[Spencer]

I have been trying all sorts of things lately to remedy what I felt was a driveline vibration. My tundra is at approximatly 128k miles and has wobbled off a set of Terra Grapplers which I was running at way too high 45-50 psi (e-rated with bad outboard wear patterns). I purchased a carrier bearing drop kit. This smoothed out my take-off vibration a little. I lowered my air pressure to "door panel" recommendations and eye-balled them even lower until I saw the very edges of my new DuraTracs contact the floor of my garage. That actually helped more. I replaced all of my lugs (and a few studs in the process) with ET-Ultra shank lugs (By the way summit racing's website overnighted my lugs for free super quick - I just happen to live close). I am not sure if that helped at all.

Here is what I was feeling:

-Tire rotational vibration seemed to like to resonate exactly at 68-70 miles per hour.
-Steering wheel wobbled back and forth 2-3 degrees at freeway speed.
-Initial depression of brakes created vibrations through the brake pedal and steering wheel.
-Braking on exit ramps and through mild curves = vibration and "wub-wub-wub" noises.

Inspection of rotors. No signs of any trauma. They seamed uniformly worn.
Road-forced on with lug-centric adapter. Check!
Ball joints, rod ends, etc... no play.

Monday:
Mr. OCD here lifts up the front end to take another look at the brakes and rotors. What's this? Inner CV boot exploded and grease all over the place.

I should have done this job myself because I got raped on the parts (internet has CV kits for $70 each)... Local shop pounded out the job in under two hours.

I was totally ready to drive down the street and feel the same vibration, because I have gotten accustomed to being disappointed by my hair-brained intuitions about mechanical problems being incorrect.

Smooth as silk. WTF. I don't think I have smiled so big since I drove my truck off the lot or when I crossed the Mojave River in Afton Canyon the first time in 4wd.

Though it is difficult to diagnose a CV failure as a layman, I just want to write this experience up incase someone is ignoring the signs of trauma for too long. I have had my truck since August of 2002, and the CVs have been through a lot. To me, it was a worthwhile investment and I hope I keep driving my Tundra until the next time the CVs fail. No brake vibration under light or curving braking. The CVs must have been slowly binding up over time. Don't ignore these signs!

EDIT:

:sad3d:
I got on the freeway today and the vibration was there again sixty-five to seventy. More pronounced than before. I am getting really irritated with this. In the defense of the cv replacement, the front end is much more smooth, grippy, and articulates better under steering. The brake vibration has smoothed out below forty-five mph. Around town the experience was pleasing. Highway? It is like the truck is punishing me for going the speed limit. If I cruise with traffic I am rewarded with an irritating vibration. If I punch it past seventy-five... smooths out. Braking though the speed ranges of the vibration result in brake pedal vibration. I may have more going on here than I originally expected. I found a local drive line shop in Rancho Cordova to hopefully diagnose the vibration tomorrow.

Has anyone replaced the two piece driveshaft with a one-piece with any vibration elimination success?
Anyone solved this with a bearing repair in the front differential?
Perhaps the carrier bearing for the rear drive shaft?

I swear on something important, I will keep this updated and will post when and how I get this bleeping thing fixed. I have searched around for a write-up on the solution to this issue and everyone conveniently fails to post if they have succeeded... Perhaps nobody has....

 

[SuckersWalk]

good info.

 

[Qeldroma]

I had the exact same problem with mine. Vibration between 50-60 mph. Brought to a shop, balanced all 4 wheels. No change. Put it up on the rack and the tech narrowed it down to a bad drive shaft......

Well I brought it to a friend and hopped under the truck for 2 seconds grabbed the CV shaft and it was loose. So I ordered 2 new CV shafts, all 4 ball joints, outer tie rod ends, and sway bar links.

Vibration is gone. Drive almost brand new now.

Edit: BTW I'm glad it wasn't a bad drive shaft, I can't imagine that's an easy or cheap job.

