Yet another highway Shaking problem

L

lebanese_dj

New member
Hi folks,

I have read and searched the forum for some answers and applied them, but still the issue persists....4runner shakes at 60miles/hr and up...

Got tires balanced twice at discount tire using that special tool....did not fix it

Went today to Firestone and purchased the unlimited alignment plan - that did not fix it...they checked the front end and it was all tight and bearings are good....

The tech that worked on the car said he double checked and found nothing needs replacement in the front end.... told me it could be the tires as they are beefy and will cause vibration in the steering wheel at high speed? The 4runner came with Yokohama Geolandar H/T-S 265/70/16 and all stock height, no mods....
I read the reviews on the tires here and they don't seem to me that bad, they still have half their life thread wise....what should I do??:toilet3:

I just don't know what the next step should be ..new tires??? Anyone can help? I have yet to enjoy the 4runner....it is accident free yet it seems every time i get on the highway, the front end shakes and steering wheel vibrates like it has been wrecked....It also doesn't ride smooth, very bumpy on low speeds like 10 miles it feels odd? I had a pathfinder before and never felt it so bumpy....
if i need new tires, please suggest something that is highway friendly as i do not off road and need the comfort of the ride at 65 to 75miles per hr.

Thanks all...
 
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maybe it's a bad strut.

I dealt with the same issue a little over a month ago, 2 allignments, lower ball joint, new tie rod end, new sway bar connects, and it's better but still not as good as it should be. mine is lifted on 33's so I am just gonna deal with it until I get some more dough to add another .5" to the front I'll be do for another allignment at that time anyway, LOL
 
Did they look at your rear u-joints, driveshaft, etc..? A bad vibe from the rear can still make the steering and the whole truck shake.
 
brian2sun said:
Did they look at your rear u-joints, driveshaft, etc..? A bad vibe from the rear can still make the steering and the whole truck shake.
Click to expand...

Really? I agree that it can make the truck itself shake, but the steering?

I'm experiencing the same thing right now. Going to have the steering rack bushings replaced (Energy Suspension poly) and a GSP9700 balance done tomorrow morning at the dealer. My guess is, they'll tell me I need a lot of new front end components (ball joints, TRE's, etc). They'll be right, but I still hope this stuff works at least a little.
 
Your tires can very well be the problem, if they are improperly worn, it can shake, if one of them is lopsided it will shake and the only solution to bad tires is new tires. But it may not be your issue.
 
Qyota said:
Really? I agree that it can make the truck itself shake, but the steering?

I'm experiencing the same thing right now. Going to have the steering rack bushings replaced (Energy Suspension poly) and a GSP9700 balance done tomorrow morning at the dealer. My guess is, they'll tell me I need a lot of new front end components (ball joints, TRE's, etc). They'll be right, but I still hope this stuff works at least a little.
Click to expand...

I've had a bad u-joint and I couldn't see out my mirrors because they were vibrating so much. The steering was shaky too and only from 65-70 mph, smooth before and after that.

Trust me on this... if you're going to do the rack bushings anyways, do the TREs (both inner and outer) and upper and lower ball joints all at the same time and then align it once and be done with it.

If you do it in stages, you'll have to get it aligned a bunch of times. Also if you replace only some of the old worn parts of the steering/suspension, it will transfer the shock and stress to the parts you didn't replace yet and break them faster. What I mean is, say if you do your rack bushings and inner TREs only, your old weak outer TREs are not going to last long now that the rack doesn't have slop in it anymore to absorb shock.
 
Next step tires and if that doesn't fix it, I will start replacing the other parts as suggested...

Thanks for the responses but anyone has any suggestions on some decent tires? I have ordered from Discount tires direct before and tire rack before...
 
i have the same issue here right around the 60-70 mph area

i am just waiting till i can replace TRE's, BJ's upper and lower and suspension all at once then align it and hopefully be done. Im waiting for some extra cash
 
I've had the same problem since I got my truck in September. Had the tires balanced a couple of times. I've got Michelin LTX M/S tires. I finally took it back to my friend/mechanic and he drove it around for a day and looked at the tires closely and said there was some cupping on the tires that was likely causing the vibration, but my bushings in the steering rack needed replacing. Everything else was tight and looked good.

I'm going to order bushings soon and replace. Tires come in a little while after I save up some money.
 
unfortunately glad to see i am not alone, i have same problems. I am on a new set of tires and new struts and springs and its the same as when i bought the truck new shaking like crazy sometimes. At this point i just deal with it.
 
