Constant vibration at all speeds. (1 Viewer)

[Lx470in305]

Hi I have a 2005 lx470 with 166k miles . When i purchased the vehicle. I replaced both cv joints, both stabilizer links, inner and outer tie rods. wheel bearinngs on both sides and even the hub flanges. Greased all the fittings on the drive shafts. Also replaced all 4 accumalators and flushed the system and put fresh hydraulic fluid in. Also replaced all 4 wheels with michelin ltx and balanced them. So ive been able to get the car to run alot smoother now. There is one thing I didnt seem to get rid of and its driving me crazy. The car has a vibration that can be seen on the hood when im driving. As if the car is jumping up and down. If im at high way speeds it can be felt thru the cabin but i can notice it on the hood just vibrating away. When i brake hard it also seems as if the front end bounces up and down . I dont know if thats normal with AHC but none of my other cars do that they just bounce once tightly. That could be another problem or the same. The one thing I have noticed is when I put the wheels on the front. They dont seem to sit flush. Its like im forcing them into place. I tighten one nut the other one pushes up a bit. Could that be the rotors are warped or the hub itself could be warped if thats even possible? Could that be my problem. I was thinking maybe the front struts were bad. Ive read here they dont go bad but im sure at one point or another they could seize . When the front end goes into a pot hole it seems like it sinks in opposed to absorbing it. Im going on a long trip soon and Im scared to take it as it seems unsafe. Any help would be appreciated.

 

[jtb517]

Assuming you still have the AHC…

Have you checked your cross level, rake, AHC pressures and graduations? It’s possible AHC being out of spec or failing globes could cause the ride to be less than desirable. Thread below details how to check all three. Will need techstream and a VCI cable to check pressures.

The ABCs of AHC - How to Measure, Flush, and Adjust all in one place

I initially put this in the Definitive list of AHC maintenance items thread, but at almost 800 posts long and growing, it's going to get buried and the thread itself is very unwieldy. In an attempt to make as focused a summary as possible, I present "The ABCs of AHC." It's intended as a...

forum.ih8mud.com

 

[ceylonfj40nut]

Has the vehicle been in a front end collision?

 

[Bisho]

Is your hood latched solidly? It sounds like you need to adjust the hood stops on the front corners. That will at least solve one of your issues.

 

[Lx470in305]

I believe it had a minor fender bender at one point. I checked all the pressures and adjusted torsion bars as well. The hood shakes because the vibration. The hood is secure. Im thinking its the shocks. They seem kind of wet around the bottom not the top. The rebound rates seem to be off. Or maybe the top bushings. Im gonna get under there and inspect everything good.

 

[jtb517]

I believe it had a minor fender bender at one point. I checked all the pressures and adjusted torsion bars as well. The hood shakes because the vibration. The hood is secure. Im thinking its the shocks. They seem kind of wet around the bottom not the top. The rebound rates seem to be off. Or maybe the top bushings. Im gonna get under there and inspect everything good.

The “shocks” in an AHC setup are actually hydraulic rams and not traditional shocks. Most of the dampening is provided by the globes/accumulators (underneath vehicle between frame rails and the body).Weeping fluid from the rams can be a function of out of spec AHC pressures, but since you’ve adjusted and checked pressures it may indicate a ram failure.

Other thought would be to double check all the work that has been done on the front end. In some circumstances non OE replacement parts have caused issues or failed prematurely post install.

 

[Lx470in305]

I did all the work myself . Accumulators new . toyota fluid , oem cv joints, timken wheel bearings, hub flanges from toyota also. I spared no expense lol. Except im still missing something. How likely is the rams /shocks failing. Over rough terrain or a bumpy road you can feel it thru out the cabin. I dont wanna do the dealer route Im scared of the crazy prices they would charge me . Or for them to say I need new accumulators even tho they are new.

 

[jtb517]

I did all the work myself . Accumulators new . toyota fluid , oem cv joints, timken wheel bearings, hub flanges from toyota also. I spared no expense lol. Except im still missing something. How likely is the rams /shocks failing. Over rough terrain or a bumpy road you can feel it thru out the cabin. I dont wanna do the dealer route Im scared of the crazy prices they would charge me . Or for them to say I need new accumulators even tho they are new.

I think the rams failing are somewhat unlikely, but not unheard of.

