I've had a bone jarring shake when accelerating between 40-70 mph in my new-to-me UZJ100L . It goes away once you reach cruising speed/aren't accelerating or putting everything under load.
First mechanic's diagnosis: Lot of slop in the CV Joints/Axles. They need to be replaced. They had been replaced 7K ago. Axles under warranty. Labor would be only cost.
Had it done. Shake is still there but is slightly less jarring.
Second opinions sought (after axles replaced)
Toyota Dealership: Takes off rear drive shaft. Drives it and tech says it's a combination of: 1. Extreme angle of CV axles as result of lift. 2. Spacer on one side of the vehicle and not other. 3. Differential needs to be lowered on one side. They tell me that Toyota won't work on it because of after market suspension (ICON) and I should take it to local shop that specializes in suspension (They recommend one).
Suspension shop: Toyota doesn't know what they are talking about. There are spacers on both sides. The lift is minimal - maybe 1-1.5". The angle isn't extreme. All of the suspension work (not done by them by the way) looks first class and perfect. Shake feels to them like it is more in the back than front but can't be sure because all-time 4wd. They check the U-Joints. Everything is tight. No great recommendation on next steps to figure it out other than taking to a drive-line specialist. (They spent about 2 hours going over the vehicle, and the guy doing it is a former Toyota Tech). Discover a slight diff seal leak on new driveshaft/cv axle assembly.
I go back to mechanic who installed the cv axles and he fixes/replaces diff seal. During our conversation, I tell him it's still shaking under load and he says "Yeah, I know. It's the angle of the cv axles. You need axles that are longer." He proceeds to explain how the bearings aren't moving back and forth because of the angle and are sticking in place, which is what caused the more exacerbated problem I was having but that it would just happen again. Last time it took about 7K miles of highway driving. He also said the shaft isn't going far enough into the differential. He said they will just continue to sit in the same spot instead of moving back and forth, wear down like they did previously.
So, I have a dealership that gets a little bit right but is suspect because they miss a lot on their inspection. I've got a mechanic who tells me something that tracks logically. And then I have one of two of the best suspension shops in our area with a mechanic (not just some kid slinging parts) who says that he doesn't see any way that it's the angle or the front end suspension that it could be an out-of-balance driveshaft, possibly something with the differentials, possibly something with the transmission or possibly something with the transfer case or torque converter - a laundry list of things that he couldn't really check out or figure out in the time he had with the machine.
Other folks' experience? Thoughts? How would you proceed in diagnosing. I'm not much on shotgun approaches and just spending money on "hopefully this fixes it."
First mechanic's diagnosis: Lot of slop in the CV Joints/Axles. They need to be replaced. They had been replaced 7K ago. Axles under warranty. Labor would be only cost.
Had it done. Shake is still there but is slightly less jarring.
Second opinions sought (after axles replaced)
Toyota Dealership: Takes off rear drive shaft. Drives it and tech says it's a combination of: 1. Extreme angle of CV axles as result of lift. 2. Spacer on one side of the vehicle and not other. 3. Differential needs to be lowered on one side. They tell me that Toyota won't work on it because of after market suspension (ICON) and I should take it to local shop that specializes in suspension (They recommend one).
Suspension shop: Toyota doesn't know what they are talking about. There are spacers on both sides. The lift is minimal - maybe 1-1.5". The angle isn't extreme. All of the suspension work (not done by them by the way) looks first class and perfect. Shake feels to them like it is more in the back than front but can't be sure because all-time 4wd. They check the U-Joints. Everything is tight. No great recommendation on next steps to figure it out other than taking to a drive-line specialist. (They spent about 2 hours going over the vehicle, and the guy doing it is a former Toyota Tech). Discover a slight diff seal leak on new driveshaft/cv axle assembly.
I go back to mechanic who installed the cv axles and he fixes/replaces diff seal. During our conversation, I tell him it's still shaking under load and he says "Yeah, I know. It's the angle of the cv axles. You need axles that are longer." He proceeds to explain how the bearings aren't moving back and forth because of the angle and are sticking in place, which is what caused the more exacerbated problem I was having but that it would just happen again. Last time it took about 7K miles of highway driving. He also said the shaft isn't going far enough into the differential. He said they will just continue to sit in the same spot instead of moving back and forth, wear down like they did previously.
So, I have a dealership that gets a little bit right but is suspect because they miss a lot on their inspection. I've got a mechanic who tells me something that tracks logically. And then I have one of two of the best suspension shops in our area with a mechanic (not just some kid slinging parts) who says that he doesn't see any way that it's the angle or the front end suspension that it could be an out-of-balance driveshaft, possibly something with the differentials, possibly something with the transmission or possibly something with the transfer case or torque converter - a laundry list of things that he couldn't really check out or figure out in the time he had with the machine.
Other folks' experience? Thoughts? How would you proceed in diagnosing. I'm not much on shotgun approaches and just spending money on "hopefully this fixes it."
