Limited Yota

Ok I have a 98 Tacoma slightly lifted. It has 3 inches of suspension and a 2 inch body lift. I recently had a rumble that sounded like it was coming from the front. My cv axles were bad so i replaced them thinking that could be the problem but it didn't help much. It only rumbles when i am going 60 or so. It used to rumble from 20-25 then stop till 45-65 then it was back. I replaced the axles and now it is just at 60. Tires are in balance too I had it done recently. Is this because the axles are at such an angle cuz of the lift kit or is something else wrong? I can't find the problem.

Bighead

Are you just getting the noise or is there a vibration associated with it?

BajaRunner

Did you try rotating the wheels? Not just balancing them.

Limited Yota

Yeah i rotated the tires when i had them balanced. but there is also a vibration. I guess vibration is a better definition of it than rumble. Do you have any idea what it is? I have asked the guys at toyotatruckworld.com and they are stumped too any help would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks
Derek

midiwall

Does it go away when you touch the brakes lightly? What about when you get on it heavier?

Does it go away at 70? If so, then does it come back as you _coast_ through 60? (i.e., does it only happen when you're applying power at 60?)

Did the vibration show up shortly after the lift went on? If not, then how much time elapsed between the lift going on and the vibration showing up?

Have you greased your U-Joints lately?

Now that we're saying it's a vibration, and that you can feel it, do you feel it in the steering wheel? Brake pedal? Floor? If you put your hand on the door can you feel it there as well?

What'd you use for the body lift?

Limited Yota

It only does it when i am applying power to the drivetrain if i coast down a hill them i dont notice it anymore. As for the lift kits go I dont know what the suspension lift is the body lift is a tuff country from what i remember. I bought the truck back in July and it didnt make any sounds untill i notice the CV axles were bad even then it wasn't bad till recently. when i go 70 or faster its is gone and runs like a dream way smooth and fast. And I feel the vibration through the steering wheel before the new cv axles i couldn't see out of my mirrors. But now its just in the steering wheel and when it vibrates it makes the whole cab shake hence i was thinking rumble type of sound it sounds like a big sub woofer. The guy who had my taco last wasn't mechanically sound he changed the motor oil annually but thats it both diffs and tranny were full of sludgy nasty 90 wt. I changed that a long while ago but what else could cause the vibrations? I have a feeling it could be because the axles have been put on a pretty gnarly angle so it is causeing them to maybe vibrate... all I know is i have been fighting this for too long

midiwall

Let's start here...
The lift you have isn't a TON for CVs, but it IS at the end of what "we" consider max. The vibration you're talking about wouldn't be caused by a 3" lift.

But, I'm curious... If you're not sure what the suspension lift is, then are you sure what the _amount_ of the lift is? Reason I ask is that, like I said above, 3" is about the max for a CV lift on our rigs. If it turns out you actually have 4-5" of lift, then there's trouble.

Take a look at the CV boots. "Too much lift" is easily defined by the ribs on the boots touching one-another when the truck is sitting normally (i.e., in your driveway). Lemme know how that looks, or better yet - post up a pic of what it looks like.


A lot. The fact that this happens when you're applying power and not coasting; and that it goes away at other speeds makes me think of stuff like:

• Driveshaft out of balance. Any dents in it?
• U joints are worn or loose
• One of the diffs (probably the front) is running on worn bearings
• Rotors are out of balance
• Calipers are loose
• Wheel hub bearings are worn
• Body mounts are loose

Other folks will have more ideas I'm sure.


Side note...
If the previous owner changed the oil _annually_, then I would seriously suspect some horrible maintenance practices on everything else on the rig. Sludge in the tranny? How'd you deal with that? Anything short of a full pull and teardown is probably too little.

Elton

guess im the only one who noticed this is posted in the wrong section ?

midiwall

Wow... so much for my mod'ing skills!

I'll move it... Lemme find a landing zone.

"Thank You Elton"

Ironmike4x4

Just a quick question.... does it almost feel like the same vibration as if you are on the freeway and you slightly hit the rough on the right sides? If so it may be due to a vibration in the exhaust. The reason I say that is I had the same problem come in today at work and using the EVA system was able to pinpoint it to the exhaust rattling. I wound up putting clamps on it to isolate the problem and sure enough the clamps made the noise go away. The customer had 3" body and no suspension lift, the bracket for the exhaust hanger was apparently in the same frequency as another road vibration causing the noise/feel. Try to elimnate the exhaust noise first and see what happens.

Tanto

Loose body mounts would cause a distinct "squeaking" FWIW.

Since you probably don't have an idea of how high a STOCK 98 tacoma is, you could do two things:

1 - Take a picture of your CVs and some of us can tell you if you're maxing out the travel on them (I.E. 4"+ lift)
2 - Ask a member with a stock ride height 98 Tacoma how high their truck sits from the frame to the ground and compare it to your measurements.

I'm surprised nobody has suggested checking the alignment. If all else fails, the loading of the suspension (albeit miniscule) could affect the tires enough to cause this and if he's only feeling it in the steering wheel it _sounds_ plausible.

Elton

mark your fired

Limited Yota

ok I will try to post some pictures tommorrow. The guy i bought it from told me it was a 3" suspension lift but in not sure and i had it aligned recently and the guy at les schwab told me there on one thing he couldnt get to the right spot it could have been the camber or caster or something but i will post some pictures of it as soon as i figure out how to HAHAHA

TRDatVT

x2 on the driveshaft balance and the worn bearings. I assume is an ADD front end? If so the front drive shaft doesnt rotate so i wouldnt say it was u-joints but i guess anything is possible. Definitely check those bearings up front since they go bad and take other things with them eventually

Limited Yota

ok I will check out the bearings. and what U joints could be bad? I recently replaced the front CV axles so they are brand new. What do I do to check the driveline also? And what is One of the diffs (probably the front) is running on worn bearings. Is that the wheel bearing? or is it a bearing where you slide the inner part of the cv axles into on the differential?

midiwall

The driveshaft.


Start with a visual inspection. Look for dents; look around the area of the undercarriage where the driveline spins to see if you can spot rubbing. Remember that the driveline moves as the suspension works, so you have to look past the immediate area at the "resting state".

If you're up for it, drop the driveshaft to the ground (there are four bolts at each end on the universal), and roll it on the pavement. That's a clear way to see if it's bent.


"Yes". There are bearings in the wheel hub, and in the front diff. I'd suspect both.


When's the last time you checked the fluid level in the front diff? Any signs of seepage around the CV on the diff side?

And please share the process you went through to clean the sludge out of the transmission.

Limited Yota

Ok I will check out the driveline asap along with the bearings. But I'm not an expert with most of this stuff im not dumb i know what this or that is. but all i have done with my tranny is i have changed the oil about 3 times. I drained the bad nasty crap out then put new in and ran it for about a week (I only drive about 15 miles a day) then i drained it again then repeated the process. The oil doesn't look bad anymore now that its on its third thing of new oil in 2 months. But other than that nothing. The reason i checked it in the first place is because I could feel the heat through the floor boards while i was driving and sure enough it was low and extreeeeemly bad and old. It doesn't run hot anymore and i haven't had any problems with it yet i hope i dont in the future too.

Limited Yota

Here they are my CV axles. I cant upload them any bigger. It wont let me.

Limited Yota

Well i figured out the problem! It was a worn rear driveline U-joint... the first thing I checked after I got on here!

Thanks
Derek

midiwall

You're welcome!