04 LC vibration prob. pics.

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jsuthey

jsuthey

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Nov 22, 2005
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Location
Santa Cruz Mountains,CA. TLCA#7702
Hi all,Happy Holidays!!! I am having trouble with my 04 LC,it's got around 120k miles.The problem is a bad vibration in what I think is coming from the rear.It feels like a suttering or a grooved road when on a good road(asphalt surface).It happens around 35mph.and stops when I take my foot off the gas.So in a 15 or 20 min.ride it will happen more than a few times only lasting a few seconds.So I suspect the driveshaft? I know it needs front rotors and the shocks are prob. shot.I have crawled under and looked around took a pic.of it and it looks like the dust slip cover is showing some fresh metal.This truck is daily driven by my wife and has NOT been off road on trails or any wheeling.Mostly street /town driving.
Thanks,John
novemberbruno 018.webp
yosemite oct.2011 038.webp
 
When was the last time you greased the u joints and slip?
 
I have not done much of the service myself,but it does get regular oil changes.I am guessing most places just skip that and do the least they can.I am going to do the front rotors/pads soon and have just swapped out the front pads in the past.It has been to the dealership for service before,but I have not experienced any problems until now.

We bought the truck w/around 84k and it had good service records.The big T-belt,water pump and ect.were done at 75k.I just need to figure out whats going on now so I don't go in to get it fixed blind with no clue.
 
I grabbed the rear d-shaft and it did not move much at all,it felt solid.I just wonder why there is that ring around there with no surface rust.Looks like it got flexed out or the slip cover just slid down.I tried to move it and it felt solid also.

On my 69 40 the front d-shaft is at an angle because of a 4in.lift and it is pulled slightly out.The 100 is totally stock except the tires are 1 or 2 sizes bigger.I would love to throw a 2" OME lift or an Ironman kit on it but that is not in the cards right now.I am thinking about just replacing the stock shocks with some OEM ones and see how that goes as they are pretty inexpensive.

I will grease up what I can tomorrow,the grease gun I have has a flexable hose on it but the zerk fitting head on it is rather large so I will see where I can get at the u-joints.

Thanks for the reply's keep em' coming!! :cheers:
 
The shiny metal area on the shaft is normal. The slip joint moves some as the suspension flexes.
 
Pull the rear driveshaft, lock the CDL and see if the vibe goes away. I had a similar issue that wasn't solved with new u-joints. No visible damage to the drive shaft but a new drive shaft with u-joints solved the problem.
 
I too had a similar vibration at the 30-35MPH and it sort of gets slightly better the faster you go (less of a vibration -more of a drone -very much a nuisance). Once you lift the foot of the gas, it goes away

For me it was my rear shaft -although I could have sworn it was the front that was the problem (felt the vibes in the front) .... It took me a long while to diagnose it -mainly because I had just sorted out my transfer box -and removed my front prop shaft -and had pulled it apart and suspected I had returned it without realigning it correctly (so I spent the next 2 weeks fixated on the front shaft and T-box -even opened up the T-box again to check if I had put it back together wrong first time ...:bang: ) ... -I even checked the front wheel bearings (found a slightly loose-ish one ... :D ) -As I was about to give up -I rocked the rear prop-shaft and immediately noticed some give in the furthest U-joint :doh: ... replaced both U-joints since the prop shaft was down and vibes gone ...

Anyway, first, I doubt it is a greasing issue -and if the grease does get rid of the vibes, then you definitely should replace the U-joints and check the shaft for damage.

Second, don't get fixated on one area -check ALL the U-joints!! -At those miles, I would go ahead and replace all -I'm at 170k miles .... Good Luck and Happy Holidays ....
 
Milkman, you just described exactly what I went through on my rig. The good news is I can do front wheel bearing is 30 mins now but it took a long time before I decided to remove the rear driveshaft.

And like spresso new u joints didn't solve it. Looked like I smacked the yoke on a rock and it bent. New driveshaft from Toyota and all is well.
 
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