Heavy Vibration From Rear Of Vehicle

[bzettler83]

05 T4R - 185k miles - V8 -

My 4runner has had a fairly noticeable vibration from the rear of the vehicle for sometime now and I am finally to a point where I want to correct it. It is noticeable above 60MPH and is to the point where the passenger seat shakes fairly bad. Much MUCH more than you would consider normal.

-Removed the rear drive shaft and drove it. Vibration still there.
-Balanced tires, and rotated as well, no change. In fact rear tires are NEW.
-Removed wheel spacers, no change.


What else should I be looking at? Could it be a bearing, bad shock / shocks? I have Bilstein's and they are fairly new so I am ruling that out at least for now.

Trying to ID this myself where possible. Worst case I will bring it to a mechanic.

 

[Tuco S.]

Is your rear axle off center?

 

[bzettler83]

Is your rear axle off center?

I suppose anything is possible. What would cause that? Worn bushings or something. Would there be an easy way to check this?

 

[mo_mo]

You might have better luck posting in the 4th gen section of the forum.

Have you checked your body lift and suspension?

Does the vibration change above 60? Does it change depending upon engine rpm / transmission gear selection?

What tire pressure and load range (P, LT C, LT E...) are you running?

 

[CutthroatSlam]

I stopped at "removed rear drive shaft and drove it."

 

[bzettler83]

You might have better luck posting in the 4th gen section of the forum.

Have you checked your body lift and suspension?

Does the vibration change above 60? Does it change depending upon engine rpm / transmission gear selection?

What tire pressure and load range (P, LT C, LT E...) are you running?

I agree 100%... I posted here by accident, but left it considering the 4th and 5th gen are extremely similar when it comes to the under carriage.

- no change in gear selection or neutral at speed. Seems to get slightly better as you approach 75-80 but still present
- Running 275/70/17 BFG KM3 LT - 40 PSI I believe
- I will run through and check all body mount points to ensure they are secure.

 

[bzettler83]

I stopped at "removed rear drive shaft and drove it."

I get the initial reply however this is a fairly common DIY diagnostic method. You simply lock the center diff and you are good to go. Obviously I would never do this long term, and would not drive under any heady load / acceleration.

Beats paying a shop to pull the drive shaft and check the balance.

 

[A10MileHusker]

How old is your lift? It could potentially be a worn-out shock and that one side is bouncing all over the place.

 

[dezertbomber]

How old is your lift? It could potentially be a worn-out shock and that one side is bouncing all over the place.

He said his rear Bilsteins were new'ish.

 

[A10MileHusker]

He said his rear Bilsteins were new'ish.

:doh: Missed that.

 

[Tuco S.]

I suppose anything is possible. What would cause that? Worn bushings or something. Would there be an easy way to check this?

It's quick and easy. Take a tape measure and measure from the frame rail to the shoulder block on your rear tires, both sides. Since yours is lifted that much it may cause the rear end to be off center unless you have an adjustable panhard rod.

I'm at 2.7" rear lift and mine was about a 1/4 inch off center after I installed the lift. Didn't measure it on the stock suspension though, unfortunately. It would have been nice to have a before measurement.

You may also have some worn out links. Worth checking them all.

 

[dezertbomber]

Lift up the rear so the susp droops then push hard forward and aft one side at a time, see if the linkage has any looseness.

Check torque on body lift mounts.

Is it vibration or oscillation? If oscillation, can you tell if it's side to side or up and down?

 

[mrblah]

05 T4R - 185k miles - V8 -

My 4runner has had a fairly noticeable vibration from the rear of the vehicle for sometime now and I am finally to a point where I want to correct it. It is noticeable above 60MPH and is to the point where the passenger seat shakes fairly bad. Much MUCH more than you would consider normal.

-Removed the rear drive shaft and drove it. Vibration still there.
-Balanced tires, and rotated as well, no change. In fact rear tires are NEW.
-Removed wheel spacers, no change.


What else should I be looking at? Could it be a bearing, bad shock / shocks? I have Bilstein's and they are fairly new so I am ruling that out at least for now.

Trying to ID this myself where possible. Worst case I will bring it to a mechanic.

Had that problem once...was driving to the desert

Dropped off my ex-wife and her new boyfriend in the middle of the desert, didn't have any more vibrations driving home. Problem solved.

 

[GCT4R]

I would also check if your wheel bearings are bad, usually you can hear it.

 

[Wacky Wick]

Did you road force balance those sneakers ?