Bad vibration after CV axle install

Hey everyone,

I'm having a hell of a time troubleshooting the source of some bad vibrations that I'm getting from my Tacoma after installing new CV axles.

Background

My Truck:
2006 Tacoma TRD Off-Road SR5 w/Quad Cab short bed and V6 4.0L engine. 188k miles, upgraded suspension to Bilstein 5100s with 2.5'' lift with SPC UCA's in the front. 1.25'' wheel spacers. Factory rims. BF Goodrich KO2 tires. All of these changes were made 2 years ago.

What I changed:
Recently, (1 weeks ago) the inner CV boots on both original factory Toyota axles tore, leaking grease leading to clacking when driving. Considering the lift I did a couple years back, I decided to invest in some upgraded parts. I installed:

1. 2x CVJ remanufactured Toyota Tacoma CV axles model 9808 TR
2. Driver side and passenger side diff/axle seals
3. ECGS bushing

The CV axles were installed without disconnecting the tie-rods. All bolts were removed and re-installed in the correct order and to the manufacturer's specified torque. The ECGS bushing and seals were installed using dedicated ECGS branded installation tools to ensure square and flush seating of the bushing and seals. Diff fluid was replaced and allowed to drip from fill plug until it stopped before putting the cap back in.

The problem:
Truck vibrates heavily through the floor and steering wheel on applying the accelerator regardless of speed. For context, it did not do this when I had the factory original CV axles and needle bearing. This problem came after my DIY install.

I do not get this vibration when coasting or slowing down. The truck does not vibrate when turning left or right. Vibes are worst between 1.5-3k RPMS. Vibrations do not change when going from high 2 to high 4. No consistent clacking noise is coming from the axles. I do hear little bit of noise with rotation from time to time but this is not repeatable. If I get down under the truck and grab the axle shafts and try to move them from side to side (radial movement) I can get some movement and clicking from the diff side (inner side) of the axles. Not a lot of movement but enough to make them click. The axles also have some in-out-play but this was true of the originals as well.

To try and fix the issue I have reinstalled the axles twice to see if some aspect of my installation could have been the source of the issue. This has not improved the issue at all.

I'm really frustrated and not sure what to do next. Do any of you have some ideas? Do I need to have the wheels realigned (even though I did not mess with the tie rods)? Could the CVJ axles be defective?

Thank you for your help and for reading this long post!

 

Damn. Sounds like you did your due diligence trying to figure this out. Do you still have your old CV’s? If you do, I’ll install them and complete a test drive. The only component that rotates(and therefore can cause vibration) are the new axles.

 

Good luck

 

The vibration start AFTER the new CV axles?
Never had the problem before?

We need to isolate the problem a bit more.
I’d like to know if it’s speed or rpm dependent.
When driving the truck. Put it in 4th gear and note when the vibrations start.
Do the same for 5th (D) also.
might as well try 3rd if you want.

I can not see it being the CV axles, since the vibration goes away when there is no load.
The front CV axles don’t have a load on them in 2WD.
Your problem sounds like a driveshaft issue. But why it would start after installing CV axles is weird?

 

Yes. This vibration only started after installing the CVJ axles and the ECGS bushing. The vibrations occur regardless of the gear that I’m in and it occurs when accelerating and the RPMs are between 2000 - 2500. When driving under 15 mph I do get a squeaky chirp coming from the front and the frequency changes with speed.

 

I guess there is a chance one of the cvs is way out of balance?
But I wouldn’t think so? But maybe?

I can’t not think of any other reason the front end would be causing the issue.

 

Well did you ever figure this out because I’m having the same problem?

 

you have to match the phase of the bearings, the shaft has marks for not f"n that up

 

Never seen a CV axle that needed phased.

A driveshaft? Yes.

But never a CV axle.

 

Thread creation
Jul 8, 2023 at 12:09 PM

And Tn 100%

 

Were you able to remedy the issue. Im having the same exact issue and what you are describing