Hi all! Currently having vibration/shaking issues with my FJ62. The vibrations happen when I accelerate to 20 mph and feel as though I am driving on a gravel road. When I let off the gas and cruise, the issue seems to go away until I step on the gas again. I'm also unsure that it is shifting smoothly/if at all. Not sure if the two issues are related. I'm inclined to start my troubleshooting at the kickdown and throttle cables, but wanted to see if anyone here has any other recommendations or solutions. Thanks in advance!
FJ62 Vibrations on Acceleration (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter pborrica
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- Thread starter
- #2
Also want to note that I just installed the Ironman 2” lift kit
does the vibration increase with throttle or speed?
sounds like driveline vibrations, check u joints on driveshafts, etc. anything loose?
sounds like driveline vibrations, check u joints on driveshafts, etc. anything loose?
- Thread starter
- #4
The vibration does increase with throttle, but once I let off the gas it seems to clear up.
I inspected the u joints and driveshaft. Doesn’t seem like anything is loose.
The only items I haven’t updated yet are the stock sway bar end links. Could this be a possible culprit?
did the vibration start right after the lift went in? had it before the lift? i'm thinking a u-joint might be getting ready to leave the party. re sway bar, disconnect completely n see if changes, i don't think it's related though.
Did the lift kit come with wedges for pinion angle adjustment?
- Thread starter
- #7
The vibrations started right after. The lift was the last major update I did before the vibrations started happening. Ahh, do you have any suggestions how I could troubleshoot aside from seeing if there’s any movement in the u-joints? I’ll remove the sway bar links to see if there’s any change
Unfortunately, they did not which made me think they weren’t needed, but now I’m not sure haha
It’s for sure driveline related. If you take the rear driveshaft off and put it in 4wd (poor man’s FWD) you can see if it’s the driveshaft
Old Nick
GOLD Star
Follow the advice above, and while you're in there, I'd be prepared to change out the pinion oil seal. That vibration will likely cause it is fail, if it hasn't already.
Old Nick
GOLD Star
One other thing. I was dealing with a front end vibration. Went over the drive-line. All was in good order. Made me want to pull my hair out. I put my spare on the side that seemed to be the origin of the vibration. It stopped as soon as I made the swap. Threw a weight while wheeling. Got the offending tire re-balanced. All was fixed.
- Thread starter
- #11
So I tried this and it looks like all the vibrations went away which is great. Thanks for the tip! Now that the issue seems to be isolated to the driveshaft, would you recommend that I replace it? Or is it possible the issue is still elsewhere like the u-joints or something with the rear diff? U-joints seem to be operating fine, but I’m not sure if there is something that I’m missing
Thanks I did follow the advice and it looks like the vibrations is related to the rear driveshaft area. Do you think replacing the dirveshaft would resolve the situation or could the issue be elsewhere? I did replace the pinion oil seal a couple of months ago as the previous was leaking, but if the vibrations cause it to fail again I might have to swap them again
Ah man that’s frustrating but luckily that was a simple fix for you! The PO said these tires are brand new and inspecting them, they do look new, but I’ll take a closer look!
tmxmotorsports
SILVER Star
Take degree measurements on tcase and rear axle driveshaft flange and shim the axle housing accordingly.
Old Nick
GOLD Star
Hey man,
1) Are you running OEM wheels? Check the weights on them (especially the rears if that's where the vibration is coming from).
2) I wouldn't throw money at a drive shaft until you determine if that is really the cause of the vibration. BUT, it might be the cause while still not needing to be replaced. When you changed out your pinion oil seal, first, did you torque and stake the pinion nut to factory spec? Second, did you mark the shaft and the companion flange so that everything went back on exactly as it was before being separated? If they weren't put back on in the proper alignment, you WILL get vibration from the driveline, especially when accelerating and cruising at constant speed as it will throw the shaft out of balance (very much like a tire that's out of balance).
i’d say rather confidently you just need to get the axle shimmed properly. make sure you get steel shims though. aluminum ones are easy to find but cause galvanic corrosion that just makes a mess. this exact thing happened to me and the shims fixed it. they are a cheap part to buy. you need to measure the difference an angles between your output flange and the pinion flange. that difference will be what you need to correct with the shims. those flanges should be parallel
but why would it start vibrating immediately after the lift. that doesn’t sound like a u joint/ drive shaft balance problem. maybe it accentuated a bad u joint but it’s not going to make a u joint go bad or drive shaft go out of balance but putting a lift on. it’s a change in pinion angle causing angular rotation differences
- Thread starter
- #17
I took some measurements using a digital angle gauge and found that they were only 0.8 degrees out of parallel from each other. I used the ground as reference. Is this enough difference that would cause an issue?
1. They are the OEM wheels and they do have weights on them from the PO. I do see that the interior of the wheels are painted. Could this be an issue?
2. When I changed the oil seal, I did torque the nut to spec, but I only staked it at the location it was staked at previously. I did not want to tighten any further as I read that this could affect the preload. Could this affect the how the pinion operates? Prior to the vibrations, there was a slight hum coming from the rear diff that wasn't an issue, but nowI am not sure if it all could be related. I did also make sure to mark the shaft and companion flange to make sure it was all properly aligned. I did the same as I removed the driveshaft completely to make sure they can be aligned again
Hi Franklin, I measured the angles at the output flange and pinion flange and found that there is only a difference of 0.8 degrees. I used a digital angle finder and used the floor as reference. Would this cause the vibration issues? Should I still be looking at shims?
Oh man, did this also happen right after installing a lift?
I am unsure as well. I am wondering if the issue is with the pinion angle as you mentioned or the pinion itself. If it is the angle, would you suggest using shims as others have suggested? Could it be possible that there is an issue with the pinion itself?
if you can feel lateral play at the pinion flange that’s a problem. if you can you should check to see if you have metal shavings in the diff oil. less that one degree difference at the flanges is pretty minimal. it might just be enough to be making a worn u joint vibrate as it’s riding in a new spot.
did you lift kit come with new shackles?
did you lift kit come with new shackles?
- Thread starter
- #19
Doesn’t seem like there’s any lateral play in the pinion flange and I just changed the diff oil. The vibrations only started happening after the oil was changed, so I don’t think I’d see any so soon since I stopped driving it once the vibrations started happening. After inspecting the u joints again, it looks like there’s a little bit of resistance in the movement of the joint that connects the dirveshaft to the output flange. I’m not sure it’s enough to call it a failed u joint though
Yea the lift kit came with new anti inversion shackles
It could well be coming from an part worn universal joint.
The uj wears in the angle range it is predominantly working in, now it is out of it's "comfort zone" and has to accept a tiny bit more angulation.
Once you apply a load the little needles (inside the four uj bearing pots) are trying to move back into their worn in places - resulting in a stiffening of the uj and consequently creating vibrations.
I had exact that scenario before and new uj's fixed the problem
The uj wears in the angle range it is predominantly working in, now it is out of it's "comfort zone" and has to accept a tiny bit more angulation.
Once you apply a load the little needles (inside the four uj bearing pots) are trying to move back into their worn in places - resulting in a stiffening of the uj and consequently creating vibrations.
I had exact that scenario before and new uj's fixed the problem
