Almost Like Bucking In stop and go traffic.

In stop and go traffic my truck every now and again almost like bucks or jerks when first accelerating it's not violent, but is very annoying on the rolling parking lots that we call interstates. Does anyone know what this might be and how to fix it? Any help or ideas is greatly appreciated I'm completely stumped.

 

Sounds like you have the tow-haul button engaged.

 

Like the overdrive or... is there a button I don't know about?

 

Sorry, didn’t read which year yours was. I have a 2018 and it has a button on the left side of the steering wheel near your knee that puts you in a different gear for towing . That is exactly how I describe how my truck drives when that button is engaged... it is like a damm bucking bronco. As soon as you touch the gas the truck rockets forward and the second you let off the gas it sucks back.

 

Awh lol, I was confused its ok. and it's not violent it almost feels like a delayed shift when starting from a stop I replaced the valve body on my parents Mercedes but it was shifting extremely violently on my truck its intermediate and it's not shifting hard.

 

Might be your tranny slipping.

 

Brakes siezed?

 

Could it be your u-joints and/or carrier bearing worn? Those are common culprits that may cause similar symptoms.

 

Could be the slip yoke too. Mine was shuttering as I came to a stop. I had to grease the living crap out of it.

 

Yep! ^^^^^

 

Could be diff fluid leaking into rear brakes and causing it to stick. This happened in my Taco

 

Clutches going bad on transmission probs.

Have you tried manually shifting in L,2,3, and O/D?

 

Sounds to me like a tranny issue. Could be as simple as low fluid level. I think it's somewhat normal as the last 2 trucks I've had, and just last night my wife's Enclave, have done something similar. If I'm rolling to a stop but don't fully stop, then hit the gas (maybe a little too hard on the gas) there is a bit of rev before the tranny engages, this causes a bit of a jerk. Read this thread:

https://www.tundras.com/threads/transmission-jerky-after-fluid-change.39192/#post-999609

 

Does it vary with how hard you punch the gas pedal? Can you avoid by feathering it very gently? I've had to develop a pretty precise soft touch on the pedal to get smooth acceleration for normal (light load) driving. Wasn't exactly bucking, just too much sudden rev+torque. Pedal is (IMO) too sensitive for the actual range of motion that's available there. Electronics learn and compensate based on driving habits(?), but I've been trying to 'train' it to chill out a little more without much result.

 

I've noticed a minor issue where the front end or driveline seems to tense up slightly if I stop hard, and then release with a slight "clunk" noise and settling feeling when I let off the brake. Similar? Related? Hard to tell without inspecting? Haven't looked or tested as I'm not sure where to start or if it's even a real concern.

 

meh, my 2014 did it, and my 2007 does it. It is just life in the slow lane. If the traffic is crawling, I usually just manually shift it to 2nd and leave it alone.

 

Very common issue in 1st Gen Tundras. Mine does it as well as many others.
My brothers 07 4runner also does it.

Some say it's axle wrap. Some say play in the slip yoke.

I noticed mine decreased in intensity after adding helper springs to the rear.

 

I know this is an oddball suggestion, but I remember another member here having something that sounded similar and it was the abs sensor or tone ring in his. Again, I'm not 100% certain on this so hopefully someone will chime in here that remembers that forum members issue better than I do.

If it were me I would start with greasing that slip yoke. Easiest and cheapest thing to rule out! Plus a good greasing of your drive shaft at all grease points is never a bad thing!

 

You may be thinking of me. I was having my ABS kick in at real low speeds but I think that's different from what OP is describing. If it's his ABS that should be pretty obvious. Anyone that's ever braked so hard the ABS has activated would recognize the feeling/sound.

 

Yes it was you! Thanks for chiming in!

So my ABS suggestion is likely not the culprit. Start with greasing everything on that driveshaft and see where that gets you! Also maybe some servicing of the rear diff can't hurt. Maybe slipping and binding there? @2000Strong

 

Thank you all I have 3 days off this week and am going to start working on it on Friday!

 

what fluid does the tranny take? I don't think the tranny has ever been touched as far as I know.

 

Thanks! I'm heading to the dealer for some bolts I ruined so ill grab some of that too how do I fill it?

 

I'm not sure that's the correct fluid for a 2000.

We really just need to make a sticky about the different fluids since people ask every week.


@Festerw isn't this for newer units?

 

Yup the WS fluid is for the 05-up trucks.

Toyota Type IV for 03-04.

Dex III or equivalent for 00-02.

 

Valvoline DEX/MERC at Wally Wurl for $14 a gallon is what I use. Its approved/spec’d fluid for 2000-2002 years (DEXIII). You could also use the synthetic DEXVI (read 6) but its very costly at $12 a quart.

Original Toyota Service Manual Spec’d (wrongly) a drain and refill of 2.1 quarts. It should be around 4 +/- quarts. Through experimentation, I prefer 4.5 quarts as it results in a smoother shifting transmission.

You may want to do multiple drain and fills since its been a while per your statement.