Driveshaft Vibration Problem

My 2002 Tundra Limited 4.7 V-8 has about 258,000 miles on the clock. Overall, it has been an excellent vehicle. I had a problem with vibration in the driveshaft at about 189,000 miles in which the driveshaft caused a significant vibration from about 55 mph to 70 mph. Long story short, I had an independent dealer send the driveshaft off to a firm that serviced drive shafts for all manner of specialized vehicles from off road to custom trucks. They determined that the front member of the two piece driveshaft was out of specification. I then had my mechanic replace both the front and rear sections, all three universal joints and the center support. This corrected the vibration and I had about another 70,000 miles of smooth, vibration free driving.

The problematic vibration has now returned. I don't go off road and do not member any unusual bumps that could have affected the driveshaft. About three months ago, I experienced a resistance to starting off from overnight parking and it seemed like the emergency brake was on. I gave the truck some gas and the truck moved forward with a loud "pop" from the rear of the vehicle and was OK from then on. Gould this loud pop have com from a U-joint? Any ideas on what may be the cause?

I am going to return to my mechanic and have him check out the drive line. I suspect that a replacement of the driveshaft, universal joints and center support will fix the problem.

Owning a vehicle for over 250,000 miles is becoming quite an adventure. I still love my Tundra.

 

Center carrier bearing.

 

SprinterAE86:

Thank You. I will have my mechanic check it out.

 

Not sure why your new u-joints would be problematic at 70k?

Did they replace your carrier bearing during the prior driveshaft service? Usually this is the vibration problem at high speeds.

 

Have you greased the u joints at all over the last 75k?

 

And don't forget to grease the slip joint!

 

That's what she said!

 

“About three months ago, I experienced a resistance to starting off from overnight parking and it seemed like the emergency brake was on. I gave the truck some gas and the truck moved forward with a loud "pop" from the rear of the vehicle and was OK from then on. Gould this loud pop have com from a U-joint? Any ideas on what may be the cause?”


I had this happen after my rear break shoes got contaminated with gear oil. I changed the inner grease seal and thought I could spray the crap out the shoes with break cleaner and ”get by” No dice! The shoes stick to the drum and I would have to give my truck a little extra gas after sitting overnight. It would clunk and release the stuck shoe from the drum. It really worried me, I thought the transmission was going out. Thankfully I was reading some old tundra solution threads and found some info about this problem. What a relief that it was just the shoes. Tell your mechanic to check the drums and shoes.

 

I always had the vehicle serviced by Toyota. When I took the Tundra to them with the vibration problem at 189,000 miles, the tech told me that I had a bent rear axle and that they wanted $6000 plus to rebuild the rear axle and differential. I then went to an independent garage (Cottman in Louisville, KY) and they diagnosed and corrected the problem for under $900 for the front section of the drive shaft, 3 universal joints, center support and a differential service.

I did not know that the universal joints needed to be lubricated. I guess that i have just kept the Tundra too long. I plan to get this problem resolved and to keep the Tundra at least to 350,000 miles. I will retire in about 2 years and then I may buy another Tundra or a Tacoma.

Thanks for the nformation.

 

Your U Joints may not be greasable depending on which ones you had installed.

Id make sure they are using OEM/Spicer u joints and carrier bearing when they do the job again. I went ahead and used sealed Spicer u joints instead of the greasable version and they are doing well a few thousand miles in so far

 

In my experience, the carrier bearing can be really bad and not cause problems.

But a seized or worn out U joint will ruin your ride, and 70 K is plenty enough to wear out a U-joint, particularly if it hasn't been regularly greased, which is a every 10K service item if I can recall.

I would look at U joints, and rear brakes, as the rear brakes are somewhat complicated and can go wrong in a variety of ways.