Finally took the new 03 out on a road trip this past weekend, and discovered a vibration problem. It starts at about 65mph and continues at least through 80mph (I didn't push it any higher). It is a cyclic vibration, more of a resonance than vibration actually, but I say vibration because you can feel it very slightly from the pedal and the steering wheel. It sounds like it is coming from the front driver's side, and it only does it with a load against it. Let off the gas, it goes away. Mine is full time 4WD, so I have no option to take it out and see what happens. Just wondering if anyone else is experiencing the same thing, and what you have done to correct it.
03 vibration problem...
- Thread starter jjcobra99
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Thai
Elite Member
JJcobra,
This vibration problem apparently is on a few 4runners and GX470. According to the link below, Lexus/Toyota knows about this problem and is in process of trying to fix it.
Vibration Problem at Highway Speed
Hope this helps.
This vibration problem apparently is on a few 4runners and GX470. According to the link below, Lexus/Toyota knows about this problem and is in process of trying to fix it.
Vibration Problem at Highway Speed
Hope this helps.
utah_saint
New member
Hello everyone.
Well, now that I finally solved the infamous "clunk" sensation in the driveline of my '03 4runner v8 4wd, I am now concentrating my efforts to the soon to be infamous "humming/ pulsation" that people everywhere are slowly noticing at highway speeds. Yes, this is a rhythmic type sound and yes, it worsens under load (upon depressing the accelerator pedal more and more while driving around 2k rpms. In fact, mine has gotten worse over the past few weeks as the climate here in Ga has gotten steadily colder. Now, here is the real meat and potatoes.....Toyota/Lexus has supposedly concluded that the gear oil in the front differential thickens up too much in colder climates in which this thickening creates a "liquid clutch" effect on the backside of a couple of spider gears in the differential which in turn, pushes them around. As a result, this causes the differential to slowly turn the driveshaft which is a problem since the driveshaft is supposed to turn the differential.......So again, the "supposed" fix will be newly machined spider gears to combat this "liquid clutch" effect. I've also heard of Toyota suggesting a synthetic blend differential fluid which is less temperature sensitive and will not thicken as easily as the original factory differential fluid. In fact, I'm more motivited to try the fluid change versus a replacement of numerous spider gears in a brand new vehicle. I hope this information helps you all. To be continued.............................
Utah_saint
Well, now that I finally solved the infamous "clunk" sensation in the driveline of my '03 4runner v8 4wd, I am now concentrating my efforts to the soon to be infamous "humming/ pulsation" that people everywhere are slowly noticing at highway speeds. Yes, this is a rhythmic type sound and yes, it worsens under load (upon depressing the accelerator pedal more and more while driving around 2k rpms. In fact, mine has gotten worse over the past few weeks as the climate here in Ga has gotten steadily colder. Now, here is the real meat and potatoes.....Toyota/Lexus has supposedly concluded that the gear oil in the front differential thickens up too much in colder climates in which this thickening creates a "liquid clutch" effect on the backside of a couple of spider gears in the differential which in turn, pushes them around. As a result, this causes the differential to slowly turn the driveshaft which is a problem since the driveshaft is supposed to turn the differential.......So again, the "supposed" fix will be newly machined spider gears to combat this "liquid clutch" effect. I've also heard of Toyota suggesting a synthetic blend differential fluid which is less temperature sensitive and will not thicken as easily as the original factory differential fluid. In fact, I'm more motivited to try the fluid change versus a replacement of numerous spider gears in a brand new vehicle. I hope this information helps you all. To be continued.............................