 

[EastCoastTundra29]

I had an annoying vibration only when going 45-50. I could feel it in my steering wheel and gas pedal. I just ignored it because I never really drove that speed often. I finally had to get all the u joints replaced and the dealer called me regarding a vibration. I said I never had one.( I lied because I thought maybe they screwed something up and were looking to fault me)haha. Anyway they took the driveshaft off and checked the balance of it. It came out ok per the shop they sent it to so they put everything back in and still vibrated. They decided to take it out again and put a new drive shaft in and the vibration went away. $900 later for the driveshaft but I am happy it is gone.

 

[Spencer]

Update:

I have removed my rear driveline and took it to Driveline Services in West Sacramento.

Their opinion on visual inspection: The lift angles for a 2 inch rear lift were not significant enough to cause a vibration. Pinion angle for departure shudder was a distinct possibility. He gave me a brief lesson in axle angles... no different from what is already available online. He recommended angling 1 degree lower from whatever your reference point was (transfer case yoke or prior to the cv position for my two-piece axle) to compensate for axle wrap. Carrier bearing replacement and balance = $200. Same day.

My drive to the driveline shop was NOT as pleasant as I had imagined it would be. Take-off vibration gone. But the rotational vibration slowly reared its head. Brake applications shuddered, but not as significantly as before. Probably because it was not being sent to the rear by the absent rear driveline.

I eye-balled my front end... It sure looked like my right tire was pointed outward. My left tire was spot-on parallel with the prolongation of the body. I Yelped an alignment specialist and front-wheel drove over to Alignment Specialties in North Highlands. "John" inspected my front end and found everything to be sound. I asked him to align the front end on a whim, based on my hunch about the alignment. (See attached numbers) $62 bucks later... the front end alignment seemed better. No more pulling to the left. Vibration still present.

Here is where I am at:

Driveline seems to not be an issue....
Alignment seems to not be an issue....
Front end components (bearings, tie rods, cv's replaced) seem fine...
Tires are one month old and the vibe was there with the old tires....
Tires roadforced twice....

I am starting to see write-ups from Tundra owners without lifts complaining of the same issue. Some claim a full front differential replacement solved the problem. IF I drop the front driveline would that isolate a front diff wobble? OR would I have to disconnect/remove the cv's I just spent hundreds of dollars on to see if the vibe persists. Some claim a simple brake pad replacement solves this?

I noticed some weeping on the steering rack? Is weeping indicative of something related to the wobble? I have noticed before when the truck's front was lifted up I could turn the tires by hand left and right slightly and hear a thud/clunk. When I moved the tires I was checking for bearing play in the hub... but I found the tires turned left and right on both sides a little when I manipulated them. Could I have an internal problem with the rack/pinion?

Wife just texted me: "More money into that truck?"

As much as I want to get this solved and avoid a payment... a Ford Raptor Crewcab looks real nice right now.

Stay tuned.

 

[Qeldroma]

My opinion, and I'm not trying to be sarcastic......

Worst case a couple thousand to diagnose and fix the problem in the existing truck that should last you 300+ thousand miles easy or....

Payments on a $60,000 truck.

But that's just me. :happy3d:

 

[Spencer]

My opinion, and I'm not trying to be sarcastic......

Worst case a couple thousand to diagnose and fix the problem in the existing truck that should last you 300+ thousand miles easy or....

Payments on a $60,000 truck.

But that's just me. :happy3d:

Not helpful. Your statement about the 300K miles is inaccurate, because I am at 128k and things are failing/wobbling. And convincing the "commander and chief" (wife) this repair is worth it and will last to 300k is becoming more and more difficult.

I just hope some poor bastard like me benefits from this or provides some guidance.

 

[onirakkiss]

had u exchanged ur front brake calipers (and disc) against the bigger ones? could be a solution, if not done.
could u put ur truck on something like a brake test stand, where could check, if the vibration is coming from the front wheels or the other parts. also u can disassemble the front propeller shaft and check. than reconnect it and disassemble the rear propeller shaft. u can now drive in 4wd mode with ur front axle only to check. but be careful, the front axle is weaker than the rear axle.

