I have two Q?'s. First, As you all probably know it has been snowing like crazy here in the Wasatch. Anyway, today i put my cruzier in 4x4 to get through the snow and while i was driving noticed this wierd vibration right under my feet. It would only happen when i was not pushing the gas, it happened when i let got of the gas.


Ok, number two. How do i tell what kind of lift i have. I know this sounds dumb, but when i bought my cruzier, it said 3 inch lift. Now with my greater understanding of the off-road world, i know there are different kinds of lifts.


Thanx for the help people.

:confused: ;) ;) ;)

the three most basic types of lifts
body lift: blocks between the body and frame to lift the body up
spring lift: springs with a higher arch, or springs on top of the axle (SOA)
shackle: longer shackles

sorry if this is too basic, but Ill assume you know nothing like I did when I got mine. :D :D

as far as the vibration, could be alot of things, someone more knowledgable will chime in. but is happening in 4wd, and what speeds. any other info that might help determine it.

my money would be on your front drive shaft being at a bad angle. they should be even as in 3 deg at the t case and 3 deg at the front end. you have a few degs to play with but when you go over about 5 total mismatch you get some bad vibs. the 3 deg i said is just a made up. just get a angle finder and check both flanges. mike

Prety much anytime that you have a vibration when you let off on the gas is due to U-joint angles. If it only does it in 4-wheel drive then I'd say that you have either an unhappy angle at the front of the transfercase, or a bad U-joint. If you really care that much about it, you could put a CV in your front shaft and that will take care of it.

If it does it in 2 wheel drive as well, then it's your rear pinion/transfercase angle and you can probably solve it by adjusting your rear pinion angle or by also using a CV rear shaft.

Jeff

I feel this is worth pointing out as I just had something VERY similar happen to me in the rear.

Drop your drive shaft at the diff and check the pinion nut to make sure it is nice and tight.

I had a horrible noise when in gear and slowing and no noise when accelerating....turned out to be my pinion nut.

If you can move the drive shaft up and down at the diff it is a good sign that this is the problem.

Otherwise the angle would be the logical next place to look.

I only mention it since it takes about 5 minutes to diagnose and repair if it is this issue.

what exactly is a pinon? And where is the pinon nut? Thanx for the help people.

also what is a CV joint? How much do they cost? And is it worth it? Is this a real problem, or does it matter. Thanx for helping a dumb little boy. By the way, i can only notice it when i'm in 3rd and 4th gear, high speeds i guess.

The pinion nut is pretty easy to spot.

On your front driveshaft, remove the 4 12mm bolts holding the shaft to the front axle. Once they are removed slide the shaft off, be careful, depending on your lift it may slide off the slip yoke and bonk you.

Once you get the shaft dropped, look where it was attached to the axle. The large 27mm nut looking back is the pinion nut.

Make sure it is torqued down to spec (forget what setting, but it is pretty tight). Once it is tight, take a punch and knock the edge of the nut into the notch that is in the center (this will make sense when you see it, it is not complex).

Once you do this, reattach everything and take it for a spin...see if it still makes noise.

If so, measure you angles (if you have not already done so).

Good Luck!

Check your u-joints. Had same prob. recently on my daily driver
only in the rear. $36 for three new u joints from checker and it drives like new again. Old ones were dry and scared up pretty bad under the caps

ok, first of all what are u-joints? Second, what should the angles of my driveshaft be? and how do i measure them? Thanx. (I'm still wondering what a cv is)

There may come a time when the number of questions asked may result in the ol "go to a mechanic" answer.

Do a little research, buy a few manuals, and become informed on what you are dealing with.

Not being rude, but if you plan on doing work on your own truck you need to know the basics to do it correctly.

I don't think replacing your U-joints would be the "weekend project" of choice for someone that does not know what they are.

Just want to make sure your rig gets better!

what manueal should i get? I just want one that tells everything about cars. All the perts and etc. Thanks

Call toyota and order the shop manuals.

they have illustrated diagrams, etc that should help you greatly.