Shaking at highway speeds and while braking
- Thread starter Jason11
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Cree
New member
Have you rotated the tires to see if the vibration moves? Do that before you go chasing anything else. You're moving on to more expensive parts and you haven't completely ruled out the tires yet. Just tryin to save you some money and time bud.
the great him
Elite Member
fact! why in the hell are you doing 95?
i think your flux-capacitor is out of calibration, to reset it you will need to drive at 88.8mph for 1.21mi a precicley 10:06pm or at 1:20am
Last edited:
OP it can be any of many things on these trucks as others have attested to.
Check out my own travails here:
http://www.toyota-4runner.org/3rd-g...r-highway-vibration-thread-3.html#post1877295
Summary of my findings:
Get a good balance at a dealer with the Haweka and a person who does it right. Don't take the dealer's word for it, make sure they really have the flange adapter.
Trucks are prone to warping rotors, Tundra brake upgrade is a pretty good idea.
These trucks are in general pretty susceptible to vibrations, and sensitive to a good wheel balance and worn suspension components. I'm currently battling the latter, replacing LCA bushings.
Good luck and keep everyone posted on what solves the problem for you!
Check out my own travails here:
http://www.toyota-4runner.org/3rd-g...r-highway-vibration-thread-3.html#post1877295
Summary of my findings:
Get a good balance at a dealer with the Haweka and a person who does it right. Don't take the dealer's word for it, make sure they really have the flange adapter.
Trucks are prone to warping rotors, Tundra brake upgrade is a pretty good idea.
These trucks are in general pretty susceptible to vibrations, and sensitive to a good wheel balance and worn suspension components. I'm currently battling the latter, replacing LCA bushings.
Good luck and keep everyone posted on what solves the problem for you!
Update:
Had the tires balanced two more times by separate shops. That makes a total of 4 balancing jobs. I'm sure the wheels are in balance now. I even had the last person check the balance even one more time after I went for a drive and the balancer said it was 0.00 OZ by 0.00 OZ . So its balanced now. Tires are not out of round.
I thought it might be this issue so I replaced the rear brakes. Had the drums turned and checked for being out of round. Everything was fine and I ended up replacing brakes that didn't need it. So..I have brand new rear brakes. It was a major PITA to get them adjusted correctly. I hate Drum brakes. Cant believe Toyota didn't use rear discs on 3rd gen 4Runners.
That could be a possibility. Is there an easy way to check for this. I already tied grabbing the driveshaft and checking for play and I couldn't find any.
Yea, rotated tires and vibration is the same. Even put on the spare tire on the front and the vibration was still there.
Haha.. yes , I mean no. I'm not doing 95 in the 4Runner. I go a max of about 80. Normal highway speed... prob about 70-75 most of the time...exactly where it feels like it shakes the most.
I was considering doing the front brakes (since I already did the rears) but I'm not sure I want to spend any more money on the 4Runner.
I may be at the end with this. Considering selling it.
Had the tires balanced two more times by separate shops. That makes a total of 4 balancing jobs. I'm sure the wheels are in balance now. I even had the last person check the balance even one more time after I went for a drive and the balancer said it was 0.00 OZ by 0.00 OZ . So its balanced now. Tires are not out of round.
I thought it might be this issue so I replaced the rear brakes. Had the drums turned and checked for being out of round. Everything was fine and I ended up replacing brakes that didn't need it. So..I have brand new rear brakes. It was a major PITA to get them adjusted correctly. I hate Drum brakes. Cant believe Toyota didn't use rear discs on 3rd gen 4Runners.
That could be a possibility. Is there an easy way to check for this. I already tied grabbing the driveshaft and checking for play and I couldn't find any.
Yea, rotated tires and vibration is the same. Even put on the spare tire on the front and the vibration was still there.
Haha.. yes , I mean no. I'm not doing 95 in the 4Runner. I go a max of about 80. Normal highway speed... prob about 70-75 most of the time...exactly where it feels like it shakes the most.
I was considering doing the front brakes (since I already did the rears) but I'm not sure I want to spend any more money on the 4Runner.