Utah_saint
Last edited:
Satman
New member
hello! new to forum and looking forsome info/help.....
bought the gf an '04 Sport with the V8. took it on a long road trip over x-mas and noticed what seems to be described in this thread. at exactly 71mph you start to hear a cyclical noise (about 2-3/sec) that increases in frequency as vehicle speed climbs to about 80. no vibration in steering wheel or pedals. but both driver and passenger feel it in floorboards and hear it. disappears at 80 or so, and as soon as foot is removed from the gas pedal. dealer claims no known issues.
i am not sure i buy completely into the cold weather/oil problem. if that were the case after driving the vehicle long enough the fluid should warm up and noise disappear. on a 12 hour trip we had to cope with it the entire way......maybe there is a bit more to this explanation???
any info/help would be appreciated!
thanks
bought the gf an '04 Sport with the V8. took it on a long road trip over x-mas and noticed what seems to be described in this thread. at exactly 71mph you start to hear a cyclical noise (about 2-3/sec) that increases in frequency as vehicle speed climbs to about 80. no vibration in steering wheel or pedals. but both driver and passenger feel it in floorboards and hear it. disappears at 80 or so, and as soon as foot is removed from the gas pedal. dealer claims no known issues.
i am not sure i buy completely into the cold weather/oil problem. if that were the case after driving the vehicle long enough the fluid should warm up and noise disappear. on a 12 hour trip we had to cope with it the entire way......maybe there is a bit more to this explanation???
any info/help would be appreciated!
thanks
Toy-Man
New member
Vibration - Have you checked the Bug deflector
I have had my 4Runner for about 5 months now. I love it, have had a couple of minor problems but nothing too bad. I had the factory bug deflector installed at delivery. I have noticed what I thought was the dreaded vibration problem from almost day one. Starts around 120 Km/h (75 mph). I notice it in the Steering wheel and the accelerator pedal so resolved to myself to keep reading this forum and hopefully it will get resolved.
The other day while heading up the highway at about 65 mph in very gusty headwinds. I noticed this vibration seemed to come and go in step with the large gusts of wind. I just happened to look down at the trailing edge of the bug deflector and it was vibrating like a harmonica reed. I had found the source of my vibration. I am now trying various methods to damp this vibration. Since I first noticed it, I see that it strats vibrating around 65 MPH but becomes very noticeable at 70 to 75 mph.
So if you have a bug deflector, your vibration may be coming from this source as well. Let us all know how to fix it short of removing the thing. I will keep all posted on how I fixed this once the weather here in the Great White North warmed up a bit (down at -25C for the last 3 days).
Good luck to all.
I have had my 4Runner for about 5 months now. I love it, have had a couple of minor problems but nothing too bad. I had the factory bug deflector installed at delivery. I have noticed what I thought was the dreaded vibration problem from almost day one. Starts around 120 Km/h (75 mph). I notice it in the Steering wheel and the accelerator pedal so resolved to myself to keep reading this forum and hopefully it will get resolved.
The other day while heading up the highway at about 65 mph in very gusty headwinds. I noticed this vibration seemed to come and go in step with the large gusts of wind. I just happened to look down at the trailing edge of the bug deflector and it was vibrating like a harmonica reed. I had found the source of my vibration. I am now trying various methods to damp this vibration. Since I first noticed it, I see that it strats vibrating around 65 MPH but becomes very noticeable at 70 to 75 mph.
So if you have a bug deflector, your vibration may be coming from this source as well. Let us all know how to fix it short of removing the thing. I will keep all posted on how I fixed this once the weather here in the Great White North warmed up a bit (down at -25C for the last 3 days).
Good luck to all.
Thai
Elite Member
Check out this possible source of this problem:
http://www.toyota-4runner.org/showthread.php?threadid=2226
Hope this helps.
http://www.toyota-4runner.org/showthread.php?threadid=2226
Hope this helps.
jjcobra99
did you ever get a fix to the cyclic vibration you had at highway speeds? I have the same thing now which just started up over the last few thousand miles (16,000 on it now). I also have the other harmonic vibration problem at certain rpms, but this is something completely different. Like you were explaining, a cyclic vibration that comes when under load.
Herman
did you ever get a fix to the cyclic vibration you had at highway speeds? I have the same thing now which just started up over the last few thousand miles (16,000 on it now). I also have the other harmonic vibration problem at certain rpms, but this is something completely different. Like you were explaining, a cyclic vibration that comes when under load.
Herman
I have noticed the same thing with the vibration. It is not the tires. To me it is more like a buzz.
You can feel it sometimes when you turn slightly under power. You never feel it under about 50
mph. It is some sort of harmonic vibration, in my case I don't think it is the axle lube as I felt it
when it was over 100 deg. outside. It is throttle sensitive though.
