jittering/shaking when coming to a stop

[concretejungle]

100 series gods, i have a question for you all. this is for a co-worker's 04' 100 series with 35,000 miles on it. It has been maintained at the Toyota dealership and is absolutely immaculate. I was riding back from lunch with him today and when we came up to a stop light and started to stop, there was a jolting/jittering of the entire truck up to the point he came to a complete stop and then the shaking stopped. It was really weird. It did not feel like ABS engaging. Honestly the best thing i could compare it to was once on my 80 i washed the motor and got some water around the plugs. ONe of the plugs was misfiring and made the entire truck shake. That is kind of what it felt like. It did not do it again, but he said it has happened a few times coming to a stop. He said it felt as if the motor was binding up, then when he hit the gas it would go away. I looked to see if he had a check engine light and he does not.

Any idea?

 

[ShottsUZJ100]

Warped rotors? Or was it not like that? Does it do it EVERY time?

 

[100 TD]

Hopefully his CDL is not engaged, when you drive on roads with it engaged and your tires are even the turning of the front wheels may be enough to reduce any wind up, but when braking under different scenarios, the front tires with load on them squash down enough to significantly reduce their rolling diameter and the rears have less load and increase their rolling diameter, making the difference in rolling diameter large enough to cause transmission wind up, jittering and vibration as well, possibly worth checking for.

 

[concretejungle]

shotts, it did not feel like warped rotors, besides it doesn't do it all the time, only say 5% of the time.

It really felt more engine related to my butt at least.

 

[concretejungle]

Hopefully his CDL is not engaged, when you drive on roads with it engaged and your tires are even the turning of the front wheels may be enough to reduce any wind up, but when braking under different scenarios, the front tires with load on them squash down enough to significantly reduce their rolling diameter and the rears have less load and increase their rolling diameter, making the difference in rolling diameter large enough to cause transmission wind up, jittering and vibration as well, possibly worth checking for.

Now that sounds a little more like the feeling i had. I was thinking either engine or drivetrain related.

 

[100 TD]

As the CDL switch can be bumped by the knee or hand, and is very hard to tell it is pushed in except via th light on the dash, it is possible for it to happen and not notice. My .02

 

[ShottsUZJ100]

shotts, it did not feel like warped rotors, besides it doesn't do it all the time, only say 5% of the time.

It really felt more engine related to my butt at least.

5%? Hmmmm.......

OK, how about a loose battery cable or breather hose that when braking shifts and causes a problem? Maybe try to dupe the prob by braking hard a number of times on purpose? Wiggle everything in the engine compartment whileit's running? Hmmmmm????

 

[cpcc]

Warped rear rotors or sticking E-brake shoe. My 0.02.

 

[Gohawks63]

Overdrive not disengaging or warped rotors. My bet is the rotors. It could happen sporadically depending if both rotors are warped and how the warped rotors are respective to each other.

 

[concretejungle]

I appreciate the help. I have had warped rotors before, and this totally did not feel like rotors. The stop was smooth until approximatly 5 mph then it started to shutter/shake. Another way to describe it would be the feel of your CDL locked while turning fully on a paved parking lot. That lurching that you feel, except we were driving straight?!

 

[cruiser4life]

Alex - Did you check the CDL button? Like already said above, it is easy to bump and causes a similar feel.

While it is hard to notice if the button itself is pressed or not, the diff lock light on the dash is hard to miss...

Worth checking anyway because that '04 is not going to be so cherry by the time it becomes yours if the CDL is engaged on the pavement all the time.

 

[Jim_Chow]

I appreciate the help. I have had warped rotors before, and this totally did not feel like rotors. The stop was smooth until approximatly 5 mph then it started to shutter/shake. Another way to describe it would be the feel of your CDL locked while turning fully on a paved parking lot. That lurching that you feel, except we were driving straight?!

It sounds sound when one is driving a manual tranny vehicle and coming to a stop but doesn't take it out of gear or depress the clutch, right? My guess is the tranny didn't downshift properly/was in too high of a gear. I've driven my old 4runner in 4wd around the block on pavement before I knew better (center diff is locked all the time since part-time 4wd), and it doesn't do that...steering will be heavier, but no bucking. You can tell the drivetrain is under stress since you can't shift it out of 4wd until you back up in the reverse direction or drive straight for a while. I've also forgotten to unlock the rear diff when backing out of the parking lot. It'll feel like one tire is dragging/skidding, but again, no bucking. Besides, the center diff lock on the '03+ LC/LX is up on the dash next to the stereo, so it would be pretty hard to accidentally engage it unlike on the GX (one of the buttons next to the seat heater in the center console).

 

[Gohawks63]

Does it only happen when braking from speeds high enough where O/D was engaged? It sounds like the O/D is not desengaging.

Try it again driving in D4. If it doesn't happen, then there is a problems with the overdrive.

 

[concretejungle]

Does it only happen when braking from speeds high enough where O/D was engaged? It sounds like the O/D is not desengaging.

Try it again driving in D4. If it doesn't happen, then there is a problems with the overdrive.

Interesting. Except, this time we never got over 40mph.

I asked if he had any lights lite on the dash such as the CDL, i also checked today while it was parked and the CDL was not engaged.

EDIT: ok it happened again today. I think now it feels more like the motor than drivetrain. Almost like a lurching.

 

[ShottsUZJ100]

How about disco'ing the batt cable for a bit to let things reset? Then see how long before it returns. ?

 

[concretejungle]

How about disco'ing the batt cable for a bit to let things reset? Then see how long before it returns. ?

Since i'm not quite as advanced as you fellers, will that do anything to his navigation system?

 

[ShottsUZJ100]

Since i'm not quite as advanced as you fellers, will that do anything to his navigation system?

Well, I dont have Nav...but heck...what happens when they change out a dead battery with a new one? Can't be a big deal?

 

[100 TD]

Besides, the center diff lock on the '03+ LC/LX is up on the dash next to the stereo, so it would be pretty hard to accidentally engage it unlike on the GX

Not saying this was his problem, but yes it does get knocked, mine was on again yesterday, I only noticed it when I went to drive away from getting back in the vehicle after a 60 mile trip and fortunately noticed the light on the dash as I repositioned my self in the seat, when driving the steering wheel is actually blocks the view of the light for me. To me, as mentioned previously, it is in a PITA position.

 

[Jim_Chow]

Interesting. Except, this time we never got over 40mph.

I asked if he had any lights lite on the dash such as the CDL, i also checked today while it was parked and the CDL was not engaged.

EDIT: ok it happened again today. I think now it feels more like the motor than drivetrain. Almost like a lurching.

Doesn't the CDL switch turn off automatically when you shut off the engine and when you start it up again, it's off by default?

 

[Campfire]

Interesting. Except, this time we never got over 40mph.

I asked if he had any lights lite on the dash such as the CDL, i also checked today while it was parked and the CDL was not engaged.

EDIT: ok it happened again today. I think now it feels more like the motor than drivetrain. Almost like a lurching.

I'd try driving it around until it starts to do it again, and then...
1) shut off the over drive with the switch on the shifter and see if it makes a difference.
2) Then if it is still doing it, down shift manually with the shift lever.
3) let off the brakes and down shift manually to slow down, and see if any change occurs.
4) check the trans fluid level, and condition. See if it smells burned at all.
5) Check the u-joints in BOTH drive shafts.

Good luck, and be methodical in your diagnosis. Eliminate one thing at a time, and alot yourself a block of time to go out and do it. Document everthing you do, so if it progress' to the point of taking it in, they'll have more to work with.