume that you mean the wheels are off center and to reposition them? If so, is there a proper way to do this?

 

Look around here. It's the first site I found. Click on the hub centric rings section and it's got some good info.
https://www.justforwheels.com/index.jsp

 

Do you have your stock wheels and tires? If you do, put them back on and if the shake is still there then you know it isnt your aftermarket wheels and tires.

 

Wish I did, however I do not have any other wheels for the unit.
I'm off to the tire shop for a balancing. Let you know what happens in a bit.
Thanks guys
Pujo

 

Yeah sorry the hub centric rings.

 

Quick trip and back home.
Wheels did not get balanced. The repair guy said that he could not guarantee the balance due to the fact that he could not put weights on the outside of the wheel. It is a steel wheel and most of the chrome was missing. He also said that if I could get some new wheels, he could almost guarantee that a balance would resolve all my problems. Wow, he didn't even drive it. Anyway, I am not on the hunt for some wheels, and looking for recommendations. It's a weekend driver during the hunting season, and I am not spending a mega bucks on wheels.

Any recommendations?
Thanks,
Pujo

 

Check craigslist for stock Tacoma wheels that someone has leftover from 'upgrading' to mediocre aftermarket wheels .

There are lots of them around Sacramento that even come with tires, for around $200. You might have to drive a bit to get them, if you are in a rural area.