Toyota Prado

McKhawer · 04-09-07, 07:02 AM

I have a 1997 Toyota Prado, pertol engine. Recently I have been having a problem with vibration when I cruise from 100kms to 145kms. The center shaft seems to be vibrating BUT the problem will disappear when i take my car to 150kms and above. The second problem that I am experiencing is that the car cabin starts to wiggle slightly when i take corners. Can anyone help me with my problem?

canucksafari · 04-10-07, 01:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by McKhawer

I have a 1997 Toyota Prado, pertol engine. Recently I have been having a problem with vibration when I cruise from 100kms to 145kms. The center shaft seems to be vibrating BUT the problem will disappear when i take my car to 150kms and above. The second problem that I am experiencing is that the car cabin starts to wiggle slightly when i take corners. Can anyone help me with my problem?

I expect the head in the newer Prados are a lot better than the older ones we have in Canada - otherwise you would not be running it at 145 kms/hr

. Do you feel the vibration mainly through the steering wheel? It might be that your wheels are out of balance. Or you could have worn bushings. IME when a drive shaft is out of balance, you will get the vibration also at low speeds. I am not sure what you mean when you say the cabin wiggles. Worn body mounts will allow the body to move a bit. Usually you hear a clunk or a bange when this happens. If you find your Prado is a bouncing a lot and leans a lot in the corners, I would suspect worn shocks. Just never heard of one wiggling.

prado t · 04-10-07, 03:40 PM

hi canucksafari , i think he has the "petrol" engine alot faster than the diesel.
it sounds like an allignment problem the wiggle around corners, also it happens at different speeds.
1 make sure your tires are balanced and aprpropriate pressures
2 make sure u-joints are fine , check to see that the counterweights are on the driveshafts ie for ballancing.
3 you may want to get a wheel allignment

McKhawer · 04-10-07, 06:38 PM

Hello Prado T & Canucksafari

Thanks for your concern. Yes I have a 97 Petrol Version Toyota Prado - RZJ95R uses the 3RZ-FE engine.

For a start, I have done the following to my vehicle :-
a. New set of front tyres - Bridgestones Desert Duelers - 265x70x16
Computer alined and on wheel balanced.
b. I have change all the front suspension bushes, and linkages as
well as the steering rack
c. The car uses coil springs and I have replaced them with "King
Coil". I have another person telling me to check my U Joints, do
they have U Joints on Coil Spring cars?
d. Shocks were changed about 12 months ago about the same time
I change the coil springs
e. I have also checked the propeller shaft (not balanced yet) and
the cupplings are in good order

The vibration is not from the steering column but mainly from the floor boards when the vehicle travels at speeds of 95 to 145kms. It increases slightly with speed and when I let my foot out of the trottle, the vibration is more pronounce. At the speed of 150kms, the whole car is so silent that you do not feel that you were in the same car before.

Yes the car does wiggles esp on right corners or bends .... slight sways from left to right. The sways is not so pronounced when I take left corners or bends.

This is a strange problem and I have never experience this before with my former Toyota Landcrusier 80 and Toyota Landcruiser II (the brother of my Prado). I would like to solve this problem as I would imagine this would be happening to other Prado owners

canucksafari · 04-11-07, 01:31 AM

I am just guessing but it does sound like warn or loose body mount mount(s). If you have a body lift, it should be quick to check. If not, you are probably going to need to feel for warn body mounts.

My other question is did you do a suspension lift when you put in the new springs and was this there before you put in the new springs. On some vehicles if the angle if the drive shaft to the U Joint at the diff is changed significantly by the lift it will create a good vibration. I can PM you a pic of what happens and what it should look like, if you do have a big suspension lift. Just PM me.

TFS55 · 04-11-07, 06:41 PM

have the steering rack bushings checked. they are the ones that attach the rack to the body.

dhula · 04-12-07, 05:28 AM

have all wheels balanced off the car
check the suspension links at the back end, especially the bushes. make sure everything is tight
check the universal joints in the front to rear (north south)prop shafts
check engine mounts and gearbox mounts
check wheel bearing end float at both ends
chekc to ensure all cyls are firing properly (plugs and injectors)

Thats about all I can think of ATM

I recall someone else having such a problem (or at least similar) on another forum/group. I'll poke around and see what I find

McKhawer · 04-12-07, 07:13 PM

Hey Guys

Thanks for all the suggestions.

I had my steering rack rechecked and found it to be a bit loose. so i changed the ball sockets and and the ball joint at the end of the rack. Swap the new front tyres to the back and the wriggling problem was taken care.

As far as the vibration problem, it was a loose u joint at the front of the propeller shaft just after the Gear Housing. Got that replaced and now the car is very smooth.