Somewhere there is posted the parts that were added to the Lexus 470's and they included a front
driveshaft dampener and a steering shaft insulator.
The description of the spider gears can't happen because the spider gears only rotate when you go
around a corner. They are never disconnected from the axles. Even in the 2wd position only the
driveshaft is disconnected in the transfer case. The driveshaft still rotates, the only time where the
driveshaft does not rotate is on trucks where the front hubs are disconnected.
Cliff s
You can feel it sometimes when you turn slightly under power. You never feel it under about 50
mph. It is some sort of harmonic vibration, in my case I don't think it is the axle lube as I felt it
when it was over 100 deg. outside. It is throttle sensitive though.
Somewhere there is posted the parts that were added to the Lexus 470's and they included a front
driveshaft dampener and a steering shaft insulator.
The description of the spider gears can't happen because the spider gears only rotate when you go
around a corner. They are never disconnected from the axles. Even in the 2wd position only the
driveshaft is disconnected in the transfer case. The driveshaft still rotates, the only time where the
driveshaft does not rotate is on trucks where the front hubs are disconnected.
Cliff s
03 VibrationI have
I now have 22,000 miles and the vibration in the front drive train is still there. Last year at 2000 miles while at the dealership, the service dept. contacted Toyota Eng. and described the vibration
problem. Toyota Eng. had them remove the front axels and retest. The problem was gone--no vibration at all! They also mentioned that there was an angle problem with the front driveshafts and that they were angled severly upward to the wheels: something that is not evident on any of the other models except for the V8 Limited and the v8 Sport with AWD.
I talked to a well know Ca Toyota suspension shop inquiring about lifts for the front and they mentioned the interferance in the front axel universals!! They say they had a fix for about $850, but that the Xres would have to be removed. They thought 2" lift was about right.
For what it's worth. dick13
I now have 22,000 miles and the vibration in the front drive train is still there. Last year at 2000 miles while at the dealership, the service dept. contacted Toyota Eng. and described the vibration
problem. Toyota Eng. had them remove the front axels and retest. The problem was gone--no vibration at all! They also mentioned that there was an angle problem with the front driveshafts and that they were angled severly upward to the wheels: something that is not evident on any of the other models except for the V8 Limited and the v8 Sport with AWD.
I talked to a well know Ca Toyota suspension shop inquiring about lifts for the front and they mentioned the interferance in the front axel universals!! They say they had a fix for about $850, but that the Xres would have to be removed. They thought 2" lift was about right.
For what it's worth. dick13
4route
New member
the negative CV angle on this generation is not what causes the vibration, and do not pay anyone other than a dealership to "fix" the issue because it will return. lube it up as much as you can, as i mentioned in my email.
also regarding the lift, 2" in the front would be too much and the front would look obviously higher than the rear. .5 - 1" more in the front than in the rear is perfect in order to level it out. I am running 4" in the front and 2.5" in the rear, and even that 1.5" greater height in the front makes it look funnily angled toward the sky.
it is NOT true that the XREAS has to go. there is NO reason for the XREAS to be removed, as it has nothing to do with the vibration you are experiencing. if a shop wants to remove the XREAS, i would question their reasoning unendingly. if XREAS is in the way of some work they need to do, then they can disconnect it if they do so properly, but there is NO, i repeat NO reason that they would need to permanently remove the XREAS system. XREAS is an expensive system, and you would be losing a LOT more money if you let them remove it instead of just living with the vibration problem (which i maintain has nothing to do with XREAS).
i don't understand why any Toyota dealership would say there is a "problem with the front driveshafts and that they were angled severly upward to the wheels" -- that is something Toyota implemented specifically for the new generation 4Runner when they decreased the ground clearance. it concerns me that a dealership would diagnose that as a "problem" since it was a conscious design decision on Toyota's part which has only taken stress off of some of the suspension components.
