Drive shaft noise or U joint noise (LEXUS 4/06 TSB page 18) aka Driveshaft thump/bump
- Thread starter rorad
- Start date
claydoctor
New member
ptung07 said:
They lube it for free? Even though it's a 2006 under warranty?
For the last few months I've been reading this thread and thinking that the driveshaft has been ready to spring out from under the truck or the rear axle is moving around. Now that I know there's a much more logical explanation, I'm not going to lose sleep over it.cyclops24 said:
While the clunk is more pronounced on the 4Runner, my 2000 Tacoma has done it before, and my 2004 RX 330 did it quite a bit as well. So from the first day I got the 4Runner, I figured that it was the same thing as the RX - never tried to figure out what that was - but that it's amplified by either the real 4x4 drivetrain or the V8.
If Toyota comes up with a TSB that really solves the problem, then certainly I'll be at the dealer to have it done. But I don't believe it's any sort of defect or lemon, so I'll be patient.
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mtnracer
New member
MurrayTheCat said:
The clunk has nothing to do with downshifting. It is caused by the slip joint binding up under medium to hard braking.
If you come to a very slow, controlled stop while feathering the brake pedal you will find that it won't "thump" because the shaft does not bind.
4RunnerRon
New member
cyclops24 said:
The clunk/thud is not the transmission downshifting. When you come to a stop, it has already downshifted to 1st gear. The clunk/thud comes when you let off the brake to continue moving again and the driveshaft unbinds (the slowing/braking caused it to bind up). And while the AC system may aggravate the symptoms, it's not the cause either. It's a flaw in the design, hence the Lexus TSB which calls for a new driveshaft and rear control arms.
4RunnerRon
New member
ptung07 said:
This is Toyota's cheap way of putting off a warranty claim. Lube it so it feels better for a few days, you forget about it, then when it comes back later, they hope you won't bring it in again because you figure they'll just give you the quick fix once again.
I had an Acura RSX before the 4Runner and there was a transmission flaw that caused grinding or popping out of gears occasionally. There was tons of documented complaints on the forums, but when I took it in, the service guy acted like I was insane and he had never heard of it. After I was insistent about the problem, which he claimed they couldn't duplicate, I brought it in and had a technician drive with me. He was a much nicer guy and told me that they deal with the same problem all the time - the service guy was just playing the warranty-denial game. So he duplicated the problem within 5 minutes and had the proper parts ordered. Practically had to rebuild the transmission, but the problem was fixed.
I think Toyota's gonna play the same game because it makes sense for them financially... do as little as possible to hold off the majority of upset customers (lube the driveshaft), and avoid higher repair costs until a TSB is issued or someone causes a big enough stink to get the new parts installed.
claydoctor
New member
ptung07 said:
Sorry, I misread your post. I thought you had a 2006 model and I was saying that it certainly seemed like they should have fixed it since it was obviously under warranty. I'll try to pay more attention and keep my smart remarks to myself.
Took mine in today and of course they heard or felt nothing. I complained about the clunk, creaky drivers seat and belt squeal when the tranny downshifts when you kick down the pedal. Told me it was the rain most likely and asked me to bring it back so I could ride with a tech and tell him what noises I am talking about and show him exactly what I mean. They can only do it during the week so that means I would need to take a days vacation to diagnose and another to fix it. Well F that. A customer relationship manager is going to call me. If they want to fix it they'll do it on their time and not my vacation time. I will get a loaner and they will cater to me. Last Toyota I buy. I will try Honda next.
News flash: Honda isn't any better....
ALL manufacturers are going to try to deny warranty service if they can get away with it. They get too many false complaints from people who have no clue and think something is wrong with their vehicle when there really isn't....
I had an S2000 that would grind when shifting to 2nd gear at high RPM's (typically only in the 8000-9000rpm range), and they could not duplicate it. After THREE attempts they still could not duplicate it. Of course they're not going to drive a customer's car hard enough to get it to do it, so I ended up having one of their techs ride with me and showed it to him. It did it the 2nd time I shifted to 2nd at high RPM and they then pulled the transmission, put in the new 2nd gearset and synchros, and fixed the problem. There was also a TSB out for the '00 and '01 models of that car for this exact problem... Even though mine was an '02 (a VERY early '02 model), they claimed that my car was out of the VIN range. I probably got a left-over '01 transmission in my car and it DID have the problem, but they still fought me on it until I proved it to them... Toyota is no different from Honda, which is no different than Nissan, Ford, GM, etc.... They're all going to be the same.
Now, some people may find a DEALERSHIP that is more cooperative than others, but for the most part, the manufacturers are going to all be the same on warranty claims.
Ricky
ALL manufacturers are going to try to deny warranty service if they can get away with it. They get too many false complaints from people who have no clue and think something is wrong with their vehicle when there really isn't....
I had an S2000 that would grind when shifting to 2nd gear at high RPM's (typically only in the 8000-9000rpm range), and they could not duplicate it. After THREE attempts they still could not duplicate it. Of course they're not going to drive a customer's car hard enough to get it to do it, so I ended up having one of their techs ride with me and showed it to him. It did it the 2nd time I shifted to 2nd at high RPM and they then pulled the transmission, put in the new 2nd gearset and synchros, and fixed the problem. There was also a TSB out for the '00 and '01 models of that car for this exact problem... Even though mine was an '02 (a VERY early '02 model), they claimed that my car was out of the VIN range. I probably got a left-over '01 transmission in my car and it DID have the problem, but they still fought me on it until I proved it to them... Toyota is no different from Honda, which is no different than Nissan, Ford, GM, etc.... They're all going to be the same.
