Well a while ago i noticed that i had a slight steering wheel shake between 65-75. But today i noticed it didnt stop after 75 kept going till 80 but wasnt as strong. I had my tires balanced a while ago at america's tire, i dont know if they have that special machine for toyota, but it didnt do anything so i dont think its tires. what might be causing this? I was reading it might be Ujoints. maybe i should grease them up? I wont have a chance to do it till next weekend once i get back home from college. Thanks for all your help.

 

Maybe your 4Runner is just living up to your username.

I'd jack up the front end and see if there is any play in the steering or suspension components. You'll also be checking the bearing play at the same time.

I wouldn't imagine U-Joints causing a shake at the wheel, but perhaps you could feel a vibration. Grease never hurts though.

 

i would say that a tire weight might have fallen off or it was'nt balanced right
(when i worked at a tire store we did lots of re balanceing) take it back and have it redone for free

 

Redo the balancing, then check your steering stabilizer, then check the wheels and tires for being out of round to make sure if you cant figure it out

 

there was no change from before the balance to after the balance. Thats why i think it might be something else. ill take a look at steering stuff. how should i go about checking it throughly? Its more a really quick oscillations. its not a huge shake. maybe 1/2 in to each side but it gets faster as speed increases.

 

A lot of people have problems with worn steering rack bushings.... If you can get a buddy to turn the wheel when you are under the truck, check for play in that area.

 

so i take it i can do that with the tires on the ground?

 

Try swapping the front tires to the back and see if that changes anything. One tire being out of round will cause the same thing - I had to get a BFG replaced under warranty after 4000 miles and about 4 re-balances - that fixed the same issue you describe.

Yeah you can (actually: should) check the rack bushings on the ground. Just turn the steering wheel and watch the rack.

 

Did you physically check your U-joints to see if there is play in it? Mine did that in my old 1988 V6 x-tra cab from about 60+mph and it turned out to be the U-joint. (I found that it occurred occassionally after I put a lockrite in the rear.) Took a socket to it and the shake was history.

Cheers and good luck.

 

I have this same problem. Right at 60mph i get a bad shake but it stops about 65 - 70. It has done that since i got it and never changed with alliment or balancing.

I am thinking it might be the bushings. They are cheap to replace i just have not got around to it. If you figure it out be sure to post it.

 

I've actually had this problem. I just rotated/balanced the tires, and it went away. Course, you could have other problems. Try the easy stuff first!

 

Usually all toyota trucks have this problem.

 

well i think you guys are right about the steering bushing. I noticed that if i was going strait for a while it would not shake. Its more just vibrating the car more then shaking the steering wheel. It would continue to be nice and smooth until i turned to correct for wind or a bend in the road. Then it would shake and eventually stop after a while on a strait away. Im going to physically look at them later tonight or tomorrow but where can i order bushings?

 

Checked it out in the parking lot and the whole rack moves a good 1/8-1/4 inch in the bushings. ill be ordering new ones in a day or 2. How difficult is the job?

 

I do have this problem too. Mine vibrates when I brake, and when I go at high speeds. I know the brakes are probably the rotors. I will get a new set, and rotate the tires. If that doesn't do anything, watch out!

 

I've had this prob...after replacing the all 4 shocks, new tires,alignment,poly steering rack bushings, balancing & balancing & rotating...the problem is still there. The tre's seem tight but I notice some odd play in the steering. I lifted the front of the truck off the ground and removed the boot on the driver's side steering arm. When I push the tire in and out, it looks as if the horizontal steering rod travels up or down slightly in addition to moving in and out. Maybe the whole steering rack is to blame? How would I be able to determine if it's the rack?

 

I am pretty sure, 3rd Gen runners dont have steering stabilizers.

 

Is there a walkthrough for replacing the bushings?

What are all the things that could be the problem if a yota is getting very slight vibration at 65-70mph?

I know it could be tires/balance/alignment, but all that is covered with mine.
Then you have the bushings and steering rack? Which is what I'm thinking the issue is.

What else could it be if that doesn't fix it?

Has anyone ever had this problem and fixed it? I keep hearing of the issue but no 100% fixes.

 

Maybe all of your toyota trucks......

The easy solution would be to avoid driving between 65-75 mph hehe...

 

I'm thinking new steering rack now