I may be at the end with this. Considering selling it.
JeepKiller
New member
Alignment, new rotors. You could always convert to the Trd brakes while your at it and get rid of those nasty drums in the rear haha.
Replacing the front calipers, rotors, pads, etc. is not that expensive. I had a caliper that was sticking causing one of the pucks to drag. This basically caused the rotor to warp creating the vibration. Since I was replacing everything I went ahead and did the Tundra upgrade. Smooth ever since.
poleclimber63
Member
I feel your frustration...
I've owned my 4Runner for almost 3 yrs and I also had similar shakes and clunks to what you're describing. I've eliminated most of the uncomfortable control issues, but for me, its not a big deal, as I use my 4Runner for towing my trailers and going places the cars can't. It's my vehicle of choice to drive but not my daily driver, as I have a company truck. With this said, in the end, you have to make a decision as to what you're comfortable with. I have a 98' and I accept it is a 16yr old vehicle, and because of this, its a work in progress--- which I'm happy to accept. I paid $7500 and I've put $4000 into it over the nearly 3yrs of ownership, however, that's money I won't have to spend again.
Work I've done wrt to shaking/drivability:
- replaced rack bushing (Wheelers)
This improved the "wandering" significantly
-replaced OTRE's, lower ball joints (inners were ok) and stabilizer end links
This improved steering control and reduced vibration
-replaced tires with Yokohama Geolander HTS
This "smoothed" the ride as these tires have a less aggressive tread but better traction, as my old tires were worn down! This also reduced my high speed vibration somewhat
What I have yet to do:
- NUMBER 1: Tundra brake upgrade! From everyones experiences this is a must if your are offroading or towing. It provided more responsive braking at speed and/or heavy conditions. The rotors are significantly thicker and will not warp. Stock 4Runner rotors are known to warp (as well as most SUVs in this class, from this vintage)
-my shocks and springs seem to be ok at the moment, but I do want to install air bags eventually to help sag when I tow my sportboat
-control arm bushings(front and rear)---- when I had the front apart to do ball joints, the bushings appeared ok but many members have replaced these and noted improvements ie. overall tightness, clunking and ride.
-rack... the last item left which I believe will eliminate any wandering completely-- at the moment its not bad considering the work I've done above. Eventually I will get to it if the wandering becomes worse. (there's a steering column mod I may look into as well)
The bottom line is, even with the minor issues I notice from time to time, it still drives better then most trucks, is comfortable to drive, and also handles very well for a body on frame, compared to say a light SUV, like a Ford Escape, which is a uni-body platform.
I'm enjoying this truck! Its not a chore to work on, its fun to drive and does exactly what I want it to do reliably (unlike my last truck!!) AND it scratches my yen to wrench. This is generally an easy truck to work on! AND simple enough to understand. I've had other trucks but none of them were close to being as durable as a 4Runner.
Sorry if I sound overly harsh but, if I wasn't comfortable with these conditions, I could have gone out and borrowed/bought something for $40K+, to drive and forget, but it wouldn't have been this enjoyable!!
Good luck with your decision!
I've owned my 4Runner for almost 3 yrs and I also had similar shakes and clunks to what you're describing. I've eliminated most of the uncomfortable control issues, but for me, its not a big deal, as I use my 4Runner for towing my trailers and going places the cars can't. It's my vehicle of choice to drive but not my daily driver, as I have a company truck. With this said, in the end, you have to make a decision as to what you're comfortable with. I have a 98' and I accept it is a 16yr old vehicle, and because of this, its a work in progress--- which I'm happy to accept. I paid $7500 and I've put $4000 into it over the nearly 3yrs of ownership, however, that's money I won't have to spend again.
