vibrations (car and steeringwheel)

R

runthe5hit

New member
got some questions. getting some vibrations, mainly on the highway. description (to confuse everyone):
-->the vibes are in both the body of the car and the steering wheel
-->the vibes get worse the more gas you give the car (in general)
-->giving the car gas while rolling in NEUTRAL does not contribute to vibes
-->on my two hour drive from richmond to lexington yesterday, they started out rather significant and gradually disappeared until i could only notice them cause i was ultra perceptive (ie, paranoid)
a few more notes. these problems might just center on warped rotors but i'll toss them out anyway
-->steering wheel and car shudder when braking at highway speeds
-->pretty much just car shudder when braking below 40ish

thanks a lot guys, with a little help i'm hoping to :sniper: these issues
mike
 
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I would start with balancing the wheels. Unless your front end is severely out of alignment, it wont transmit the vibes that you describe.

I recently solved a severe vibration by replacing both u-joints in the driveshaft (the needle bearings were completely destroyed and was starting to take out the cross shafts).
 
JeremyH said:
I would start with balancing the wheels. Unless your front end is severely out of alignment, it wont transmit the vibes that you describe.

I recently solved a severe vibration by replacing both u-joints in the driveshaft (the needle bearings were completely destroyed and was starting to take out the cross shafts).
Click to expand...

Is that something easily done or should I take mine in...mine is doing the same thing.

I do know that I need to change my rotors, get an alignment, etc too...
 
Balancing tires or replacing u-joints? U-joints are simple to do....and made even easier by using a u-joint tool. You just have to drop the driveshaft, pop out the u-joints, grease and/or replace and reinstall.

BTW, a cheap u-joint tool can be purchased from Harbor Freight Tools....
 
JeremyH said:
Balancing tires or replacing u-joints? U-joints are simple to do....and made even easier by using a u-joint tool. You just have to drop the driveshaft, pop out the u-joints, grease and/or replace and reinstall.

BTW, a cheap u-joint tool can be purchased from Harbor Freight Tools....
Click to expand...

Oops sorry...replacing the u-joints. I have no idea how to do that...might have to take it somewhere I guess.
 
bgmac said:
Alignment/ tires balanced and new rotors should solve your problem.
Click to expand...

:iagree: and would suggest doing the balance first. Apparently balancing tires is a pita for the 3rd gen and a lot of places can't do it right. I finally found a place that could do a lug-centric balance and it resolved all of my vibration issues. U-joints are definitely a possibility and I would investigate that after eliminating the possibility of off-balance tires. Read this: http://www.toyota-4runner.org/showthread.php?t=173
 
First, check tire pressure. Then balance/rotate (if tires are still in good condition). Then look at alignment and new rotors/pads.

First hand experience: My right front tire has a slow leak (gonna get it fixed next week, I swear!! :-) ), and when it gets down to below 25psi, my steering goes to crap. Anything over 55mph, and the wheel shakes considerably. Once I air the tire up to 34 or 35 (where I like 'em), the steering is smooth and vibration free. Strange, but true!
 
more problems. sweet.

aight so my bro was on the highway yesterday and the vibes got really bad so he pulled off. as soon as he put the car in park, it died. cranked it back up, but he couldn't push on the gas. (not sure what he meant by this, i guess the pedal just wouldn't go down?) an hour later he drove it home. it's crazy, sometimes when he's driving it and the vibrations get bad he pulls off and oops, it's gone. i took it to a mechanic. he told me i needed new brakes. yea right. i got some this summer dammit. a rotation maybe but rotation brakes and calipers i think not. the car brakes just find, it just feels like a massage chair when you drive it. think any of ya'll can help? i'm broke and really need this car up and running.
 
well the vibrations are the least of my problems now. the runner is a 97 but it's still decently quick. when my bro was on the highway yesterday he couldn't break 55. then 50. then 45. you get the idea. that's why he pulled off. so is that like a drivetrain issue? i'm baffled...
 
check the catalytic converter. Same thing happened to my honda, it wouldn't go past 50mph because it was all clogged up which caused sputtering and my spark plugs to fail too. It would be fine for maybe 5-10 mins of driving but as soon as they warm up again, the car would start to bog down.
 
runthe5hit said:
well the vibrations are the least of my problems now. the runner is a 97 but it's still decently quick. when my bro was on the highway yesterday he couldn't break 55. then 50. then 45. you get the idea. that's why he pulled off. so is that like a drivetrain issue? i'm baffled...
Click to expand...
Are you getting any engine codes when this happens? If so, have them read at an auto parts store and report back with the findings.

jdmaccord6 said:
check the catalytic converter.
Click to expand...
That is a very real possibility on his lack of power issue. The engine requires some backpressure, but not all! If this is the case he should get a CEL that indicates O2 Sensor issues.
 
updates so far

so, mechanics sometimes earn their keep. one of my calipers was #ucked up and was applying a constant pressure on the rotor regardless of braking. hence the vibrations when i gave it gas. so when the vibes seemed to disappear on my 2 hour drive to lexington, that was probably cause i had just melted through the pads and they weren't pressing on the rotor. (my guess anyhow) unfortunately this turned my rotors blue hot and warped the bejesus outta em. way beyond cutting them down. so... shiny new $$$$$ brakes. now i'm just hoping it'll still drive okay after the abuse. i'll update when i go for a drive tonight once it's down off the lift. thanks for the suggestions. keep them coming, they might come in handy.
mike
 
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