OK, at the Toyota dealership today I went in to have the steering rack bushings replaced and the tires balanced. I get a call shortly after dropping it off, asking why I wanted the bushings replaced. I said it was because they are 11 years old, and I want them changed to help possibly alleviate the highway steering wheel shake. OK, about 1/2 hour after that, I get a call saying the steering rack bushings are just fine, but that they found the D/S inner tie rod end was loose and needed to be replaced. The toyota replacement part was $177!!!! Labor was $244!!!! The service advisor said that would take care of the problem. I figured, OK, they have a master tech working on this...he must know what he's talking about. And, I figured they would come back telling me something else was the problem. So I have them do the work, since I need the truck back ASAP for a road trip. They also need to do an alignment, and still need to do the balancing. Fine, whatever, just fix it and I'll be on my way.

$585 later, I'm driving my still-shaking truck away from the dealership...with old rack bushings.

Now, I know I got hosed. Don't rub it in. But, I must have some recourse here, right? I mean, they replaced a part that they thought was causing the issue, but didn't, and they didn't even take it for a highway test drive! It had less than 1 mile more on the odometer when I picked it up.

Since the advisor was gone, I left him an email saying how unsatisfied I was with the service. We'll see what happens.

Fugg me.
 
I'd ask for my $ back because they didn't diagnose the problem correctly and what they did was probably pointless. I highly doubt they actually removed the rubber boot that covers up the inner tie rod to inspect it before they got your approval. Sounds like guess work to me.

I know it sounds like WTF??, but I still maintain that the u-joint(s) may be your problem. Get under there with the truck in "N" and the tires blocked and shake the drivelines and see if there's any up/down or side-to-side play in the u-joint(s). Here's the best part - it won't cost you $585 to check, just about 2 minutes of your time!

It's very hard to tell the difference between out-of-balance tires, bad wheel bearings, bad u-joints, and a whole list of possibilities just by how it feels on the highway. You seem to have ruled out any obvious steering issues, alignment, bearings, or unbalanced tires. I would also go out and really test your suspension, maybe it is a bad strut like drinkmolson said. Push down on each corner of the truck and see if they all react the same way.
 
Just did the driveline test (in neutral, shaking the driveshafts). No up/down movement, some rotational movement (expected), and only a very slight front/back movement (less than 1/32", I'd say...it was just enough to barely notice. Certainly nothing sloppy.
 
*bump*
So did you guys ever get your shaking problems solved? I have the same issue (like so many others apparently). I think somebody knowledgeable and experienced on this should write a DIY or FAQ about this highway shake and have it stickied. I have just been dealing with it for a few years. Thinking about selling it and want to fix it so it will sell. If I fix it I may fall back in love with it and scratch the idea of getting a land crusier FJ80. Thanks.
 
i wasnt one of the above posters but i had this problem for about three years. Finally figured out that my tires were the problem. Find a place that has the hunter road force balancer. Go in the back with the tech to ensure that they are balancing them using the Lug Centric adapter not the hub centric adapter. the lug centric will have studs that go through the lug holes, while the hub centric will just be a tapered ring that goes in the center hole. when i had my old tires checked with the proper set up one was asking for two pounds of weight to balance. they were so out of round you could see it as they spun on the machine. Now i have more aggressive tires properly balanced and it is as smooth as stock.
 
Better Tires.... plus the best thing anyone with a 96 - 2002 4-Runner can do is replace the Lug-Centric stock rims with a good set of Hub-Centric after market rims. I haven't had any balancing issues since replacing my stock rims.
 
New to the forum (and 4Runners), and late to this topic.....par for the course

I am glad to see that I am not alone on this. I know my tires are terrible, and need replacment, but have already replaced a tie rod and had an alignment only to be disappointed at the highway shake still being there. I was having major concerns that something major was wrong with the front end.

New tires should be next week, and I can update then. I will also check the u-joint (wouldn't have thought of that).

Anyone know why these seem to have this problem?
 
i had the same problem, the shaking at about 60 mph. I got 4 brand new tires put on 2 weeks ago and the shaking is gone. the ride is smooth as ever, tires should fix your problem.
 
I am glad to hear that there's at least a slight possibility that just the tires might do the trick. The shaking is right between 60-70 mph. The Shaking occasionally ceases for a while too. It also seems to want to wander a bit, but equally in either direction. It will track fine most of the time, but pulls occasionally to one direction or the other, not like an alignment where it's always one direction. Never had vehicle do that.

I should be able to report next week if the tires solve the problem.....I have to say I am a bit skeptical, though I have been known to be wrong on occasion (ok, lots of occasions).
 
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