 

[Spencer]

Tomorrow the rear is going back on. Gonna yank the front shaft off.

I do have the smaller brakes. I thought the brake upgrade was not possible on my 2003. The door says August 2002 production date...

Just watched some dudes do out tie rods on YouTube. Looks pretty easy...

 

[2ndra]

Outer TRE's are cake. I even did mine with the wheels on the ground but results may vary depending on the degree of rust/corrosion. Also, yes the brake upgrade (to the larger stock calipers from late model 1st gen tundras) is possible if you have the smaller s13we calipers. See this link for an excellent writeup. http://www.tundrasolutions.com/forums/brakes/117584-how-to-early-tundra-brake-upgrade/

All you really need are the parts. A dremel with a cutoff wheel comes in handy for the dust shield modification but thats the only mod necessary. Definitely replace your hard brake lines or at the very least, have replacements on hand in case you strip the nuts. If you have the larger calipers it may be worth while to replace the rotors with new, high-quality ones.

 

[Spencer]

Installed 4-degree shims. I don't know why or how I did my math incorrect... what ever. Sooo... I got so far into the disassembly of the rear suspension (my first time) and my leaf springs went sprOng. I bought longer Toytec U-bolts, but didn't have the massive 22mm bit required. You would think aftermarket companies would use the same size bolts... WTF....

My preliminary calculations were I needed to lower the pinion angle 3 degrees and I had 4 degree shims. What the hell, I figured it was close enough. Smooth acceleration, HORRIBLE deceleration. Take off shudder present. Thud going into first gear. Idling RPMs down created a horrible groan at 45 mph. Drove directly home. Funny thing was the rear end felt really planted... secure. New U-bolts? Dunno.

Now being a shim installation veteran, I yanked those things off and I measured angles again. Yes, using my Iphone level... Which I am sure is the most accurate and precise measuring tool in the UNIVERSE. Zeroed the iPhone on the pinion yoke. Zero degrees. Measured the first driveshaft angle (between the carrier bearing and transmission). The iphone wobbled between 1.8 and 2.0 degrees.

Toytec.com, here I come. I'll get back to you all on my next installation of the two degree UP shims. I know they can go down too.

The front end vibration was still present in the freeway. I next month: OEM rotors and ... which pads are the coolest? Ceramic? I am not so sure about that brake upgrade.... Don't you need 17-inch wheels for that? Steep$.

 

[Spencer]

I saw oil under my engine today. Found diff fluid drip hanging from where the passenger side cv joins the front differential. Grease was sprayed all around from the passenger side inner cv boot. I gripped the inner boots on both sides and found left-right sliding play as well as up-down around play.

What is this indicative of? Do I need a front diff rebuild or should bearings and seals solve this vibration problem finally?

Please someone chime in on this. I find a ton of wisdom on Tacoma groups about this and it seems this 7.5 front diff is identical (or at least very similar) to the Tacoma diff... and should have similar weaknesses.

East Coast Gear Supply has a replacement widget which might help all this out. See below. Anyone?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8P68OCu_ZeI

 

[Spencer]

Driveshaft angle calculations/measurements made based on the numerous "Driveline 101" articles on the web led me down the path of needing to raise the pinion angle up 2 degrees. I installed 2 degree shims and new U-bolts. This actually did a decent job smoothing out the rear end under acceleration. My after installation measurements made me wish I actually bought the 3 degree shims instead. My pinion angle was off from the "zero" (lead portion of the rear driveshaft) by .8 degrees down. So, I might have preferred a 2.5 degree if one was available.

Wife looked at me disapprovingly after I came back from my test drive. Front end still likes to shimmy around at 65-70 miles per hour. My pride seemed to make me think the shake was lessened in some way. I felt like the rear brakes were doing a lot of the work tonight. May have to revisit the brake proportioning valve setting.

