Drive Line Vibration? (1 Viewer)

[juane]

Just musing....

After replacing U-joints in the front drive shaft and having the front differential replaced with 4.88 gears and an ARB locker (by JT ) I'm experiencing what is probably a slight vibration at highway speeds.

I know such vibrations can be hard to track down considering other modifications such as lift and off-road tires. However, I have a chronic pinion seal leak (replaced twice) as well as an intermittent front transfer case seal leak - adding to my suspicion that the shaft is out of balance.

I wonder how replacing the U-joints could have caused a balance problem.... Yes, I did match mark the yokes, although the front one is new with the new pinion. And yes, the differential as been lowered as part of the lift.

I guess the thing to do is pull the shaft and drive it. If it turns out to be the culprit I'm in a quandary as to getting it balanced - the nearest drive line shop is 4 hours away. Anyone use Tom Wood?

Vehicle is a '99 hundred with 140,000 miles.

Why did I replace the U-joints? Because I can't seem to leave well enough alone - just wanted to baseline everything. In retrospect I should not have bothered - the joints seemed to have been maintained by the previous owners.

 

[trdcorolla]

100's are sensitive to front tire balance. If your vibration is in the steering wheel, you can look at that.

 

[juane]

100's are sensitive to front tire balance. If your vibration is in the steering wheel, you can look at that.

Good suggestion, thanks, but no, it's in the seat not the wheel. Then there are those leaking seals.

 

[Sandroad]

If you pull the front drive shaft (propeller shaft) and the vibration goes away, consider getting a new one. It's $360 but worth it to solve the vibration without lots more hassle. That's what I did with my 100 based on many other threads on the topic. If pulling the front shaft doesn't help, consider CVs and front wheel bearings next. But, with those leaky seals on both ends. you may find it is the front driveshaft.

 

[uzj100]

I had a weird vibe and it was loose wheel. 3 of 5 lug nuts were loose. Never had that happen before.

 

[abuck99]

I found that after having new u joints installed I had a noticeable acceleration vibe. The driveshafts were high speed balanced and trued. I used OEM Toyota u-joints. I replaced at about 175k as PM, the originals were a little dry when I bought the truck, but not loose or vibrating (probably should have left alone). I believe that if the installer doesn't follow FSM procedure for setting up the ujoint ( which most driveline shops probably wouldn't) that you'll have potential for vibrations. Getting the correct snap ring fitted for a tight fit, getting the bearing caps properly set with out loosing needle bearings, getting the correct orientation of the spider mounted in the yoke, checking the wear & runout of the yoke, checking the runout of the flange are important steps to follow to get a smooth rotating driveshaft and vibe free ride. Also if you aded rear springs and lifted your truck, then you'll likely need to check and adjust pinion angle. Worn link arm bushings will affect pinion angle, which will present as acceleration or deceleration vibrations depending on how far out of alignment the flanges are from each other.

I dialoged with Tom Woods a few months ago about his custom driveshafts. He offered to send one of his driveshafts and try it, if it didn't work to my satisfaction, I could send it back for a full refund. Pretty good offer. They also have a trail damage warranty that costs an additional 20%. Damage your DS, they'll fix or replace at no charge. If you have a lifted truck and use it off road, the return offer, trail damage warranty & free shipping are kind of a no brainer over OEM driveshaft.

 

[Manhattan]

The old (when cars/trucks were simpler) rule-of-thumb for tracking vibrations is: If you feel it in the steering wheel, it's the front end. If you feel it in your seat, it's the rear end.

 

[juane]

I believe that if the installer doesn't follow FSM procedure for setting up the ujoint ( which most driveline shops probably wouldn't) that you'll have potential for vibrations. Getting the correct snap ring fitted for a tight fit, getting the bearing caps properly set with out loosing needle bearings, getting the correct orientation of the spider mounted in the yoke, checking the wear & runout of the yoke, checking the runout of the flange are important steps to follow to get a smooth rotating driveshaft and vibe free ride.

Yes, I'm the installer and guilty as charged - I used a big bench vice for a press and other shade tree methods.
And indeed, driving without the shaft in place seemed to fix the vibration.

So, it is on it's way to Tom Wood for rebuild and balance.

Thanks for the info.

 

[abuck99]

Yes, I'm the installer and guilty as charged - I used a big bench vice for a press and other shade tree methods.
And indeed, driving without the shaft in place seemed to fix the vibration.

So, it is on it's way to Tom Wood for rebuild and balance.

Thanks for the info.

You may be better served by buying one of his new custom made DS rather than trying to fix your old one.