Engine vibration..

I have a vibration im dealing with.. yes, another one.. That seemed to be engine related. Its purely rpm related. Anything above 2800 rpms. comes in real strong at 3000, then kinda fades from 33-3700.. then comes back in real strong again from there up.. Is noticeable just revving the engine, but is worse when under slight load or just holding the rpm/speed. Felt very stong on deceleration too through those rep ranges. all gears, all speeds for that rpms range.. Felt and heard.. feels as if something is spinning unbalanced. noticed with the belt off too.. but didn't drive it, just revving in the garage. There is almost a slight pause in it some when im kinda just feathering the throttle off and on holding the same speed, like it goes away just for a second ever so slightly. Also, doesn't seem like its quite as bad if im at full throttle going through the range. Also noticed when it shifts gears, say you are running 4200 and it shifts, as the rpms sweep down youll feel it where it kicks in the worst. If im hoverin at 3200 with vibration, and shift gears and it drops to 2500 or so,, its smooth. Anybody have a clue where I should be looking? Im tending to something in the torque converter.. I also feel like I have shutter when its locked up at 2000 rpms too. but this is worse than that vibe.

 

You have a buddy that can rev while you watch?

I'd start by checking the engine mounts... Could be a host of things.

 

I’ve replaced the balancer twice btw. Once with a dorman from rock auto and again with Toyota. Could motor mounts on a 2011 with 80k really be bad already?

 

Check the mounts anyway while someone revs the engine,while you underneath the truck look around,you might just see the problem

 

Also check the transmission mount.

 

already replaced

 

Hey Lthompson, have you had any luck dealing with the 1800k steering wheel wobble? I bought a 2011 TRDOR about 2 months ago and starting noticing it too. Only has 53k so we're in the same boat. I've gone to several shops and they all describe the problem as too vague to try and fix unless I was jut going to throw money at it. It seems to be a problem most common in 2010-2011s that a lot of people took care of in the warranty. Have you done any mods to your truck? As it seems like a harmonic resonance issue I was wondering if swapping out parts might change how vibes run through the vehicle. Was thinking stiffer springs or maybe a solid driveshaft with a CV. Seems like a lot of people are able to tweak what they feel if not get rid of it. Let me know if you find anything that works, I think there are a lot of us in the same boat here.

 

"Just a thought....

On top of my other ideas I've presented, I do have one more.
The cause of the vibration is the engine. This would be a harmonic of the engine plus the drivetrain at the specific engine load and gear. This would explain why the vibration goes away when the throttle is released. This would also would explain why the vibration goes away when the transmission is shifted into 4th.

I guess the true test of this will be after OP has his transmission replaced.

Just a FYI, you guys with aggressive off-road tires probably won't feel it. The vibration would probably be masked by the noise and vibration introduced by the tires.

Anyone the has some technical knowledge about resonant frequencies should understand where I'm getting this idea from."

-A7X Taco

From one of the old threads. This seems pretty reasonable to me, as no one diagnostic technique seems to find out what this is. My vibe seems much more mild than yours, only in the steering wheel and only in 5th, with only a slight audible cue (noticeable, but only if you look for it.) Also it speeds up linearly with vehicle speed from 60-75ish, where it doesn't go away, just drowning out into normal background hum. Once again why I think changing a driveline component might smooth some of them out, even if they don't go away.

And as it seems to be less common after the 2012 refresh, you might want to look into any design changes between the model years that may have been toyota quietly cleaning up this mess...

 

I haven't found anything. Recently did a trans flush. Didn't help. Still don't know what the 3k vibration is. Its all very very annoying. Very easily noticed. and nobody has a friggin clue. next thing to try is adjusting the lockup solenoid. But I gotta get the time and parts.

 

Yeah this has been keeping me up At night. Got my truck 2 months ago and have been reeling over spending 24k (SF Bay Area prices) for a low mileage truck with issues. I might try to f-around with some aftermarket mods as fixes as it seems like you and others haven’t had any luck with a mechanical fix. I’ll be listening if you try anything and share if I find something.

