Need any help and advice I can get

Done some searching on multiple forums for the problem I am having but my situation seems slightly different so any help yall can give id greatly appreciate. My truck is a 2017 Tacoma trd offroad, 114,000 miles, with 2.5 inch lift, and 33's. Im having a problem with an aggresive shaking from mainly 20-30 mph. Shaking can be felt throughout the entire vehicle and appears more under load, in the low rev range, and when warm. The problem is not the needle bearing or wheel balance like many might think, both places i have taken it to have recommended a transmission swap but i just want to make sure that is the wright move. Trans fluid seems to be "burnt" so wondering if just swapping fluid would help. Thanks for any help im in a pinch here and would appreciate any knowledge.

 

Torque converter Shudder possibly I think I have also heard the VVT solenoid possibly causing something like this. I am sure someone with more knowledge will chime in.

 

Here is a thread that talks about a similar situation on a 2nd gen

2nd generation transmission shudder | Page 4 | Tacoma World

 

i assume its on different roads and not the same route?

 

@gearcruncher

Any basic diagnostic advice here?

@Ctrej0 how do you know the trans fluid is burnt? With no dipstick you have to put some effort into getting a fluid sample.......

 

@Clearwater Bill, in the shop rn and they got a sample of my fluid for me and let me check it out.

 

@TXTaco211 isn't torque converter a light non aggressive vibration? My problem is an aggressive shake didn’t think they was the same thing. Thx for advice I’ll check out that forum

 

Driveshaft spacer?

 

Welcome to TW.

 

Update, mechanic trying to tell me that metal flakes in fluid means the trans is shot and they changing fluid might cause it to seize??? I was under the understanding that metal shaving was expected with normal wear and don’t see how that would cause it to seize.

 

The trans fluid

 

Does it do it in all gears? Only on 5th or 6th?

 

If you took the truck to a couple different reputable transmission shops and they both gave you the same information that the trans needs internal work , I would go with what they are saying . Those guys do this stuff every day
If you drop the transmission pan and find metal flakes inside , its usually a sign that something in your transmission is coming apart .
I would never tell a customer the transmission is shot . Shot means beyond repair
I will tell a customer that the transmission has to come out and all apart to see what component is starting to fail .
There are 1,700 moving parts in the average overdrive transmission . Its a tough call trying to isolate and identify what component is failing from the outside of the transmission .
Seldom have I seen an automatic transmission seize . They have to get very hot for that to happen
I have seen automatic transmissions leave many people stranded mind you .
Did the shop take the pan off ?

 

@faawrenchbndr its actually not even noticable in the higher gears and more in the 20-30 mph range

 

I wonder if it is the torque converter starting to lock up. Had that happen in a Ford Ranger awhile back. It would actually shut off if not, manually, shifted into low when coming to a stop. It was actually a fairly easy fix.

 

There you go again! Thinking and actually providing some real fact-based information. How can I rant against the world when you throw that in my face!

I actually really appreciate your posts. They are well thought out and provide a lot of perspective.

 

Does it do it when left in 1-4?
Keeping it out of fifth or sixth will rule out the overdrive. Does it do it when accelerating or when driving it a constant speed of 20 to 30?

 

On second gen Tacomas, the driveshaft center support bearing could wear out, causing speed-related vibrations regardless of gear the truck is in. I’ve replaced the driveshaft center support bearing on 3 different Tacomas and it fixed serious vibes.

Not sure if this is a thing on third gens, but its an easy fix so I thought I’d mention it.

 

3rd gens have it also. And a 2.5 lift without axle shims or a carrier spacer might or might not produce a nasty vibe.

I'm curious about the fluid though. Mine looked foul enough at it's 60k drain and splash, but no noticable flakes. Mine was also not as dark as OPs photo, though it's hard to tell over a screen, without a flashlight or a paper towel sample. If there's glitter, I always thought that was cause to investigate the trans further.

 

little update for yall, got my truck back, I didn't let the shop touch anything after they got the fluid sample because I didn't want to commit to anything before I knew the problem for sure. The truck does not seem to be doing the shake anymore so i'm pretty lost as to what the problem could be. Im probably going to go buy some tools and do a trans fluid drain anyways because of the burnt nature of it. I will update if the shaking comes back