should I be worried?

[ozana]

2001 sport ed (and fairy ed.) automatic transmission.
since i bought it (a month ago) I've noticed something different than all the other cars that i've had, but never had a 4X4 before, or SUV as a matter of fact, so I said: 'who knows?".
the guy i bought it from said ' it is normal for Toyota'. I didn't believe him, so I took it to Toyota for a check-up. They said the same thing: 'it's normal'.
Now, what it does: driving on the street, normal speed, and coming to a complete stop, a split second before stopping completely and after releasing the break pedal, the car 'jerks' a bit and i can see the shift stick 'jumping' a bit. If i drive it in a slow speed, or make the stop gradually, the jerk is not that noticeable or sometimes is not at all.
Now, my questions is: should i worry about this? has it anything to do with the transmission? Has anything to do with shifting down the gears too fast? or what exactly is it? any idea guys?
Thank you in advance.

 

[NickF]

The drivetrain shifter does that on mine as well, nothing to worry about.

You have an automatic. It has nothing to do with the transmition, that shifter controls if you are in 2-WD, or 4x4, or neutral, or low 4x4.

 

[jmrwd3]

my truck is a stick as well, and i notice this a lot. In stop and go driving I have gotten very used to it. I have had other vehicles which do that tho - i think it is more of a stick shift kinda thing. Not sure why though.

 

[ozana]

oh, good. thank you.

 

[ozana]

i know i said 'shift stick', but it's an automatic not standard.

 

[NickF]

I knew what you meant :

 

[Stick Figure]

just means the drivetrain is moving a bit .... the shifter is attached to the transmission w/ a solid bracket (unlike a FWD platform that uses a cable setup usually) which as the engine moves around a little while the load changes you will see it. It is perfectly normal for this type of vehicle.

 

[ozana]

thank you guys, been really helpful.

 

[Charlee78]

You might want to have a look at you slip yoke on the rear drive shaft for rust or too many grease inside it.
When you apply the brakes, the rear of the truck slowly goes up, when the truck wants to go back to it's normal height (just before it stops moving forward), it tryes to push back the slip yoke to it's "normal" spot. If rust or too much grease prevent this action, you have the feeling you described...

 

[greyghost4x4]

I am still waiting for a picture of this "fairy". A little off topic but I want to see it.

Evan

 

[ozana]

thank you Charlee78. and for the fairy pics greyghost4x4, will come. . just waiting for a cooler weather.

Charlee78, if let's say is rust, can i damage anything if i drive like that?
thank you

 

[Charlee78]

No, there will be no problems. I've seen only one that was stuck in the air, like a rear 5 inch lift but it was a fourth gen so you should'nt be worried about it. It's just a arsh feeling.

If there is rust, it's an easy fix, just jack the rear of the truck on the frame, not on the rear axle, take an emery sand cloth, put it around and polish!!

If rust is deeper than that, you will have to remove the rear part of the drive shaft but make sure you mark both ends of the slip yoke before removing it.

 

[ozana]

Charlee78, and if is too much grease? wipe it off?
thank you again Charlee78
by the way, i really appreciate your info, steps and everything, but i have no idea what you are talking about. don't know the name of those parts, how they look and where they are. but i can search around, now that i have a starting point.
thank you again

 

[Charlee78]

ok, if you don't understand what I said in my previous post, you won't understand this one either...

If there is too much grease, you'll know by removing the slipping yoke and wiping all grease away inside of the outer part.

Here is a definition of a slip yoke:

Slip yoke
A component at the front of the first U-joint which accommodates changes in drive shaft length as the rear axle assembly moves up and down with the rear suspension. Internal splines on the U-joint yoke slide in and out on the external splines of the transmission output shaft. This splined coupling also allows the drive shaft to be removed from the vehicle when the rear U-joint is disconnected. The drive shaft may fall to the ground and be ruined if either U-joint breaks while the vehicle is in motion.

Here is a picture of it:

http://www.motorera.com/dictionary/pics/S/slip_yoke.jpg


The only difference is the slip yoke isn't built in the output shaft of the transmission, it is built in the drive shaft itself.