Work I've done wrt to shaking/drivability:
- replaced rack bushing (Wheelers)
This improved the "wandering" significantly
-replaced OTRE's, lower ball joints (inners were ok) and stabilizer end links
This improved steering control and reduced vibration
-replaced tires with Yokohama Geolander HTS
This "smoothed" the ride as these tires have a less aggressive tread but better traction, as my old tires were worn down! This also reduced my high speed vibration somewhat
What I have yet to do:
- NUMBER 1: Tundra brake upgrade! From everyones experiences this is a must if your are offroading or towing. It provided more responsive braking at speed and/or heavy conditions. The rotors are significantly thicker and will not warp. Stock 4Runner rotors are known to warp (as well as most SUVs in this class, from this vintage)
-my shocks and springs seem to be ok at the moment, but I do want to install air bags eventually to help sag when I tow my sportboat
-control arm bushings(front and rear)---- when I had the front apart to do ball joints, the bushings appeared ok but many members have replaced these and noted improvements ie. overall tightness, clunking and ride.
-rack... the last item left which I believe will eliminate any wandering completely-- at the moment its not bad considering the work I've done above. Eventually I will get to it if the wandering becomes worse. (there's a steering column mod I may look into as well)
The bottom line is, even with the minor issues I notice from time to time, it still drives better then most trucks, is comfortable to drive, and also handles very well for a body on frame, compared to say a light SUV, like a Ford Escape, which is a uni-body platform.
I'm enjoying this truck! Its not a chore to work on, its fun to drive and does exactly what I want it to do reliably (unlike my last truck!!) AND it scratches my yen to wrench. This is generally an easy truck to work on! AND simple enough to understand. I've had other trucks but none of them were close to being as durable as a 4Runner.
Sorry if I sound overly harsh but, if I wasn't comfortable with these conditions, I could have gone out and borrowed/bought something for $40K+, to drive and forget, but it wouldn't have been this enjoyable!!
Good luck with your decision!
Irhmsd
New member
I had the same experience. The problem was not solved until OE parts were used including rotors, pads and drums - I did not have to change calipers. Went through two non OE sets before hand, all within a 48 hour period, and it actually got worse. The shop had used this parts supplier for years without any issue. Again, OE solved my problem.
Mynameistommy510
New member
If your steering rack isn't leaking, have you researched the steering rack guide replacement? I was very happy with the "less wandering" from my steering after doing so.
As for the other suggestions, they seem to be focusing on vibrations ONLY while braking. Nobody has yet mentioned an out of balance drive shaft.
As a way to check an out of balance driveshaft, drive at the speed you feel the vibrations. With a manual transmission shift down a gear maintaining the same speed and see if there are changes in vibration. With an automatic transmission just turn off overdrive. This is changing the speed of the driveshaft.
Update - So I had all 4 wheels balanced on a Hunter 9700 machine. Road force balanced to perfection... and it still shook after I left the tire shop and got on the freeway.
so then I put new rotors and pads on last night. and it still shakes.
I'm at the end of the line with this.
I did the brakes (including the rears) and it still shakes.
I checked the steering rack for play and the tie rod ends when I replaced the rack bushings and they looked fine.
Not sure what to do at this point. I did check the drive line and u joints seem to be ok as well.
I did the test at 70 mph where I switched off overdrive to get different engine speed to see if it was a drive line issue...actually come to think of it, that wouldn't change the speed that the driveshaft was turning while going a steady speed.
Well, I think Ive checked and fixed all that can be done.
so then I put new rotors and pads on last night. and it still shakes.
I'm at the end of the line with this.
I did the brakes (including the rears) and it still shakes.
I checked the steering rack for play and the tie rod ends when I replaced the rack bushings and they looked fine.
Not sure what to do at this point. I did check the drive line and u joints seem to be ok as well.
I did the test at 70 mph where I switched off overdrive to get different engine speed to see if it was a drive line issue...actually come to think of it, that wouldn't change the speed that the driveshaft was turning while going a steady speed.
Well, I think Ive checked and fixed all that can be done.
oilpatch4runner
New member
Shaking at speed
My dad had a problem with his 4runner shaking. He bought new tires and replaced transmission mounts and shifter mounts (shifter was shaking). But still had vibration. I asked him if he checked Ujoints and he "said" he did. So I go to house and lay down and look at Ujoints and the front had some play. This was a few days ago so he hasn't taken it to the shop yet but I will put $100 on that being the problem. I will update when I hear back.
I would take a good look at Ujoints. It could also be unbalanced drive shaft. If you can pull it out and take it to a drive line shop they can check it.