Anyway, rest assured that I wont take the car to 150kms now on the hioghway. Sticking to the speed limit of 110kms and knowing that I'm not driving a beat up pick up truck. (That's how it feels before the repairs)

Thanks again for all your help. If you are are ever coming to Malaysia, drop me a line.

04-09-07, 07:02 AM	#1
McKhawer IH8MUD Rookie Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Posts: 7	Toyota Prado I have a 1997 Toyota Prado, pertol engine. Recently I have been having a problem with vibration when I cruise from 100kms to 145kms. The center shaft seems to be vibrating BUT the problem will disappear when i take my car to 150kms and above. The second problem that I am experiencing is that the car cabin starts to wiggle slightly when i take corners. Can anyone help me with my problem?

04-12-07, 05:28 AM	#7
dhula IH8MUD Junior Join Date: Oct 2006 Posts: 99	have all wheels balanced off the car check the suspension links at the back end, especially the bushes. make sure everything is tight check the universal joints in the front to rear (north south)prop shafts check engine mounts and gearbox mounts check wheel bearing end float at both ends chekc to ensure all cyls are firing properly (plugs and injectors) Thats about all I can think of ATM I recall someone else having such a problem (or at least similar) on another forum/group. I'll poke around and see what I find __________________ KZJ95 3.0TD and auto. Front bar by ARB. Winch by Warn. Tyres by Yokohama.

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04-10-07, 03:40 PM	#3
prado t IH8MUD Addict Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: vancouver B.C. Canada TLCA# 17424 Posts: 862	hi canucksafari , i think he has the "petrol" engine alot faster than the diesel. it sounds like an allignment problem the wiggle around corners, also it happens at different speeds. 1 make sure your tires are balanced and aprpropriate pressures 2 make sure u-joints are fine , check to see that the counterweights are on the driveshafts ie for ballancing. 3 you may want to get a wheel allignment

04-10-07, 06:38 PM	#4
McKhawer IH8MUD Rookie Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Posts: 7	Hello Prado T & Canucksafari Thanks for your concern. Yes I have a 97 Petrol Version Toyota Prado - RZJ95R uses the 3RZ-FE engine. For a start, I have done the following to my vehicle :- a. New set of front tyres - Bridgestones Desert Duelers - 265x70x16 Computer alined and on wheel balanced. b. I have change all the front suspension bushes, and linkages as well as the steering rack c. The car uses coil springs and I have replaced them with "King Coil". I have another person telling me to check my U Joints, do they have U Joints on Coil Spring cars? d. Shocks were changed about 12 months ago about the same time I change the coil springs e. I have also checked the propeller shaft (not balanced yet) and the cupplings are in good order The vibration is not from the steering column but mainly from the floor boards when the vehicle travels at speeds of 95 to 145kms. It increases slightly with speed and when I let my foot out of the trottle, the vibration is more pronounce. At the speed of 150kms, the whole car is so silent that you do not feel that you were in the same car before. Yes the car does wiggles esp on right corners or bends .... slight sways from left to right. The sways is not so pronounced when I take left corners or bends. This is a strange problem and I have never experience this before with my former Toyota Landcrusier 80 and Toyota Landcruiser II (the brother of my Prado). I would like to solve this problem as I would imagine this would be happening to other Prado owners

04-11-07, 01:31 AM	#5
canucksafari IH8MUD Lifer Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Abby Posts: 2,229	I am just guessing but it does sound like warn or loose body mount mount(s). If you have a body lift, it should be quick to check. If not, you are probably going to need to feel for warn body mounts. My other question is did you do a suspension lift when you put in the new springs and was this there before you put in the new springs. On some vehicles if the angle if the drive shaft to the U Joint at the diff is changed significantly by the lift it will create a good vibration. I can PM you a pic of what happens and what it should look like, if you do have a big suspension lift. Just PM me.

04-11-07, 06:41 PM	#6
TFS55 IH8MUD Junior Join Date: Nov 2004 Posts: 95	have the steering rack bushings checked. they are the ones that attach the rack to the body.

04-12-07, 07:13 PM	#8
McKhawer IH8MUD Rookie Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Posts: 7	Hey Guys Thanks for all the suggestions. I had my steering rack rechecked and found it to be a bit loose. so i changed the ball sockets and and the ball joint at the end of the rack. Swap the new front tyres to the back and the wriggling problem was taken care. As far as the vibration problem, it was a loose u joint at the front of the propeller shaft just after the Gear Housing. Got that replaced and now the car is very smooth. Anyway, rest assured that I wont take the car to 150kms now on the hioghway. Sticking to the speed limit of 110kms and knowing that I'm not driving a beat up pick up truck. (That's how it feels before the repairs) Thanks again for all your help. If you are are ever coming to Malaysia, drop me a line.