claydoctor
New member
I wonder what percentage of the 4-Runners have the problem and why some apparently do not. I have a friend with a 2005 V-8 Sport and when I mentioned it to him, he said he had never encountered it.
Drive shaft noise or U joint noise (LEXUS 4/06 TSB page 18) aka Driveshaft thump/bump
- Thread starter rorad
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Cthusker
New member
Since it's a design flaw I suspect almost every 4Runner has to have the problem! Some people might not be aware of it.... Sounds strange but I know people that don't notice their brakes pads are grinding their rotors into metal dust until the car can't stop! I can't see how any Runners could escape the problem......claydoctor said:
Baba Booey
New member
I have an '06 SR5 4WD V6 with 10,000 miles on it and I have never noticed the clunk. My wife mainly drives the vehicle, but I have driven it often enough that I should've noticed it by now if it was present.
I'm usually fairly cognizant of what is going on with the vehicle while I am driving, and so I don't believe it is just something that I have overlooked. Perhaps the fact that ~98% of the miles were put on while in 2WD has something to do with it. I personally lubed the driveshaft at 5,000 and 10,000 miles with synthetic grease, so maybe this is helping too.
I'm usually fairly cognizant of what is going on with the vehicle while I am driving, and so I don't believe it is just something that I have overlooked. Perhaps the fact that ~98% of the miles were put on while in 2WD has something to do with it. I personally lubed the driveshaft at 5,000 and 10,000 miles with synthetic grease, so maybe this is helping too.
Cthusker
New member
If you don't have the "CLUNK" you might want to consider the lottery......... It's a design flaw that's been there since 03! I believe all dealers use synthetic grease and it's been done to many Runners without much success as it always returns! My service manager admits they have dozens of complaints from dozens of owners over the past 3 years. It doesn't seem to have any adverse effect on the truck (except it's very annoying) so they don't worry about it....... I'm going to wait for the report about the Lexus because that sounds very interesting......... Glad you don't have the annoying "CLUNK" however!Baba Booey said:
Baba Booey
New member
Well, if you are ever driving through eastern/central PA near I81, you are welcome to stop by for a test drive of my rig.
: I wonder whether many of the people who have the clunk the worst have their driveshaft properly lubed every 5,000 miles like clockwork.
I am not saying that you don't, but I can imagine that there are many people who use Iffy Lube-type places to have their oil changed, and I doubt whether many of these establishments meticulously lube the six fittings or even know that they are supposed to.
I shouldn't even be talking about this, because knowing my (bad) luck, the next time I get behind the wheel and come to a stop I will be greeted with a great big "clunk."
: I wonder whether many of the people who have the clunk the worst have their driveshaft properly lubed every 5,000 miles like clockwork.I am not saying that you don't, but I can imagine that there are many people who use Iffy Lube-type places to have their oil changed, and I doubt whether many of these establishments meticulously lube the six fittings or even know that they are supposed to.
I shouldn't even be talking about this, because knowing my (bad) luck, the next time I get behind the wheel and come to a stop I will be greeted with a great big "clunk."
Cthusker
New member
roflmao...... You're right....... and knock on some wood today! lolBaba Booey said:Well, if you are ever driving through eastern/central PA near I81, you are welcome to stop by for a test drive of my rig.
I am not saying that you don't, but I can imagine that there are many people who use Iffy Lube-type places to have their oil changed, and I doubt whether many of these establishments meticulously lube the six fittings or even know that they are supposed to.
I shouldn't even be talking about this, because knowing my (bad) luck, the next time I get behind the wheel and come to a stop I will be greeted with a great big "clunk."
BTW.. I've tried lubing this sucker till I'm blue in the face. It simply returns in a 1000 miles or so. Someone also posted that to much lube can damage the driveline?
Baba Booey
New member
Yeah. I read a post from Techwrench (I believe he is a mechanic) regarding the driveshaft. There is some debate as to whether you should pump the U-joints until the grease is forced out, but that debate has more to do about whether too much grease will harm the seals in the U-joint or not.
However, the slip yoke zerks should only be given a few (three or four?) pumps of grease every 5,000 miles. This is the part that slides back and forth in the propeller shaft, and it is designed to be able to move forward and back freely. Too much grease can cause too much compression in there and not allow the slip yoke to "slip."
I have only given the slip yoke fittings two or three shots of grease each time.
However, the slip yoke zerks should only be given a few (three or four?) pumps of grease every 5,000 miles. This is the part that slides back and forth in the propeller shaft, and it is designed to be able to move forward and back freely. Too much grease can cause too much compression in there and not allow the slip yoke to "slip."
I have only given the slip yoke fittings two or three shots of grease each time.
Cthusker
New member
Sounds like your system is working for you so keep doing it! I sort of have to laugh because now we have extended oil service with synthetic oil but now have to grease the slip yoke every 5k miles... lol... Thank you Toyota! Another clever innovation from those wonderful folks that brought us Pearl Harbor!... lolBaba Booey said:
Baba Booey
New member
Cthusker said:
Baba Booey said:
I don't know if I'd go that far.... Most of the cars these days have sealed 'lifetime' wheel bearings and such that don't need any maintenance except replacement when they wear out, but the chances of them failing seems pretty low. I've got a '91 Honda CRX with 182k miles on the original bearings and they show no signs of wearing out/failing whatsoever. "Lifetime sealed" units have every bit as much of a chance of lasting the lifetime of the vehicle as ones that you have to maintain all the time. In most cases, they will actually last LONGER because people don't tend to mantain their vehicles as well as enthusiasts do.
Ricky
KimoSan
New member
Rear drive shaft being replaced...
Hey all, I bought an '06 SE V8 this past May and after experiencing the "thunk" first hand I came across this thread. Thanks to all for an informative thread. It helped alot. As a result, I took my Runner in to my dealer (John Elway in Denver) to have them look at it. A few hours later they called me and said that they had reproduced the problem (imagine my shock when I heard that) and that they had ordered a new rear drive shaft and will be replacing it with no questions asked (almost had a heart attack after that). I mentioned to the service manager that there was a TSB for the GX470 and he said that those were the parts that he ordered. So, the new parts will be in and replaced next week. I'll keep you posted to let you know if the problem goes away.
Hey all, I bought an '06 SE V8 this past May and after experiencing the "thunk" first hand I came across this thread. Thanks to all for an informative thread. It helped alot. As a result, I took my Runner in to my dealer (John Elway in Denver) to have them look at it. A few hours later they called me and said that they had reproduced the problem (imagine my shock when I heard that) and that they had ordered a new rear drive shaft and will be replacing it with no questions asked (almost had a heart attack after that). I mentioned to the service manager that there was a TSB for the GX470 and he said that those were the parts that he ordered. So, the new parts will be in and replaced next week. I'll keep you posted to let you know if the problem goes away.
4RunnerRon
New member
Re: Rear drive shaft being replaced...
Just make sure they're going to do the FULL Lexus TSB, which includes replacement of the rear control arms. Other 4Runner owners have mentioned warranty replacements of their driveshafts, but it didn't fully solve this problem. Only the Lexus TSB (new driveshaft and new rear control arms) seems to be the definitive fix, so clarify with your dealer before you get only half of the repairs needed.
KimoSan said:
Just make sure they're going to do the FULL Lexus TSB, which includes replacement of the rear control arms. Other 4Runner owners have mentioned warranty replacements of their driveshafts, but it didn't fully solve this problem. Only the Lexus TSB (new driveshaft and new rear control arms) seems to be the definitive fix, so clarify with your dealer before you get only half of the repairs needed.
4RunnerRon
New member
4RunnerRon
New member
