Issues with my newly acquired GX 460 (1 Viewer)

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Nov 22, 2023
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las vegas
I just bought my 2016 GX 460 with around 84k miles on it and im currently on a cross country trip from nevada to iowa. Before I headed out for the drive, I changed all the fluids in the transfer, transmission, differential, power steering and etc. also changed all the brakes, and got alignment and balanced the tires. i even changed the spark plugs to Denso Iridiums and greased all the u joints and yokes. However, I'm noticing a few issues with my car during the ride on my trip. Now, please let me know if im being too sensitive about these things. it is my first gx460 and i've never owned anything close to it except for my 2014 jeep grand cherokee.

First, I still have a slight vibration from the steering wheel and from the seat around 70-90 mph on the highway, the previous owner put KMC technic 18 offset wheels and new Falken Wildpeak AT3W with it. im not sure as to why im still having this issue. there is a slight "play" or a "click" per say when shaking the steering wheel left to right ever so slightly from the straight position. im not sure if this has anything to do with it but thought i should say it.

Second, when i hold the press the gas and hold the RPM around 1700 or so while in park, the vehicle starts to shake slightly side to side.

Third and the most annoying, I'm having this really bad phone vibration like under load especially around 1900 rpm or around 2300 rpm going 78 mph or so up hill which is the worst. but i do feel the resonating under any load mosts of the time. when it gets bad, it makes what i can best describe a "woo woo woo" repetitive vibration noise every other second at that 2300 rpm. im maybe thinking if it has anything to do with my exhaust or muffler going bad.

Fourth, not really that bad, but when the car starts cold, it got like this whining noise that makes more or less noise based on the rpm. kinda sounds like a power steering whine but when its warmed up, the power steering is really quiet when i turn end to end.

I know its a lot of issues to tend to in one post but id rather gather all the issues into one post so people who have similiar issues can come by to either provide a solution or get solution from others on this post. If anyone has solutions or opinions on what these issues are, please let me know.
 
First, welcome and overall these are amazing vehicles with very few known flaws. I am not sure that I can answer all your questions, but can try to help.

The whining noise at startup is more than likely the secondary air pump. Does it last for about 10-15 seconds? If so, that is the culprit.

Some of the vibrations you are describing, especially when turning sound like they could be describing a bad wheel bearing. I have 140k on my 2013 and have started noticing a low vibration/rumble that will vibrate the dash when even turning the slightest. I haven’t fully diagnosed it yet, but wheel bearings seem to make sense and it’s something to keep in mind. Hope this helps.
 
there is a slight "play" or a "click" per say when shaking the steering wheel left to right ever so slightly from the straight position.
Can you check tie rod play? Does it wander at speed on the freeway?
could be describing a bad wheel bearing.
Yep.

around 1700 or so while in park, the vehicle starts to shake slightly side to side
If its not wheel bearings and does it in park could be a harmonic balancer going bad. Could also account for the whine.

If you stop at a local Lex/Toy dealer they’ll tell you everything wrong with it (and probably few things not : ) for $150.

Thats what I would do if I were away from my floor jack, tools or trusted mechanic.
 
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Thanks you all first for the welcome and helping me with this issue. When I had the car lifted up to do the brakes, I did shake the wheel 3-6 and 12-6 o clock to see if any play was in the tie rods or bearings. I know that just because there was no noise during this process doesn't mean it isn't bad but it assured me to a certain point that they are ok for now. As for the noise that is there during a cold start, it seems to still be there after it's been warmed up but really quietly. I'll post a video link sometime soon here of the sound. In addition to the harmonic balancer, if that is the problem, would that be something I could do if I'm a intermediate DIYer? And I forgot to mention but I also received a 1 year 12k mile power train warranty from Toyota when I bought this at the dealership. would the harmonic balancer be covered under that?
 
would the harmonic balancer be covered under that?
Yes. Definitely go that route if you can. It attaches to the crank and to get to it I believe would require draining & pulling the radiator, romving fan and serp belt. Would be a PITA.

Harmonic balancer has rubber section in the middle so when they whine sometimes they quite down after they warm up. I had that issue on an MDX and it whined for the first 5 minutes then you could barely hear it.