again, that was a PURPOSEFUL design, not a "problem" -- they did it on purpose, and for any Toyota dealership to act as though it was an accidental design flaw is ridiculous. the negative angle of the CVs and other suspension/driveline components is something that was incorporated into the design of ALL 4th gen. 4Runners, not just the v8 limited and v8 sport. the sport is a 4wheel drive vehicle, not all wheel drive.
it makes me angry that some dealership didn't understand the purpose behind this design. it is not the cause of the vibration.
please be careful about who you let work on your truck - no one here on the forums found a fix to the vibration through removal of XREAS -- and if you read the thread below, it sounds as though the largest success has come from lubing the joints.
http://www.toyota-4runner.org/showthread.php?s=&threadid=975
most Toyotas have the vibration/clunking problem, and one very knowledeable member here (Good Times) even continues to have a clunk despite the fact that he has non-stock components.
also regarding the lift, 2" in the front would be too much and the front would look obviously higher than the rear. .5 - 1" more in the front than in the rear is perfect in order to level it out. I am running 4" in the front and 2.5" in the rear, and even that 1.5" greater height in the front makes it look funnily angled toward the sky.
it is NOT true that the XREAS has to go. there is NO reason for the XREAS to be removed, as it has nothing to do with the vibration you are experiencing. if a shop wants to remove the XREAS, i would question their reasoning unendingly. if XREAS is in the way of some work they need to do, then they can disconnect it if they do so properly, but there is NO, i repeat NO reason that they would need to permanently remove the XREAS system. XREAS is an expensive system, and you would be losing a LOT more money if you let them remove it instead of just living with the vibration problem (which i maintain has nothing to do with XREAS).
i don't understand why any Toyota dealership would say there is a "problem with the front driveshafts and that they were angled severly upward to the wheels" -- that is something Toyota implemented specifically for the new generation 4Runner when they decreased the ground clearance. it concerns me that a dealership would diagnose that as a "problem" since it was a conscious design decision on Toyota's part which has only taken stress off of some of the suspension components.
again, that was a PURPOSEFUL design, not a "problem" -- they did it on purpose, and for any Toyota dealership to act as though it was an accidental design flaw is ridiculous. the negative angle of the CVs and other suspension/driveline components is something that was incorporated into the design of ALL 4th gen. 4Runners, not just the v8 limited and v8 sport. the sport is a 4wheel drive vehicle, not all wheel drive.
it makes me angry that some dealership didn't understand the purpose behind this design. it is not the cause of the vibration.
please be careful about who you let work on your truck - no one here on the forums found a fix to the vibration through removal of XREAS -- and if you read the thread below, it sounds as though the largest success has come from lubing the joints.
http://www.toyota-4runner.org/showthread.php?s=&threadid=975
most Toyotas have the vibration/clunking problem, and one very knowledeable member here (Good Times) even continues to have a clunk despite the fact that he has non-stock components.
dick13, would you happen to have the dealership name, location and phone number that did the fix for you and possibly even your case number that they filed with Toyota? I'm trying to get them to do something about this. You state there is still a vibration, but that the fix got rid of it, is this a different vibration now or did it come back?
I have this cyclic vibration that is present above 70 mph only while under load, once you let off, the cyclic vibration goes away. They blamed it on the tires at first (BFG ATs). They finally test drove it with stock tires on from another truck and the problem is still there. They put in a complaint with Toyota, but one of the tech supports in the Ohio area told them that it is normal for the 2004s unfortunately. My problem started around 11,000 miles. Toyota customer service told me no one else to their knowledge has complained of this. Yet they tell me it is normal?
For the most part they are telling me to live with it, but $37,000 to live with an annoying problem seems kind of wrong.
Thanks!
Herman
I have this cyclic vibration that is present above 70 mph only while under load, once you let off, the cyclic vibration goes away. They blamed it on the tires at first (BFG ATs). They finally test drove it with stock tires on from another truck and the problem is still there. They put in a complaint with Toyota, but one of the tech supports in the Ohio area told them that it is normal for the 2004s unfortunately. My problem started around 11,000 miles. Toyota customer service told me no one else to their knowledge has complained of this. Yet they tell me it is normal?
For the most part they are telling me to live with it, but $37,000 to live with an annoying problem seems kind of wrong.
Thanks!
Herman