Mr. Sociable

Hi all,

I'm posting this question in this section in hopes of getting more responses than just in my build up thread. I recently bought a 1996 4Runner (manual, e-locker) with 131,000 on it currently.

The truck is having some vibrations at pretty much all speeds from 20mph+. Steering wheel doesn't shake, and everything FEELS ok except for the vibration which you can mostly feel in the seat/floor. Wheels/tires are balanced and the alignment checked out fine. Took it to a local shop to get it diagnosed (I was thinking a bad U-joint) and they pointed to my inner tie rod ends and the steering gear as the culprit. When the truck was on the lift there was a fairly decent amount of play when they wiggled the driver's front wheel up/down. When I got home I figured it might be the steering rack bushings, so I had a friend turn the wheel while I was under the car and sure enough there was probably ~0.5-0.75" of play when turning it. Is that too much? Steering feels fine and tight, I haven't noticed anything I would call abnormal.

I guess I'm just not seeing how either of those could cause a shimmy feeling in the seat without having the steering wheel shake. Thoughts? Help?

I'd love to get this fixed cheap before diving into a steering rack replacement. Are the rack bushings a good place to start or am I looking in all the wrong places?

Thanks!

jakeasinsnake

Fixed my vibration with a driveshaft balancing. Something to consider and pretty inexpensive

Mr. Sociable

Did your vibration have similar circumstances? Wouldn't a driveshaft cause vibration changes with RPM?


Sorry, new to the SUV world.

Mr. Sociable

Bump for more thoughts. I'd love to fix/diagnose this without paying a shop. Search has been...less than helpful.

waskillywabbit

iTrader: (-1)

Unbalanced tires.

:wabbit2:

badattitude

Steering rack guide?

https://www.yotatech.com/forums/f2/h...ctures-215931/

bluAM2

Bent rim ... but that would change some with speed.

DRCOFFEE

What about wheel bearings? I've had to replace bearing before because of a nasty shake yet they were quiet when driving. How is the axle seal holding up?

Mr. Sociable

Tires are balanced properly. Trust me, that was the first thing I checked.

This is interesting. For $60 or w/e it is maybe I'll give it a shot. Thanks for the link!


Haven't looked at the rear axle seal, I'll get under it on Wednesday and check it out. I've heard the rear wheel bearings aren't great on the 3rd gens. I know there's no liquid on the insides of my rear tires though.

cheetoeone

I had a similar problem with both my first gen and 3rd gen runners. After taking it apart we found that the main bolt in the center of the transfer case (sorry don't know the name) between the rear drive shaft and the transfer case was loose. I tightened them on both my trucks and eliminated the vibration. Hoe this helps.

bdc1989

I have the same problem, I think. Bought my 96 Tacoma for my daughter. It had a vibration that feels to me like unbalanced tires/unevenly worn tires. It was a great deal so I took it anyway. It's not the tires. It's present at all speeds although you can't feel it at really low speeds. Continues even when the tranny is in neutral (and it doesn't . I was going to replace the Tcase, but before I do I'd like to make sure that's what it is. Any thoughts?