sleaz22xx

I have a 94 4runner sr5 auto 4x4, 109,xxxk I ave done ALLOT of searching, but this is kind of a broad area, im hoping someone had had the same experience as mine and can offer some insight.

I begin to get a shutter at 43 MPH that gets progressively worse and peaks at 50, then begins to ease up as i get to around 60, but does not stop.( like a wheel balance problem would stop). This shudder is like a low toned rumble that happens only when i am on the gas, i can feel the rumble in the seat of my pants. I have greased all the u joints and cardan joint, changed front diff fluid, drained and filled A/T. Replaced dis. cap, and wires, coil and ignitor. Still at a loss, The u joints dont look to bad and have no up/down side/side play. What do you guys think?


Input is greatly appreciated , thanks in advance!

sleaz22xx

Furthermore, it doesnt matter what rpm the engine is running at,
and i do have a small engine tick that seems to be coming from # 6 cylinder.

This happened all of a sudden, as i was on the higway one a 1 hour trip, it just happend, once again thanks for any input

rdharper

Well... clearly in the drive train.

Since it needs gas applied (or load I would assume), you probably won't learn anything by taking the wheels off the ground (carefully of course), and spinning it up... although I might try that anyway.

Have you tried getting under and physically trying to check for play in the u-joints?

If you haven't replaced the u-joints in a "long-time", you might do that and get the drive shaft rebalanced. Or if you have a dealer or "expert" you can trust... get their opinion.. sounds like it is not going to just go away.

sleaz22xx

cardan and u joint have all been greased and checked for play, they seem fine, I am going to pull the plugs and look for buildup, then re gap. ANY OTHER THOUGHTS GUYS?GALS?

Belize Off Road Team

what about your wheels? are they balanced? when my 3.0 shuddered REALLY bad at 50mph, i just thought it was nothing. when i got new tires, they balanced it at the tire place and it went away.

sleaz22xx

Im pretty sure it is not a wheel balance, does not have the vibration associated with a balance problem. (ive dealt with that before), Now im getting a clunk sound from the Transfer case area when under initial load( when i put it into D or R and even when i put it into P somtimes).

Belize Off Road Team

ok, well it was an idea. Hope you find out whats wrong.

sleaz22xx

thanks for the input belize

rdharper

Is the start of the "shudder" associated with the last gear shift? My '94 is M/T, so I'm not sure of the gearing in the auto. If, when the shudder starts, you force a downshift, which should be ok at 50, does the shudder continue?

Maybe the filter in the auto needs replacing... pressure low?

sleaz22xx

Doesnt matter which gear i am in, when i punch the throttle to force a down shift the shudder stays the same as it was, doesnt matter the RPM, it seems to be only associated with the speed.

rdharper

Ok... does it go away when you back off the accelerator.. down hill etc? Does it start earlier or get worse when going uphill maintaining speed?

sleaz22xx

only when im on the throttle, as soon as i start to coast the rumble is gone

rdharper

Still sounds like a bearing in the drive train. When I've had problems with the u/joints, symptoms were noticeable at low speed, different in reverse than forward. The low frequency rumble I had once... turned out to be a rear wheel bearing. I've had wheel bearings go out and produce a high frequency noise... but on my 4Runner, it was a low frequency associated with speed.

I finally noticed an oil leak from the rear right wheel bearing. When fixed, the noise I was chasing was gone. Since my previous experience with wheel bearings suggesting a high frequency noise, I was chasing u-joints and differential possibilities... but it was the wheel bearing.

nix4x4

Have you checkes your motor mounts? Buddy has a 4.3 Blazer and his shuddered at about 70mph because one of the motor mounts was broken

sleaz22xx

havent checked the mounts, didnt think about that, I will check the rear bearings in the morning, but im still stuck on the fact that im getting a loud clunk when i first put it in gear, haynes says

1. loose rear suspension
2.Loose driveshaft bolts
3. worn or damaged U joints
4. worn sleeve yoke
5. defective center bearing or insulator

Im leaning towards 3 or 4.

bry-an

check your alignment.the loud clunk could be either in the tranny or the driveshaft(ujoints) if there is slop it would spin a hair before hitting resistance from the axle(brakes)

captain_howdy

if you go muddin' it might be wheel balance (i know, we've gone over wheel balance) but sometimes I gut mud caked in my rims and I gotta clean it out with the hose. If it's only when you gas it, I'd check your CV's and driveshaft.

stupid_mud_gremlins

Mine did the same thing a while back with my old tires. Turns out the TIRES were the problem.....Not sure what was happening but balancing them held of the shakes until at least 65, although the balancing machine called for 8 ounces of weight in one spot on my RF rim.

Targetnut

Wheel balance problems usually manifest themselves around 60mph. What you are describing really souns like a driveshaft issue.

Remove the driveshaft and check each of the jonts for play and stiffness.

They should have no play and anything more than just a bit of stiffness is a problem. Also inspect the flanges on the transfer case and rear end for play.

if it has a two piece driveshaft check the center support bearing and support itself.

Hope this helps
Victor

sleaz22xx

thanks for the advice, ill be dropping the drivshaft as soon as it stops raining here in boston