Driveline knock?

Hey all,

So here's my current update on my driveline. I purchased a 2014 4x4 DC SR5 TRD Offroad about a year and a half ago. I am in love with it. Only one issue I have is a slight noise in the driveline, occasionally when shifting from park to reverse and occasionally when downshifting from 2 to 1. Toyota recently replaced the whole rear driveshaft under warranty and it drives really well now. Before they replaced it was knocking all the time. Now it only really knocks specifically from 2 to 1 and the occasional park to reverse. Also the truck has almost no vibration until you get over 80mph. The sound is also a lot quieter now, not a solid knock like before. Anyone have any thoughts or experienced anything similar?

 

Lube that thing...entire driveline. If 4wd you probably have 2 zerk fittings in front drive shaft, 3 in the rear. If it is dry it will cause thumping and noise, even vibration. And just because they replaced parts, does not mean they lubed it when they installed it. Lube all the zerks in the drivetrain and see if it improves.

Not sure if you are stock or lifted, if you have lifted rear at all, Tundras usually need a carrier bearing drop. I am lifted just an inch in the rear and needed it.

 

Vibration is all too common on lifted Tundras but if thats not the issue, you might want to try shake the driveshaft by hand or with a prybar (be gentle with this one). Something might be loose (thus try shaking it) or not well centered (check the joints!). And like Frichco said, lube them up, you want to see the grease come out of the joints, clean the excess then go test it out.

 

Agree with what @frichco228 and @C.I. said..

See this for reference
https://www.tundras.com/threads/grease-your-drive-shaft-you-lazy-sods.55067/#post-1441315

 

I think they installed one of the non-greasable shafts which surprised me. I didn't see or feel any zerks but I am going to check again. I greased the old driveshaft before Toyota replaced it and also greased the front driveshaft. The noise honestly sound like a bolt is loosening somewhere or something because its very subtle. Before they replaced the driveshaft it was a LOUD knock. Also rolling downshift knocks were really bad. Now its very subtle and inconsistent. @dittothat @frichco228 @C.I.

 

While you are under there check the leafs really good. A broken or damaged leaf spring will clunk and knock with trans and throttle changes. Also check the spare tire and make sure it is tight and secure, even a little free play can cause it to move and make noise.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K8kGP-mhFaM
I took a video under the truck while I shifted it from drive to reverse and back a few times, there's a knock clear as day at 0:49 seconds. I'm starting to get worried it's a differential or T case issue. Also took the spare tire off for the first time and it was definitely tight on there, and its the original spare tire from 2014. YIKES! Leaf springs look pretty decent as well no visible damage just rust. Not sure what the previous owner did with this truck, may have used it for plowing (bought from a New Hampshire dealership) and messed up the T case or rear diff possibly? @frichco228

 

I heard it, seemed to coincide with the driveshaft turning just a bit as you moved gears. Does not seem awful to me, not unusual for a 2014 vehicle to have a tiny amount of give/slop in the driveline. This vid will help others, maybe someone has or had a similar thing. Looks pretty good under there for a Maine truck. And yes, who knows what previous owner used it for.

Dude, time to say goodbye to that spare! For what it is worth, you may be able to get one for free or almost free if you have discount tire in your area. They usually have some good used tires just in case. They gave me a new one when I had one over 8 years old, they will not even put air in a tire if it is past its date.

 

I would be curious to see another video facing the rear axle and springs to see what's twisting and moving... maybe one of the bushings in the front leaf eyes is toast and it's pulling the axle fore and aft that's causing the clunk.

How's the tires wearing on the back? Any issues with feathering?

Also, it appears the dealership installed the new driveline clocked 90 degrees out from how the old one was installed. Maybe I'm thinking about my old truck, but I thought the driveshaft had to be installed in the same orientation for proper balance.

 

@frichco228 Yeah the spare is toast lol but the whole truck needs new tires anyway (there 2019 probably over 60k miles on em, 25k from me) so that's coming up soon. I'm going to do rear diff and T case fluid soon to see how they look. I agree the truck looks good for 143k miles, just a few areas where rust concerns me. I'm going to do the frame with some type of undercoating this year but haven't decided which one yet.
@Torque Tire wear is pretty normal. Honestly not sure about the orientation of the shaft or why they did that but the balance seems to be good. I'm going to repeat this video with the rear and see if I can get any more information. Leaf springs are what I'm suspecting too, I think the guy was towing or hauling a lot.

 

I have a 2021 with 9,100 miles on it and have a very similar noise. It’s always been a little clunky and noisy since new but seems to be louder and more noticeable now. It’s always 2 hollow clunks from park to reverse, drive to reverse or park to drive. I think I’m going to have to break down and go to the dealer to get it checked out.

 

sounds like something's in a bind in that t case... how's it sound going into and out of 4WD?

 

It's probably not your problem because your symptoms aren't quite like mine, but I was getting unexplained cluncking because my TRD skip plate wasn't tight enough, and it was binding on the cross member. All I did was tighten the two bolts at the cross member and it fixed it for me. If you have a plate, it's worth a try.

 

@AGSport Do you have the same driveshaft?
@texasrho83 always been smooth going into 4wd but T case is not ruled out.

 

on your frame cleanup/coating, just dont use any of the rubberized undercoating. Fluid film or a similar product will protect it. The thick or rubberized undercoating just traps moisture and dirt, over time the frame will rust out from the inside.

 

@07DCLimited I wrenched on one of the transmission mount bolts with light torque and it was a bit loose. I just got new batteries for my torque wrench. Anyone know the actual torque specs for those?

 

You could reverse engineer the torque spec

 

Got a view of the rear.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IOYdmpVuTJc
@Torque @C.I. @frichco228

 

wtf
What's most confusing part is that you had it before changing the driveshaft... So there's a possibility you might be blaming the wrong part. If you have a friend with some mechanical skill and four jack stands I'd spend an afternoon under the truck looking for answers. No load on the drivetrain could entirely change the behavior too.
Diagnostics can be a pain in the rear, yet finding the solution can be as easy as loosening a bolt, spray lube then torque it back again (looking at you damn leaf springs)

 

Mine has always been clunky when going into reverse, I always just figured it was the old design of the transmission.