jakesooy

I just recently noticed a problem with my 97 4runner at highway speeds. Whenever I am accelerating and I get to the 55-65 mph range my truck will kick a little bit, in repetitive succession. That's the best way I know how to describe it. It just starts at 55 and stops at 65. It only happens during acceleration or when going up a hill. I can feel it in my seat, but it doesn't seem to be shaking the truck much, if at all. The tach does not surge, or anything like that.

Also, in case it might be related. My CEL light came on a few weeks ago, then it went off. I took it to Toyota and they said the code it threw was for a bad O2 sensor, but that they were actually fine. They also said that it shouldn;t have anything to do with this new problem. I really don't want to pay toyota another $105 just to check it out. If anyone has ideas please let me know.

Thanks a lot guys.

prospectator

Have you tried lubing the drive shaft? If the ujoints start drying out you may experience a similar problem.

DeathCougar

iTrader: (23)

Sounds like EGR (mine had the exact same issue) or O2 sensor.

Skrillah

Mine is doing this as well...only when its cold out though. I think I"m going to replace the o2 sensor and see

prospectator

I don't think an 02 sensor would cause a vibration or "kick" to be felt in the seat. I could be wrong.

When you say repetitive motion, at what rpm (not engine rpm) would you say? Like for every revolution of the tire or faster like every revolution of the drive shaft? The drive shaft will be turning ~4X faster than the tire so you should be able to tell the difference pretty easily. If you can't tell, take a piece of duct tape and put it across the tire. You should be able to hear the tape with each revolution of the tire. Then go drive around and see if the repetition is faster or slower than the rpm of the tire.

I agree with the dealer and don't think the CEL is related to this problem. But.....I don't know what a bad O2 sensor feels like. Good Luck.

jakesooy

i'd say its going about 3-4 times a second but its a little bit variable based on how hard I am accelerating. thanks for the help so far. any other ideas?

beatenyota

IF your engine is running rich, or lean, you'll have o2 sensor codes. Doesn't mean the sensor is bad so don't go replacing those.

could be a vacuum leak, bad EGR sounds like the culprit though. Is your engine running cooler than normal?

jakesooy

It appears to be running at the normal temp. I really haven't noticed anything out of the ordinary except for this problem. i was hoping it might be a common thing so I would KNOW what to fix. sounds like i might have to have a shop check it out so im not replacing tons of perfectly fine parts until i find the problem

infiltrator

thats the way mine was, not at 55-65 but more around the 30's. turned out i had a bad u-joint. it was cracked internally and we had to burn it off!!!
get a look under the truck at the two u-joints one at the end of the transmission and one towards your diff.

prospectator

Your 4runner doesn't have an EGR valve. At least my 97 doesn't. At 3-4 times / second that's pretty quick. I'd still say to check the drive shaft. The speed of the drive shaft will constantly change as you accelerate so it'll be variable. But.........web diagnosis is difficult so please take these as friendly recommendations.

mjwalfredo

Maybe I am misinterpreting the "kick" description but I had something that sounded similar to that once. The engine was misfiring at the same speed you are noticing the kick but no codes were being thrown. I stopped at a dealership and they replaced the plug wires. All was better after that.

jakesooy

yeah, I know "kick" can mean alot of things I just dont know how to better describe it. I will probably stop by the dealership and see what they say.

sloppy85toy

have u checked the wheel balance.that will be a vibration but im not sure about the kick.look to see if ur missing any weights onthe front wheels there might be a clean spot were one used to be

964runnerjake

Mine is doing the same thing, I don't understand what it could be. Any new Ideas?

Man4God

Drive train Zerk fittings. Get a gun and some good lube and just do it. Makes for a smooth vehicle.

waskillywabbit

iTrader: (-1)

Speed range problems are often tire balance issues.

Properly lube the drivetrain.

:wabbit2:

964runnerjake

This is no wobble, its like a serious miss. With no codes.

waskillywabbit

iTrader: (-1)

Perhaps start your own thread and describe the problem in more detail and what Toyota you have.

Throw out vague questions you get vague answers.

:wabbit2:

964runnerjake

Sorry, I'm no mechanic and new to this site so it won't let me start a thread yet. Thank you anyway. Anything helps

waskillywabbit

iTrader: (-1)

Yes. You can start a new thread and yes you can provide information on your vehicle and issue.

:wabbit2: