DJK-West

I've been trying to track down the root of the problem that I've been having for several months now. I get this hum coming from under the center console which gets progressively louder accompanied by vibration that gets progressively bad up to a certain point. It's coming from the front. I have taken my truck to 3 different shops. To make a long story short, when the mechanic tried tugging on both the front and rear driveshafts, there's play from the ends that goes into the tranny from both the front and rear driveshafts . I can see the play, not sure by how much but its visible. No pouring fluid from the tranny when he tugged on them which leads me to believe that it could be the slip yoke or the u-joints. Could the tranny be going bad? The last shop I took it to would need to drop both of them and take them to a driveline rebuilder. They're estimate, w/o looking at the shafts, is around $700 to rebuild both driveshafts which includes replacement of the u-joints, phasing, and balancing.

This seems a lot!!! This is the first time I've dealt with driveline issues. I usually never kept a car long enough for it to develop this kind of problem down the line. I love my 4Runner that much that's why I'm keeping it til the wheels fall off. Anyhow, they said that the driveshafts on Japanese cars are more expensive to rebuild than those found in domestic cars. Is this the normal going rate for a rebuild? What's a cheaper alternative? I was thinking of going to a wrecking yard but how do I detect a good driveshaft with u-joints versus a bad one? How about aftermarket ones? I live in Los Angeles and the shops that I've found wouldn't look at them unless I take it down and out of my truck. I don't have another car I can use while my truck is down so I'm stuck. Any suggestions would greatly help. BTW, I already read this: http://www.4crawler.com/4x4/CheapTri....shtml#Phasing .

Thanks guys.

Tacoclimber

Have you thought about just replacing the u-joints yourself?

DJK-West

I have however, how do I ensure that both joints are aligned properly when I install the new u-joints?

Tacoclimber

If the setup is similar to my DC Tacoma (and I think they are) you have a two piece rear driveshaft, supported in the middle by the center carrier bearing. Could that be the problem? If the rubber cushion is thrashed around the bearing, it could be causing the vibrations...

DJK-West

My 4Runner is a 4x4. The rear driveshaft is one piece, it's very short though but the front shaft is even shorter.

MMA_Alex

I doubt the shafts themselves are in need of a balance, unless you dented/bent both of them somehow rockcrawling or something.

you can do the u-joints yourself pretty easily. what year/what drivetrain?

if theres play at the pinion seal, or t-case output shaft that could also be your issue. oh, and both driveshafts come out of the t-case, not the trans.

Get underneath your truck, and try wiggling the driveshafts at each of the joints, as well as the t-case output, and the pinion seal. Figure out where your problem is

unless its an awd, or this only happens in 4x4 I would focus on the rear driveshaft as the front shouldnt be spinning all the time.

Oh, and it could be worse. My dad has a honda crv, and the u-joints are non replacable, and non greasable. he ended up having to buy a whole new driveshaft from honda for around $1200 if i remember right.

RustBucket

iTrader: (1)

A good shop should be able to just replace the u-joints for like $100. And make sure you grease 'em when you change your oil

anthony1

iTrader: (1)

I think you might just need to replace the U joint in the rear drive shaft.
I'd do that first then drive around to see if it's better.

Georgiadave

Either do it yourself, if you can, or find a more honest shop.

Replacing u joints is not rocket science. If you have a vise or a press, the FSM shows you how to do it. This should be about a two hour job.

If you have the joints installed properly, they are aligned. Based on what you have told us, you are dealing with thieves.

Tacoclimber

Going back to the source of the problem, if it started out of nowhere and has increased, I'd put my money on u-joints. Unless something's out of whack with your t-case (highly unlikely). What you're describing sounds suspiciously like the u-joints.

I agree with the others. Get a second opinion.

DJK-West

Thanks for the assistance, I've been searching in the forum like crazy! And I have taken my truck to 3 different shops nearby where I live. The last one was highly recommended by my friend and he's been taking all his cars to them for years. However, I just don't feel good about the diagnosis that they've given me especially the amount of the estimate. Gut feeling tells me that I should keep researching on this. Anyhow, My 4Runner is a 4x4 and sorry, I did mean transfer case instead of the tranny...sorry for that confusion. And yes, there's some play coming from the transfer case outputs and on the u-joints on that end. The u-joints on the front and rear differential ends have no play. I don't take my rig rock-climbing and haven't gone off-roading in years so I very rarely use the 4wd system. I haven't used it in years so I'm kinda scared to activate it because I don't know what will happen if I do. It's never been serviced but have had the fluid replaced along with the tranny. The hum and vibration is mainly present on 2wd mode, I'm not sure if it will get worse when I activate the 4wd system. The mechanic kept insisting on dropping the driveshafts first and have it taken to his driveshaft guy to check for balance and go from there. I'm thinking of having him just replace the u-joints on the rear driveshaft and start from there. What do you guys think?

MSR

Where are you at i'd find another shop, are they a toyota only shop or is it full of BMW's?

anthony1

iTrader: (1)

replace the U-joints first.

DJK-West

I live nearby Burbank, CA. It's not a Toyota only shop. The first shop I went to is a driveline only shop. The second is a transmission shop. And the third one is a general automotive shop but they work on a lot of lifted trucks and SUV's. They also do performance stuff such as installing superchargers or turbochargers.

Tacoclimber

I'd do that.

When your lights don't work, do you start replacing wires or do you check the fuse first? Just a thought.

DJK-West

I'm looking at the FSM online and saw that the rear output of the transfer case has this thing called the companion flange, see pic below:



It's similar to the one that's on the rear diff, see pic below:



Therefore, taking down the rear driveshaft should be easy. However, if you look at the front of the t-case on the first photo, there's no companion flange that the front driveshaft can bolt onto. So how does the front driveshaft come out?

DJK-West

I must be blind or something, the front of the t-case attaches to the tranny. Now I see the companion flange where the front driveshaft attaches to.

MMA_Alex

get under there and see if any of the u-joints have play. theres no reason to spend time & $$$ just to find out that you're replacing something that isnt the problem.

I hate that on this forum. Everyone would rather throw parts and money and time at a problem than taking the 5 minutes it would require to properly diagnose the problem.

Allstar93088

I have had similar problems with mine, what speeds do you feel it vibrate? My truck vibrates heavly from 38-48mph. I have replaced both the front and rear ujoints and still have this issue. My mechanic called the toyota place up and asked there opinion because we have tried alot of stuff but no dice. The toyota place said its likely to be in the carrier bearing, the bearing where the two piece drive shaft connects. The part is coming in on monday so i am taking my truck back to the garage tuesday and hopefully my problem will be resolved. This issue has been going on for almost 2 months now....reallllll PITA!

Flash319

I would say U-joints as well. When you put it 4x4 you are splitting the trque to the front as well so the vibration may not be as bad. 2 ujoints x 2 hours and a vise = fixed. If you don't want to do it just drop the shaft yourself, 4 bolts at each end, mark the flange to flange location with a marker and take it to any transmission place or whatever. Buy the u-joints ($30 each) and they can put them in in half an hour.