My dad had a problem with his 4runner shaking. He bought new tires and replaced transmission mounts and shifter mounts (shifter was shaking). But still had vibration. I asked him if he checked Ujoints and he "said" he did. So I go to house and lay down and look at Ujoints and the front had some play. This was a few days ago so he hasn't taken it to the shop yet but I will put $100 on that being the problem. I will update when I hear back.
I would take a good look at Ujoints. It could also be unbalanced drive shaft. If you can pull it out and take it to a drive line shop they can check it.
Mynameistommy510
New member
You're right, I was thinking driveline. Why would I say driveshaft? But driveshaft can be balanced.
oilpatch4runner
New member
Heard back from my dad today and he removed the drive shaft and took it in. They said the U joints were fine (good thing I didn't bet that 100 haha) so they took it to their drive shaft shop. When the guy was checking it he immediately noticed a dent in it. My dad got him to build a new one for $500 bucks. He put it back on and said he got it all the way up to 90!!! and zero vibration. My advice is find a drive shaft shop and let them look at it.
Rob
Rob
Drive Shaft is a possibility...I may have to find a shop as I can't do anything to tell, other thank check the U-Joints.
It just still feels like it is in the front end. I noticed today that I get a vibration when braking lightly from like 50 mph.. Like when you are exiting a freeway or something. Light braking for the entire length of the off ramp... that kind of thing. Since they are new rotors and pads, it cant be that .. right ? Its a shake and a vibration, like when you run over the edge of the freeway and they have the vibration to wake you up.
Maybe a wheel bearing?
Another strange thing. There are times when the vibration seems to be less than others. Very strange. It could be due to road conditions ,not sure. I really dislike this car now. This has taken the excitement out of it:smow:
It just still feels like it is in the front end. I noticed today that I get a vibration when braking lightly from like 50 mph.. Like when you are exiting a freeway or something. Light braking for the entire length of the off ramp... that kind of thing. Since they are new rotors and pads, it cant be that .. right ? Its a shake and a vibration, like when you run over the edge of the freeway and they have the vibration to wake you up.
Maybe a wheel bearing?
Another strange thing. There are times when the vibration seems to be less than others. Very strange. It could be due to road conditions ,not sure. I really dislike this car now. This has taken the excitement out of it:smow:
Does the vibration happen only when braking? If so is the vibration less pronounced when you first start driving (cold brakes)?
Mine did that and it was a caliper that was sticking causing the rotor to heat up after driving it a short time.
Might be a good idea and just take it to a professional and get their opinion?
Mine did that and it was a caliper that was sticking causing the rotor to heat up after driving it a short time.
Might be a good idea and just take it to a professional and get their opinion?
BoarderDave
New member
So did you end up doing the front brakes too now? I think earlier in the thread you mentioned you only did rears. You did the fronts now too and it still shakes?
Out of the box thinking here... are you road testing it on the same road everytime? Maybe that road just has bumps in it that show up at those speeds? hah. :doh: My old Silverado was great on highways in central CA, but then when I drove it to Los Angeles, the way they had built their highways had certain ridges in it that cause the length of the vehicle to fall right outside of the ridges and it created this crazy wobble. But it ONLY happened on the freeways down south. Weirdest thing. :tape:
Out of the box thinking here... are you road testing it on the same road everytime? Maybe that road just has bumps in it that show up at those speeds? hah. :doh: My old Silverado was great on highways in central CA, but then when I drove it to Los Angeles, the way they had built their highways had certain ridges in it that cause the length of the vehicle to fall right outside of the ridges and it created this crazy wobble. But it ONLY happened on the freeways down south. Weirdest thing. :tape:
Yes, I put on new front brakes. Wish I hadn't because it still shakes and I could have saved some $.
I've given up on trying to fix this. It is strange however that there are times when they shaking goes away for like 20 seconds. There is no pattern to it, its just random. I am on different road surfaces so I know its not just the same stretch of road causing the shaking.
Don't know what else to do except take it to the dealer and tell them to fix it. I can't do that because of the cost.
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