Drive Shaft Vibrations Solved Step-by-Step

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IpdghLj6AhE

 

No problem, I've spent this past week in three different states.

 

Pics finally posted, sorry for delay.

 

I am still trying to find the problem of the with the vibration /humming .
I jacked up the rear end and ran it up to about 65 and heard weird noises when I let off ,kinda of a rattling sound.Is it normal to hear weird noises with no load on the wheels?

 

It sounded like it was coming from the drive shaft /universal joints.

 

Truck on ground, engine off, trans in park, parking brake on. Lay under truck, driveshaft should rotate ever so slightly due to backlash in gears (maybe a degree or two of rotation) with no noise whatsoever, and very smooth. Then, push / pull driveshaft front to back, toward front axle, then back toward rear axle, checking for play. Should not move at all. That's common test for bad u-joints, you're checking to see of those teeny little needle bearings have gone bad, or the bearing cap has self-destructed. Front to back movement would be less than 1/4" with bad u-joint bearings (should be zero movement), and rotation would be more than a degree or two with definite clunk at the end of each rotational travel (gear backlash allows even movement with mellow stop during hand rotation, bad bearings allows easy movement with solid clunk stop on each rotation end).

If not driveshaft, then could be pinion gear teeth, inside rear differential. Easy to use one of those mechanic's magnets on a stick, typically used to pick up dropped screws and such. Fish it down the rear diff filler hole all the way to the physical bottom of the diff, you're checking for metal filings, chunks of busted teeth, etc.

 

Thanks for that information , I took it back over to the shop that retubed the drive shaft today. they are going to check it out again .the last time I had it there he said he checked the universal joints and they apperared good. He test drove it for a short distance and did not notice the problem.He only got up to 45 or so.

I have to get up to about 60 to 65 to really experience the problem although I do now notice it starting about 45 mph and starts to howl or roar on and off at ~65.

 

Great info! It's hard to believed that Toyota hasn't resolved this issue yet...

 

There are people out there that are having these issues on unmodifed trucks as well. I personally haven't had any of these issues pre or post lift. But this is a good thread to help those out who might have these symptoms

 

Humm... According to this blog http://www.carproblemzoo.com/toyota/tacoma/driveshaft-problems.php and what my buddy who's a tech at Toyota said, this is also an issue with stock trucks as well.

 

Update , took the truck back to the drive shaft shop .They think the yoke is bent and will order a new one this week.They said the drive shaft has some wobble and the yoke appears to be the problem.Hopefully that will fix it.

 

I left the truck with them the first time .after retubing and balancing the shaft they drove it up to 45 mph and did not notice any problems.They should have driven it up to 60 something before they did anything to it. When I called them I said the drive shaft has a dent and scrap or flat spot on it.They probably pulled the shaft and retubed and balanced it first .I hope they know what they are doing.

 

Not the drive shaft ,problem still there. I think it is in the drivers side front wheel ,cv axle . I jacked up the drivers side and turned the wheel , I can hear a click, click ,click as the wheel spins.Anyone know if that is normal?

 

tr1957, yours was the truck that was smacked, and your brother put it back on the road, right? Who knows what damage may have been done in the accident. Usually you can feel front end problems more than you can hear them, although I can tell you that none of my wheels make a sound when rotated in the air, unless I have mud up inside the rear brake drums that is. To test front end, jack truck so that both front wheels are in the air (floor jacks under each side of axle are a good idea....) and start knocking things around. You're trying to feel for excessive play anywhere. Everything should feel tight, for example, when you grab your wheel the only movement side to side should be against your steering components, and there really should be no movement top to bottom. When you spin your wheel, the only moving parts are the front brake disc and the axle inside its bearings, through the front diff and back to your txfr case. Any clicking sound you hear could be from the brake disc, but usually that's a scrape scrape scrape sound, not a clean clicking sound, which is more likely bearing related, in which case you should in theory feel some play in that front wheel.

 

yes it was wrecked in the front. I removed the wheel and brake caliper and when turning the hub I hearing a clicking ,sounds like it is coming from the differentia area .
The sound is like a a gear not completely engaged.How much trouble is it to pull the front differential ? Not looking forward to that. I don't think the sound is clicking is coming from the cv axle.

 

Easy 5min to drain the diff fluid and pull the diff cover for a visual inspection. Should be able to visually see busted teeth on any of those gears in there, using a decently bright flashlight. Also inspect drained fluid for metal bits, maybe troll through the bottom of the drain pan with a magnet if you have one handy to see what metal bits you can find.

 

OK , thanks , I will do that, I was trying to think what would make that sound an d I think it may be the clutch locking system right on the edge .

 

Are you referring to the front or rear diff when you say pull the cover and check for broken pieces?
I am talking about the front diff,don't see a cover.

 

Riiiiiight. Uh Huh. I knew that.....sure I did. oops. My total bad. Front diff, all you could quickly do is drain the diff fluid and look for metal bits in the diff fluid. Beyond that, way too many gaskets and axles and seals and such. Hey, do you know about the stick trick? Take a screwdriver or a wooden broom handle or a chunk of pipe or some such stick like object and place one side against the diff. Place the other side NEAR (not in) your ear, with your hands cupped around the stick and your ear, like some old grandpa listening at the door. Rotate the wheel with your foot and listen for grinding or clicking. The stick will transmit the sounds to your ear, and your hands help amplify the sound and block out other noises, kind of like using a stethoscope to listen to a heartbeat. Auto supply stores sell a cheap stethoscope mechanics version to trace squeaks, vibrations, etc. Useful to help narrow down source of noise.

 

I have a mechanics stethoscope and I did use it ,I can hear the click when I put it on the diff housing where the axle goes in.The axle seems to have a lot of play there also,up and down play. I made a video of me moving it around and also the noise I hear .If I can compress it I will post it .I hate the thought of pulling the front diff.. has anyone pull the front diff ? I guess it would have to be pulled to service it.