 

I think we went down this road in the past and I lost track of where you were with diagnostics . Are you still trying to figure this out ? Its been 6 months to a year ? if you rev the engine in park or neutral up to 3000 rpm and get vibes , its not a transmission problem .
Shall we try and nail down the problem now becuase I have a 'clue 'as to where you can focus your attention ?
Have you load tested your engine in the driveway ?
The truck is a 2011 ,,,Have you replaced your spark plugs ?
If the engine is vibrating in park and you beleive your torque converter is out of balance , you can unbolt the converter and start the truck to eliminate everything behind the engine . Unbolt the converter and push it towards the transmission pump enough to clear it from touching the flywheel . Once the converter is away from the flywheel , start the engine and feel for vibrations . I Cant remember if there are balance weights on your flywheel but thats another area to look at as well
If you still feel a vibration , you can eliminate the lock up solenoid and the converter saving you thousands of dollars on wasted parts .
With the money you save on the new torque converter and lock up solenoid , you can have a tech put your truck on a lab scope and test primary and secondary ignition , fuel trim and oxygen sensor data .

I have removed converter bolts many times in the past testing for an unbalanced torque converter or lining coming apart on the converter clutch .
Most shops try and avoid this as its a little labor intensive , however , in a case such as yours , it may be worthwhile
These trucks are mass produced . Anything can and will happen

EDIT : I will add to this . You may have to spray a crap load of penetrating fluid at the pilot hub on the converter to get the converter free enough to move back away from the center of the crankshaft , Broken pilot hubs are also common

 

If you unbolt the torque converter and try this, mark it first. When you bolt it back up, bolt it up clocked differently than it was. See if that helps. Maybe you have some out of balance 'stack up'.

 

Yes there are multiple posts on this. And ive had private discussions with you too. Ive just been kinda "dealing" with it for now. Ive thought to myself "if there was only a way I could isolate the engine from the converter and trans... But wasn't aware it was possible. Heres my question.. How do you even get to the bolts? that tiny little slot with the black plastic cover that snaps in? I have no wrench of any kind that can get in there and get to the bolt heads... Maybe an offset wrench could work? I absolutely do not understand it. Ive only messed with taking my nv3500 5 speed trans in and out of my chevy, and typical th4350 and 400 stuff in my older vehicles. and when it comes to the lab tech stuff.. man, I cant seem to find anyone around here who knows specific things about Toyota stuff. Half the time I know more than they do.. its quite annoying. Last place I went had no clue.. also couldn't diagnose my bad wheelbearing that I ended up fixing myself.

 

Fairly certain that if you pop the starter away from the transmission , you will have all the room you need to remove the bolts .
If you can do a NV 3500 in a chevy , popping the converter bolts out should be a walk in the park for you

 

actually got pretty good at getting that thing in and out. haha. So, you sayin I can kinda move the starter to get to the bolts, unbolt the converter from the flywheel,, with trans all still bolted up.. Slide the converter back slightly to clear everything. Bolt the starter back in place.. and start it up and check for vibes..? sorry I haven't actually looked at it much in a while

 

You can finagle the starter out the way enough to get to the bolts. Make sure you rotate it the right way when doing so! It is a PITA! Pretty sure you going to have to back the transmission out some, tourq converter doesn't move back n forth much. I just went check one I got in the shop. Bell housing bolts are a PITA.

This will not be a quick job. Especially if you have never done it before.

 

Thanks for the pic
jboudreaux1965

Worth 1000 words

 

well that sucks. So do I have to pretty much take everything loose then? what about interior? shift linkage? hoses? I was under the impression I would be able to do this without basically taking the transmission out.

 

Remove the converter bolts and push the converter back . It will spin free so you can start the truck and test for vibrations

 

Ill attempt in the near future.. and let you know. Thanks