I have noticed on photos of Tundra brakes how the springs pushing the pads away from the rotor surface are set up. It seems there is only one spring, yet it looks like you could double up these springs top and bottom. Perhaps an extra set of springs could encourage the springs to push the pads equally away from the rotor surface?

I am going to try this next weekend with OEM smooth rotors with that wizz-bang black e-coating next week. Anyone tried the extra spring experiment?

 

[mossman77]

Out of curiosity, do you still have the stock wheels? I would slap them back on and see if that solves your problem. I've had front end vibrations since I installed aftermarket wheels, but am still not certain if that is my problem and I unfortunately don't have the stock wheels any longer to make that determination. I also have a leaky steering rack but don't think that would cause the shimmy in my steering wheel and the vibrations I feel at highway speeds when turning the wheel left/right.

 

[Spencer]

I have 16x8 alloy wheels like in my signature. Aftermarket. I also have a weepy steering rack. I sold my oem wheels a long time ago. They just look so horrible. The stock size was 16x7 if I remember correctly. Perhaps less mass might translate into more stability....

 

[mossman77]

I switched from the stock 17x7 rims to aftermarket 18x8's and I've had vibrations/steering wheel shimmy ever since. I may flag down the next Tundra owner I see and ask if he would allow me to borrow his front wheels for a bit. Come to think of it, I have a neighbor with the same truck and wheels I used to have.

 

[jack mccarthy]

if the vibration is coming from the front wheels or the other parts. also u can disassemble the front propeller shaft and check. than reconnect it and disassemble the rear propeller shaft. u can now drive in 4wd mode with ur front axle only to check. but be careful, the front axle is weaker than the rear axle.

I'd avoid that if possible. Had a vibration issue myself and the Toyota tech disconnected the rear from the front and drove it in 4wd. The truck shook like a Mutha Focker, but that was due to not having the driveline loaded correctly with the rear driveshaft. Gave the false impression that the front diff or one of the CV axle were bad and in the end it turned out to be improper balancing and not using the Haweka adapter when doing the road force balancing for the stock wheels.

 

[Remmy700P]

Driveshaft angle calculations/measurements made based on the numerous "Driveline 101" articles on the web led me down the path of needing to raise the pinion angle up 2 degrees. I installed 2 degree shims and new U-bolts. This actually did a decent job smoothing out the rear end under acceleration. My after installation measurements made me wish I actually bought the 3 degree shims instead. My pinion angle was off from the "zero" (lead portion of the rear driveshaft) by .8 degrees down. So, I might have preferred a 2.5 degree if one was available.

Wife looked at me disapprovingly after I came back from my test drive. Front end still likes to shimmy around at 65-70 miles per hour. My pride seemed to make me think the shake was lessened in some way. I felt like the rear brakes were doing a lot of the work tonight. May have to revisit the brake proportioning valve setting.

I have noticed on photos of Tundra brakes how the springs pushing the pads away from the rotor surface are set up. It seems there is only one spring, yet it looks like you could double up these springs top and bottom. Perhaps an extra set of springs could encourage the springs to push the pads equally away from the rotor surface?

I am going to try this next weekend with OEM smooth rotors with that wizz-bang black e-coating next week. Anyone tried the extra spring experiment?

I have two return springs on each pad set simply because I had extras.

 

[mossman77]

and in the end it turned out to be improper balancing and not using the Haweka adapter when doing the road force balancing for the stock wheels.

Are you saying that some special adapter (Haweka) needs to be used with the Hunter road force balancer in order to balance wheels properly? I've had mine road forced three times now and still cannot get rid of the steering wheel shimmy.

 

[jack mccarthy]

Are you saying that some special adapter (Haweka) needs to be used with the Hunter road force balancer in order to balance wheels properly? I've had mine road forced three times now and still cannot get rid of the steering wheel shimmy.

Read the attached TSB, sixth post down that talks about it. It was issued back in 1996. (T-SU002-96.pdf)

http://www.tundrasolutions.com/foru...l-vibration-fixed-2-years-6500-a/#post1559519