Now, some people may find a DEALERSHIP that is more cooperative than others, but for the most part, the manufacturers are going to all be the same on warranty claims.
Ricky
Its bullshit and I am tired of it. And the service writer asked me if I read about the clunk problem on the internet and if I could fill him in because this is the first time he's heard of it. They were actually trying to be helpful and want a tech to ride with me so I can show him what I am talking about. Problem is they aren't making it easy for me to do that. :rolleye2:
KimoSan
New member
Squeaky seat
Hey Cyclops24, I too had a squeaky drivers seat. Is your's in the seat back itself? Mine was. The dealer brought in a special seat guy to take the seat apart and adjusted the seat adjustment track assembly. No more squeak and you can't even tell the seat came apart. This may help in getting the dealer to fix that particular problem.
As for the clunk, I'm still experiencing it after having the rear drive shaft replaced. The dealer won't order the control arms yet to complete the Lexus TSB. He is trying to get a Toyota factory rep to come out and look at it first hand. Maybe this week but I'm not holding my breath. The clunk isn't as bad as it used to be and still not as bad as some other have complained about here. We'll see what happens.
Hey Cyclops24, I too had a squeaky drivers seat. Is your's in the seat back itself? Mine was. The dealer brought in a special seat guy to take the seat apart and adjusted the seat adjustment track assembly. No more squeak and you can't even tell the seat came apart. This may help in getting the dealer to fix that particular problem.
As for the clunk, I'm still experiencing it after having the rear drive shaft replaced. The dealer won't order the control arms yet to complete the Lexus TSB. He is trying to get a Toyota factory rep to come out and look at it first hand. Maybe this week but I'm not holding my breath. The clunk isn't as bad as it used to be and still not as bad as some other have complained about here. We'll see what happens.
I can't tell exactly where the squeak is coming from. Sounds like bottom of seat on right hand side but could also be coming from seat back. I took it in and they were unable to get it to make any noises so they won't fix it. I figure I will have to wait until it squeaks all the time, then take it in so I can get it fixed.
Now that I haven't been using the AC, I noticed a clunk when I take my foot off the brake, say sitting at a stop light that turns green. As soon as I take my foot off I can feel something right before I give it the gas. If I use the AC, which I did some this weekend, the thud comes back where it feels like you've been hit from behind. Not all the time but once in awhile. Again, if they can't reproduce it they won't try and fix it.
I am starting to think instead of a lawsuit, maybe we should all go on Edmunds, MSN, Vehix and any other buyers guide site and post reviews of our vehicles and tell everyone what we are experiencing and how they will fix a Lexus but not a Toyota. Maybe that will get Toyota's attention. Doubtful but at least we are doing something to try and get them to fix out trucks.
Now that I haven't been using the AC, I noticed a clunk when I take my foot off the brake, say sitting at a stop light that turns green. As soon as I take my foot off I can feel something right before I give it the gas. If I use the AC, which I did some this weekend, the thud comes back where it feels like you've been hit from behind. Not all the time but once in awhile. Again, if they can't reproduce it they won't try and fix it.
I am starting to think instead of a lawsuit, maybe we should all go on Edmunds, MSN, Vehix and any other buyers guide site and post reviews of our vehicles and tell everyone what we are experiencing and how they will fix a Lexus but not a Toyota. Maybe that will get Toyota's attention. Doubtful but at least we are doing something to try and get them to fix out trucks.
cyclops24 said:
Yeah, the only thing you'll do by doing that is lower the resale value of ALL of our vehicles, including those of us with 2WD vehicles that have no problems.
If you have that much energy and want to risk lowering the resale of your vehicle, why not just go buy the new control arms from Lexus and have them install them? It will almost be the same out of pocket for you; just depends if you want to spend it now or lose it later on the sale of your vehicle down the road.
Ricky
Still getting a Thud / Knock !!
please see my original post i started... -
http://www.yotatech.com/showthread.php?t=93728
----
Ok so heres what i have done so far.
Oil Change
Front rear & diff change
Trasfer case change
Transmission change
Yesterday i Lubed all the zerks on the drive shaft and u-joints.
Today still getting the same thud / knock noise. I do not think its the transmission at all.. Shifts very smooth. But it sounds and feels like its from the driveshaft of the axle.
Also i got about 25 miles from home with out it doing it. Once i got off the highway on back roads it started up again. I noticed it when i slowed down and when the car downshifted. But it also does the thud/knock when i accelerate usally right after the car downshifts.
What else should i do?
Thanks for everyone help!
-JON
please see my original post i started... -
http://www.yotatech.com/showthread.php?t=93728
----
Ok so heres what i have done so far.
Oil Change
Front rear & diff change
Trasfer case change
Transmission change
Yesterday i Lubed all the zerks on the drive shaft and u-joints.
Today still getting the same thud / knock noise. I do not think its the transmission at all.. Shifts very smooth. But it sounds and feels like its from the driveshaft of the axle.
Also i got about 25 miles from home with out it doing it. Once i got off the highway on back roads it started up again. I noticed it when i slowed down and when the car downshifted. But it also does the thud/knock when i accelerate usally right after the car downshifts.
What else should i do?
Thanks for everyone help!
-JON
