1993-4runner

Hello all, I just purchased a 93 4runner, it's in fairly decent shape overall, it needs some tlc, but I'm excited =)
I am wondering if the driveshaft is indeed out of balance or if I have u joint issues or anything else I'm not thinking of

However, it came to me w/o the front drive shaft installed (previous owner said it needed balanced) I installed the driveline to see see how bad the vibration is...it is awful (when 4x4 is engaged) especially when decelerating to a stop, isn't as bad when applying throttle.

Background info:
-Ujoint and double cardan joint seem tight and don't -have any obvious signs of wear
-Has mystery 4inch ifs lift
-Newer rear driveshaft
-V6, 5spd
-Double cardan joint seems to be nearly maxed out
-Does NOT appear to be missing any weights
-Do not know if it started vibrating when lift was installed or if it became a recent problem
Thanks for any words of advice and I'm excited to be here =D

akwheeler

it's out of phase. pull the slip yoke apart, line up the u-joints and slip it back together.

1993-4runner

Thanks! I'll give it a shot and report back in the morning

1993-4runner

Tried a few different driveshaft orientations this morning, ended up w/ the 2 joints aligned with each other, both grease fittings in same orientation...

This yielded a minor decrease in vibration, so it was likely contributing to my vibrations, however I still have bad vibes up front with 4x4 engaged, even at low speeds (under 10mph). Still is smoother when on the gas/worse when slowing down.

I found that the driverside half shaft wiggles where it goes into the hub, so I'm beginning to suspect that may be the issue, it's doesn't seem like the CV joint itself is loose. I know I need to tear apart that hub to find out exactly what's going on, but any ideas on the likely culprit before I dig in (know what parts I may need)

Thanks!

mwisham

Smooth on acceleration with vibration on decel is a classic sign of u-joint failure.
the angle on that front shaft looks pretty extreme to me.

1993-4runner

mwisham

I've been a mechanic for forty years, granted that has been on semi's. But I would pull that shaft and check every u-joint. My 2008 Chevy P/U had a bad vibration. I checked the u-joints, they were all tight but when I pulled the driveshaft, the rear u-joint ( greseless type ) had dust in the caps where needle bearings should have been. Have you checked the rear shaft as well?

1993-4runner

So pull and disassemble the double cardan joint and u joint to check bearings then? Vibrations is definitely something up front, no vibe in 2wd (or 4wd with front driveshaft removed)

mwisham

I would definitely pull the front driveshaft and check all the joints. You are sure that the yokes are perfectly aligned with each other? There should be an absolutely straight line from yoke to yoke on each end of the driveshaft. If it is off by one spline, it can cause issues. There could be a problem in the front differential but let's hope not. Hopefully it is just a bad u-joint.

1993-4runner

One other thing that crossed my mind is that I read that with a double cardan, the ujoint needs to be inline with the differential, by eyeball it looks to have an angle to it. Any thoughts on this?

mwisham

If the yokes on each end of the driveshaft are perfectly aligned, the yokes on the diiferential and transfer case should be perfectly aligned also.
If you are talking about horizontal alignment, if that is off, it would make me think the angle is too extreme. if it was my vehicle, i would get that lift off.

1993-4runner

I'm talking about the pinion angle

mwisham

Yes,it appears that the pinion angle is too steep. If it was mine, I would take the lift off. The truck in my avatar is sitting at stock heighth with 31X10.50's on it. I use it to take me to my hunting lease and back and I have never had an issue with it. And as you can see, ground clearance is not a problem.

Terrys87

iTrader: (1)

I had a 91 runner and I got a recall from Toyota for the Steering Relay Rod a few years ago. Take it to the dealer and see if yours has the recall done on it. They were still honoring it not that long ago. Your angle does look steep to me.

osv

if the ujoints are good, i'd try taking it to a driveshaft shop and see what they charge to balance it.

1993-4runner

I'm leaning towards removing the lift, but before anything else I'm going to tear apart that front left hub as its allowing the CV shaft to move around

1993-4runner

Well, got a good look at the front end, decided I will be removing the lift in conjunction with new tires.
Ulthe front driverside tire is worn on the inside, but after looking, it appears the alignment is already maxed out. (Looks like poor lift geometry)

Looks like I have a few trips to the junkyard in order! Thanks everyone for the input so far, I'm sure I will be needing more insight as I progress in this adventure

1993-4runner

Removed the front left hub this morning, the bearing have a bit of play in them, so going to be replacing seals and bearings, the CV shaft a bit of play going through the spindle.

Is this normal or does it indicate something is worn? I'll be pulling a balljoint loose tomorrow so I can inspect the shaft itself.

Can't really find anything in the Haynes manual indicating if there is a bushing or bearing that the shaft goes through thanks guys!