Vibration when put in drive and stopped.

I'm developing a problem with the truck that I can't figure out. Engine idles smoothly but when I put the truck into drive and am stopped I'm getting a fairly serious vibration. If I set off and pull out of the garage and come to a stop again it will do it still. It only does it at a stop and if the truck is in drive. I find it's worse when the engine is cold but that's likely due to the higher idle. I can't figure out what it is.

 

@gearcruncher I'm thinking this might be something you would know off the top of your head since it seems to be drive train related. I suspect it is torque converter related but I hope I'm wrong since I'm sure that's expensive to fix. I'm guessing the transmission isn't in play either since it's not even spinning when stopped. And as an FYI, I replaced the transmission fluid about a year ago so that should be relatively fresh. No leaks either so I don't think it would be low.

 

When was your last engine tune up ? spark plugs , throttle body cleaning ? Put it on a quality scanner and check the timing ?
As these trucks get some mileage on them , its common for the timing chains to stretch a bit causing the engine firing to be a bit off .
Have you looked under the truck to see if chunks of rock are all stuck in the engine mounts and transmission mount . Sometimes it doesnt take much build up to cause issues
If you go from park to reverse , do you get the same vibration as you do when you go from park to forward ?

Usually if the converter is out of balance , you will really feel it at highway speeds because the clutch inside the converter comes on to save you gas .
Its very rare for a converter to go out of balance unless steel fins on the stator and impeller break off . You will see the condition of the converter by servicing the pan and filter of the trans

 

Thanks for the reply. Last tune up wasn't too long ago. Maybe 40k or so? Haven't checked timing or done anything with a scanner. I sort of assumed the engine was fine since it idles and revs in neutral just fine. Only once the engine is attached to the rest of the drive train (by moving to drive) do I get any vibration. Good question about hitting reverse, I'll check.

 

You wont feel a small engine vibration unless you put the engine under load . This is most likely why you cant feel the vibe in park and neutral

 

Hmmm...and a Scan tool is the only way to check for that?

Also, I checked and it DOES do it in reverse as well. Basically any time the engine is connected to the torque converter/trans.

 

I also have this vibration but it is intermittent. I will check to see if its in reverse as well

 

Sounds likj

An engine missfire may be too small for your computer to see even though you can feel it while sitting in the drivers seat . It may be why there are no codes set .
Your best bet is a lab scope

 

The vibration is anything but small....it's actually kinda loud. I may take it in and see what they say. I'm just always hesitant to bring it to the dealer.

 

A reputable local shop should have no issues diagnosing this . The Stealership would be my very last choice $$$$$$$$$$$$

Are you sure we are diagnosing a vibration as vibrations in most cases do not usually make noise .
Check your cab mounts , check for the exhaust system rubbing up against the frame of the truck .I think you are try to fix a resonance problem

 

When is t last time you changed the spark plugs? I had a similar issue when in gear and a stop, the idle was terrible. Ended up being the spark plugs were all gapped incorrectly @.020 and the ecu didn't throw a cel. It was very annoying and instantly disappeared when I gapped them to .041. Our issues are different but I suspect It could be an ignition issue and I would start there first seeing that spark plugs are relatively cheap. Worn spark plugs incrementally increase their effective gap when the electrode is used up during the combustion process.

 

Happy to report that I did an oil and filter change (it was ironically time) and I also changed the plugs with OEM Deno ones I got at the dealership. The good news is nothing is worse. Bad news is it's exactly the same. Plugs came out looking fine too as far as I can tell.

 

I’m experiencing the same issue as the OP. Mine is loud enough that I would call it a rumble when stopped and in gear. Anyone had success solving this?

 

Only been on Tacoma world for a little while and I think I can help with a problem already!

My wife has an 07 Tacoma and it did the exact same thing as OP described, turned out to be where the air intake connects to the fender wall was loose-ish, I zip tied it all back down tight and the noise stopped completely. I'm at work now but I'll snap a picture of it tomorrow. I'm sure there's actual things I could do to fix it better, however that's what I had in the moment lol.

 

Are you talking about this?
The foam can deteriorate and cause just what you describe.
Food you found the problem though

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads...actory-air-intake-snorkel.57101/#post-1039797

 

It looks like you may have found the source of the extra noise due to the vibrations, which is great! But I think I have one idea as to the cause of the vibrations:

I believe this might be due to the AC compressor turning on and off, that's why it is intermittent. It puts an extra load on the engine when on, thus pushing up the RPM just a bit (mine goes from ~600RPM with AC off, ~900RPM with AC on and has extra vibration) and then making the vibration more aggressive in the transmission and you start to feel it.

That's why while in park & neutral you don't feel the vibration because it is disconnected from the drive train.

For a quick test, turn the truck on, AC all off, put in drive, let the truck stabilize and then turn the AC on (fan can be on low, but turn on AC and set temp to coldest) and watch RPMs and feel the added vibration, then turn off the AC and it should stop! (or be intermittent as the compressor turns on and off to keep cooling as needed while on)

 

Holy thread resurrection. Vibes while stopped and only in gear? Sounds like worn motor mounts.