If they are just weeping, it’s likely your pressures are not quite in spec or you may need to set on the lower end of spec. There are some pressure tolerances mentioned in the thread.

If you have a major leak or failure I would assume you would notice the fluid level in the reservoir going down.

Was the vibration present before you refreshed the front end?

 

[Lx470in305]

Yes vibration has been there since purchased even after new tires. All i can think of is the shocks/rams maybe some bushings ive missed. Im gonna try rotating the tires maybe a tire is out of balance or rims are bent. They do have some curb rash . Is there any recommened mechanics list in South Florida? I wouldnt mind paying for a diagnostic maybe itll be cheaper then throwing parts at it lol. My ahc reservoir isnt really going lower. It just seems wet around the shocks. Ill try rotating the tires this weekend and taking lots of pictures maybe someone can spot something I cant.

 

[Lx470in305]

Some pics both sides look about the same

 

[jtb517]

Looks like they are just weeping. You checked your AHC pressures using techstream right?

 

[Lx470in305]

Looks like they are just weeping. You checked your AHC pressures using techstream right?

Yes. Got them into specs . I ordered the new shocks and some more ahc fluid. I believe they come with new bushings judging by the pictures I've seen. Ill update here if that resolved my problem after installing them. Oem of course. Wish me luck.

 

[jtb517]

Was hoping a little troubleshooting might resolve it before you started throwing more money at parts.

 

[baltistyle]

As mentioned, the hydraulic ram uses the accumulator for dampening/some rebound, and the spring is used for rebound and light compression.

A vibration comes from the space between worn surfaces.

Have you changed front diff bushing or steering rack bushings?

Is the hood itself waving in the wind, needing some seam sealer on the trusses?

Good luck, it’s 99.9 not the rams as we’ve all mentioned, unless they are bent, but imo that could not be considering the new pieces around them.

Also, you mentioned balancing wheels, did you do an alignment?

 

[Lx470in305]

As mentioned, the hydraulic ram uses the accumulator for dampening/some rebound, and the spring is used for rebound and light compression.

A vibration comes from the space between worn surfaces.

Have you changed front diff bushing or steering rack bushings?

Is the hood itself waving in the wind, needing some seam sealer on the trusses?

Good luck, it’s 99.9 not the rams as we’ve all mentioned, unless they are bent, but imo that could not be considering the new pieces around them.

Also, you mentioned balancing wheels, did you do an alignment?

I was thinking of this all day . I canceled the order and gonna get under there this weekend and check all the bushings. I'm definitely ordering the bushings for the shock/rams. Yes car is aligned and balanced. Thx guys for saving me some money. ill use trial and error and change rams as last resort, theyre rather expensive 204$ a piece.

 

[CaneCounsel007]

Did you ever find your problem?

I didn't have same vibration you described, mine was between 40 mph and 70 mph. I thought I needed a new driveshaft. Turns out the bushings holding my steering rack disintegrated, causing the rack to be free-floating. I also needed new spindle bearings in the front wheels. I've basically been riding around on my tie-rods and control arms, and they're all torn to shreds. Have you put your truck on a lift, and removed your skid plates? After doing that, I was able to see the damage- whole steering rack was loose/free floating. Mad as hell, wondering if all I had to do was maintain those bushings beforehand and replace was difference between me and $4300.00 ($2500 parts + 1800 in labor including installing new wheel bearings kits).

Basically, the stress that the steering rack being floating caused all the other rubber bits to implode. And I ended up replacing all 4 the control arms/ steering rack/ outer tie rods.

When I got under there and stared, I couldn't really see anything, but when it was on a lift with the skid plates removed- yikes. I had a shop last year tell me they fixed it by replacing the driveshaft and putting in new u-joints, and I had taken it to this new shop to see if the old shop just did it wrong. And boy, did they. I don't think they looked at the bushings that held the steering rack. So this is to say, all bushings in your truck should be replaced prior to catastrophic failure.

Basically, you gotta get it on a lift to check for play in the rack and the wheels. (I have previously replaced all bushings and ball joints in lower control arms, and rear panhard, etc, and had the driveshaft and u-joint replaced, allegedly).

In Miami, I have had work done at Tepui Auto Shop, but I only had them install a bumper and wire my lights (they did reasonable work). But they have a lift, and they can check your rack and bearings on top of the other visual inspections.

Good luck and find that problem!