 

[andystrwake]

Hey guys, this is my first post here. Got out of my tacoma and now have 99 4 runner. OK onto the problem. I have had 4 runner for a few months now and am noticing something similar to what is being described in this thread. I have a 99 4 runner limited 170,000 3inch OME lift. I have noticed when I come to a stop and then release the brake pedal the car does not move forward like it normally does under idle. It feels like the brakes are holding it, but I know they are not because if I put it in N it rolls. As soon as I give it a little gas it takes off fine, but still feels like something is binding at first. Again, I have noticed this because most of the time you take your foot off the break, truck moves forward at idle speed, then every once and a while it feels like something is holding it back. Shifting is very smooth while driving. Any help would be great.
Nice to meet Ya'll.

 

[hepcat87]

Hey guys, this is my first post here. Got out of my tacoma and now have 99 4 runner. OK onto the problem. I have had 4 runner for a few months now and am noticing something similar to what is being described in this thread. I have a 99 4 runner limited 170,000 3inch OME lift. I have noticed when I come to a stop and then release the brake pedal the car does not move forward like it normally does under idle. It feels like the brakes are holding it, but I know they are not because if I put it in N it rolls. As soon as I give it a little gas it takes off fine, but still feels like something is binding at first. Again, I have noticed this because most of the time you take your foot off the break, truck moves forward at idle speed, then every once and a while it feels like something is holding it back. Shifting is very smooth while driving. Any help would be great.
Nice to meet Ya'll.

ever notice that when that happens you are on a very slight hill and if you have a 3 inch lift im guessing you have bigger tires on it. they would take power away from the wheels unless you regear it but hey thats just what i thinks going on

 

[andystrwake]

Thanks for the input. but I don't think that is it. This binding happens sometimes and sometimes it does not. I have noticed it does it more when I first start the motor. Also when it does it, I can give it a bit of gas(1200rpm) let off, and car will come to a stop feeling like the brakes are being depressed. but I can tell its not the brakes because it is a different feeling. it feels like the drive shaft just does not want to spin easily sometimes at low/idle speed. Anyone else have a guess?????

 

[mikgrail3]

Thanks for the input. but I don't think that is it. This binding happens sometimes and sometimes it does not. I have noticed it does it more when I first start the motor. Also when it does it, I can give it a bit of gas(1200rpm) let off, and car will come to a stop feeling like the brakes are being depressed. but I can tell its not the brakes because it is a different feeling. it feels like the drive shaft just does not want to spin easily sometimes at low/idle speed. Anyone else have a guess?????

You might want to check the inside of your wheels for any gear oil. These trucks are known for leaking axle seals. The oil will drip down from the drum to the wheel. If the oil gets on your rear brake shoes they get sticky and can bind. I had mine do that a year ago. Had to replace the seals and rear shoes. Good luck.

 

[andystrwake]

mikgrail3: Could you see the grease easily? might pull the drums off and take a look.

I bought some lucas transmission stuff and noticed when I put it in that my transmission oil was low. I don't think that my transmission has ever been serviced also @ 170,000 miles. Greased slip yoke too.

Thanks guys, I will see in the am if any of this worked.

 

[mikgrail3]

mikgrail3: Could you see the grease easily? might pull the drums off and take a look.

I bought some lucas transmission stuff and noticed when I put it in that my transmission oil was low. I don't think that my transmission has ever been serviced also @ 170,000 miles. Greased slip yoke too.

Thanks guys, I will see in the am if any of this worked.

It would be the gear oil for the rear axle that is leaking. You can just run your finger around the inside of your rims and feel it. My guess is if it is that and mucking up your brakes, it definately would be on your rims too. It will look either shiny if it's recent or caked up with dirt if its been leaking a while. Mine was so bad that if it sat for a couple days it would run down the tire too. That's a quick diagnosis. Taking off the drum would be the next step to see if it is just starting to leak. That's my guess based on the symptoms you described.