And no problem on the help. Thats why this place exists and thrives
 
Yes. Definitely go that route if you can. It attaches to the crank and to get to it I believe would require draining & pulling the radiator, romving fan and serp belt. Would be a PITA.

Harmonic balancer has rubber section in the middle so when they whine sometimes they quite down after they warm up. I had that issue on an MDX and it whined for the first 5 minutes then you could barely hear it.

And no problem on the help. Thats why this place exists and thrives
Will the harmonic balancer by any chance cause the resonating vibration under load? That's what annoys me the most.
 
Will the harmonic balancer by any chance cause the resonating vibration under load? That's what annoys me the most.
Definitely could. It's purpose it to absorb vibrations in the crank shaft. When they go bad, they make the engine vibrate, or absorb it's natural harmonics less depending on how you look at it.When mine went bad in the MDX, it whined at start-up. Not sure on the GX.

 
Wouldn't something like worn out engine mounts or even it needing new spark plugs/fuel system cleaner cause a slight vibration at idle?
 
Well first thing is to change back to stock wheels and proper offset.

People and their aftermarket wheels man. You get no performance or functional gain for the money and aftermarket wheels with different offset provide zero longevity benefits.

How many miles on it?
It's got 85k miles now, I'm currently driving cross country as we speak. As for the wheels and tires, I wish I could find a cheaper set to replace. I just can't afford to change the wheel and tire set especially when both of them that are on are nearly brand new.
 
Wouldn't something like worn out engine mounts or even it needing new spark plugs/fuel system cleaner cause a slight vibration at idli r

Definitely could. It's purpose it to absorb vibrations in the crank shaft. When they go bad, they make the engine vibrate, or absorb it's natural harmonics less depending on how you look at it.When mine went bad in the MDX, it whined at start-up. Not sure on the GX.

Great, thanks for the info. It's something I have to look into.
 
Wouldn't something like worn out engine mounts or even it needing new spark plugs/fuel system cleaner cause a slight vibration at idle?
I changed out the spark plugs with OEM recommended denso iridium's and have also checked the fuel systems and put in two bottles of techron to help. I know that engine mounts shake the car under load but the shake only happens at Park or Neutral
 
It should be almost vibration-free at idle. It's probably a sensor issue or loose connection, but it's hard to say. If you just replaced the plugs you may not have fully seated a coil on a plug or the electrical connector into the coil, which could cause an intermittent problem. Otherwise, you'd need to plug it in to a scan tool to watch things like fuel trims, air/fuel ratios, mass air flow sensor readings, etc, to figure it out. At 85K I would be extremely surprised if it had a worn-out engine mount or a harmonic balancer.

Regarding the vibrations while driving - I'd suggest a tire rotate/balance and alignment. It's super common for tires to throw balance weights and vibrate.

If you have a Toyota warranty I'd just stop by a Toyota dealership and have them drive it. It's probably not something you can easily figure out while driving cross-country, and it's hard for us on the forum to provide good advice unless we have a chance to be in the rig and feel/hear what you are experiencing. Regardless, if it's not throwing any codes....being that the dealerships are closed for the next few days - I'd probably keep driving it.
 
Since you're on the road hit up a WalMart and get some B-12, can't hurt.

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Just to throw another possibility in, check the engine mounts. Bad engine mounts can cause shake/vibration also.
 
This sounds like a misfire. Check the plugs and coils. Might be a bad one or didnt get seated correctly. Check the connectors as well.
 
Thank you everyone for being very helping and supportive. I really appreciate all the help with my newly acquired gx460. To answer some questions, I did double check every sensor and coil and spark plugs, and they all seem to be good. As for the engine mounts I'm not sure who's to check them and if they are bad, not sure if they'd be covered under warranty. Ive also put two bottles of techron a few fill-ups ago while driving across cross country. I will get my tires road force balanced when I get the chance in a few weeks when I drive back home. I have a local Japanese specialist guy I go to who's very knowledgeable but his work ethic is questionable at times. Sometimes he's very focused and doesn't charge me for things he can't fix even though he tried, and sometimes charges me full price for a something that seemed to be kind of brushed off. I also do own a Autel Mk808 scanner that I can monitor the air/fuel ratios and other things but not really knowledgeable enough to know what's a correct number I'm supposed to be looking at. Again thanks everyone for keeping this post alive for others and I and please keep posting suggestions or solutions.
 

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