Disappointed with vibration on a 2003!

[Diego]

Superbusa that's a very interesting link, I did the search on the Hunter web site and there are two shops in my area that have the road force balancing machines. BTW after I had my tires rebalanced I still had the vibration so I took my truck back again and they test drove it and did a more thorough inspection and said two of my tires had belt problems so they are ordering me a brand new set of four new Revo tires no charge. Hope this solves it once and for all.

[Hans]

Did the replacment tires take care of the vibrations? I have the same problem and now the Dealership told me "there is nothing else we can do for you" at 22000 miles on a 2005 Dcad TRD 4x4. Anybody who had/has the same problem come up with a fix?

Hans

[m0000]

There are a large number of vibration problems with Tundra/Sequoia. I've been able to diagnose and fix a couple of them.

-Alignment. If your wheels are aligned at Toyota, they're most likely aligned wrong. Check threads on here from DJ about that. Wheels out of alignment can cause vibrations, especially if you don't rotate/balance regularly.

-Out-of-round tires. I had a brand new set of Michellins from Costco that were all out-of-round, and this caused some interesting vibrations.

-Differentials. If you press Toyota hard enough, they'll admit to a "harmonic frequency" in the drive train, and they'll tell you this is "characteristic" of the vehicle. If it were characteristic, it would have been obvious during my test drive, and I never would have bought this vehicle. I've been able to improve this problem somewhat by using slightly heavier diff oils in warm weather. Only real solution is to have them replaced at your expense.

-Wheel bearings. I've seen two people comment that wheel bearing replacement fixed their vibration problem, although again I see this as just another source of vibrations, not THE source.

The '03 simply had a lot of sloppy components in the drive train and steering.

[Portugue]

I didn't read through all the posts in this thread. But I have an 02 that had vibrations. Mine are pretty much gone now. My advice would be to check the driveshaft for alignment, check the center support bearing for alignment, then check all the u-joints for looseness. I did all this and found a worn u-joint. Truck runs a lot smoother now.

I am sure someone has already written this, but hopefully it helps.

[Xfercase]

I just bought a new 2006 Tundra AC 4x4 TRD and think it has the aforementioned vibration. Its like a very slight humm from the drivetrain. Most people would probably dismiss it as normal that its a pick up and isn't going to be luxury car smooth. I don't think I'm going to do anything about it now but if it needs to be brought in to the dealer I will definitly ask to have it looked at. The reason is I can deal with the slight vibration - rather than have some mechanic take my truck apart in an "attempt" to fix it.

[csfisher]

I have an '02 with the intermittant front diff vibration between 30-40 but I bought it used and I am past the warranty period. They will not do anything to fix it unless I actually break it within the next 3 months. Does anyone think the vibration could be fixed by rebuilding the diff instead of replacing the entire assembly? Maybe with a true locker? Has anyone actually figured out EXACTLY what is causing this common vibration? Replacing the entire thing is freakin expensive ($2700 CDN)!

[csfisher]

Just had it diagnosed. Apparently the vibration is coming from the stub shaft (intermediate shaft #2). This shaft is on the wheel side of the ADD. I haven't had it fixed yet, but this makes a lot of sense to me. Hopefully I'll get the work done in the next week or two and I'll let you know the outcome.

[csfisher]

Stub shaft bearing....

[dboz]

So it is a stub shaft bearing? I notice my vibration can get more intense at very slow speeds if I slow down without the brakes. Coast to a stop from 20 MPH on down. I also notice that it is worse after being in 4 wheel drive. I also notice it more if I turn to the left vs. the right. It may be a wheel bearing but I don't think so as it seems to greatly reduce in 4 wheel drive. I am taking it in tomorrow morning so a specific part would be nice to confront them with trying for a fix. Keep us posted.

[csfisher]

dboz, I think your problem might be a bit different than mine. Mine goes away when i put it in 4wd and it is most pronounced between 40 and 60km/hr. The reasoning why mine goes away in 4wd is that the stub shaft bearing is in the middle of the driveline between the wheel and the diff. When it's not engaged, this driveline is disconnected in the middle so it can flop around a bit. When it's engaged, it stiffens up and doesn't need the bearing as much at that point.

I'm not a mechanic, so I'm not going to try and diagnose your problem.

[dboz]

Correct. I took mine in today. The tech heard it right away. He put 5 listening sensors around the front end. Could hear it immediately on the sensor before the noise was present in the truck. Blown front differential. Not sure what is shot yet but they are tearing it out today. Only 39k miles also. Good thing I bought the warranty because I never do. The diff. alone is $1100.00 without labor!! I would guess 6-8 hours for the removal/install etc., maybe a few days. Also had a broken stabilizer end link. I now remember why I said I would never buy used again!!

[csfisher]

Yeah, I thought your diagnosis might be a little uglier than mine! The previous owner must have abused it. Your diff sounds a lot cheaper than what i was quoted...they said $2700 cdn to me. Maybe they are just replacing the gears and the case is ok.

I am an advocate of buying used, but you have to be really careful.

[dboz]

Needs a new diff. There was metal in there causing binding. All chewed up. Someone must have drive in 4 wheel all the time on dry roads or something. The drain plug had never been off. Took a 2 foot breaker bar just to get it to move. Should be good to go by friday. Paid that warranty off really fast!!

[csfisher]

Took it into the dealership and they agreed with my private diagnosis. They figure it's the stub shaft bearing also.Took the service manager all of 30 seconds to agree with me. They are going to meet me 50/50 to replace it since it has not "failed" yet. Could be worse. I could have to fix the whole thing on my own dime. I'll take it in next week for the repair since they have to order the parts. They have created a satisfied customer...for now!

[csfisher]

Took my 02 Tundra in to fix the front diff yesterday. I get a call a couple hours later and they tell me that the brakes are vibrating a bit (i knew this, but it's not that bad yet so i was going to let it ride for a while) and that the rotors and drums need to be turned and the rear brakes needed to be adjusted to the tune of $200. So I said i would get back to the girl that called me and immediately called the sales manager that struck the original deal with me for the diff repair. He said he would take care of it.

So, a couple of hours later, I call back 'cause they were supposed to get back to me. I was actually thinking i would have them replace the rotors rather than turning them due to the issues these trucks have with the front rotors