ok i have a question that i cant for the life of me find the problem out. I have a 90 yota pickup 4x4 22re manual trans on 33's with 4 in suspension lift and 2 in body.

While driving no matter if im in fourth or fifth gear, my stick shakes back and forth pretty bad. The steering wheel does not shake near as much as the stick. It does a little but not bad. I have replaced all tie rod ends as well as put a new steering dampner on and got the truck aligned, still i have this problem. The truck it self does not shack that bad being i have 33's but the stick is out of control. Can someone enlighten me on what i should do next or what the probable cause could be?

edit* by the way i did check the pitman arms as well as the idler arms and they look good. thanks

 

U-joints maybe, bad tire, bent drive shaft, bent output shaft...could be a bunch of stuff....jack it up, put it in gear, and watch the driveline...see if it is turning smooth, and no wobble.
If you get a clunk when starting off, and decelerating ....you most likely need ujoints.

 

i vibrate pretty noticeably between about 50-60 mph. ive chalked it up to one of lifes great mysteries

 

Motor mounts? Have you considered replacing them?

 

since it's speed related, maybe a tire out of round or out of balance- possibly a rear since the trans is taking the shaking, but i would lean towards the driveshaft being out out of balance or a u-joint taking a dive.

 

like others are saying, I would say u-joint or drive-shaft, and maybe a bad mount; more than likely a combination of the two

when in first starting off, does the stick try to pull to one side a lot? if it does, that's usually a good indication a mount's shot; the hole motor and trans torques to the side and the stick goes with it.

if you've got a bad u-joint it'll throw the drive-shaft slightly out of balance, wich might just be a vibration normally, but if the mount/mounts are shot, it'll turn that little vibration into a big oscillation... of the drive-train that is...

 

I just had this problem and it was the transmission mount. The rubber bushing was basically disintegrated after 24 years.

 

and that is a prime example why in my post I didn't specify what kind of mount...

a bad motor OR trans mount can cause the same symptom

 

i should have mentioned i have already changed the motor mout, i have yet to change the trans mount. I might consider that.. is there a test i can do on that mount? And how should i check to see if a U-joint went bad?

 

the basic test of u-joints is to jack the wheels off the ground then grab the drive shaft and try to turn it- if you can move the drive shaft with your hand and can see 'free play' in the u-joints, the u-joints need replaced. but if you have greaseable u-joints, and haven't greased them in the last 10000 miles, replace them.

 

i shall give that a try in the a.m thanks

 

I should've added that the wheels shouldn't move.
Jacking them up just takes the stress of the u-joints caused by binding the gears and such.

 

alright so just jack up rear end and try to turn the drive line?

 

Very true. I made the mistake of assuming most people understand the 3rd motor mount is under the rear of the tranny. My bad.

Especially if you have already changed the front motor mounts. I would definitely change the rear as well. It's cheap insurance and shouldn't take much to do.