vibration while coasting at highway speeds

[kenwin30]

1999 4runner with 140k, going down the highway at 60mph and when i let off the gas i feel the car has vibration and also i hear a noise that sounds kinda like big mud tires going down the road, u joints maybe or a drive shaft prob, what do you guys think?

 

[racecougar]

Check your U-joints and engine and transmission mounts.

-Rod

 

[Ray Garlington]

could be a wheel bearing on one of the driven wheels.

 

[kenwin30]

also, just riding around town, the back end of the car just seems loose, kinda like its swaying, going in the shop in the morn!

 

[racecougar]

Well if that's the case, then I definitely agree with Ray. It sounds like you have a bad wheel bearing.

-Rod

 

[SERonBLAST]

X2, and maybe your rotors might be warped.

"the back end of the car just seems loose, kinda like its swaying"

I would check the hub bolt to see if it came loose before you drive any farther!

 

[mechtech2]

Sounds like drivetrain - let us know.

 

[kenwin30]

update from the dealer, said he rode around and did feel a little vibration in the rear end, and he did say the rear u joint was bad and they were going to replace the front and the rear u joint, pick it up tomorrow morn and hopefully the vibration is gone!

 

[kenwin30]

picked the 4runner bout an hour ago and it does ride better with the new u joints, the back end feels tighter and all, but when i get on the hiway at 60-70 mph i still feel a little vibration from the back end. what should be my next step to fix this problem?

 

[racecougar]

Were the rear wheel bearings even checked? Raise the rear of the vehicle, place your hands 180 degrees apart on the tire, and try to wiggle the tire. Try this both horizontally and vertically. If you notice any play, the bearing on that side is suspect. Check both sides.

-Rod

 

[kenwin30]

not sure if they checked the rear wheel bearings or not, i will do that tonight, lets just say one tire has some play in it and the other is fine, would you replace both wheel bearings or just the one that has the wiggle in it?

 

[racecougar]

You can just replace the one with play, but check the other one regularly. If one is worn out, it's fair to assume that the other isn't far behind.

-Rod

 

[kenwin30]

thanks rod, if its not bearings, where do i go ?

 

[mechtech2]

Bent wheels, internally or externally faulty tires, or bad balance can cause these types of additional anomalies.

 

[racecougar]

Failed engine and transmission mounts can also cause vibrations, however they will not cause a "swaying" feeling while driving.

-Rod

 

[kenwin30]

gona carry the 4runner back to shop in the morn, hey rod, i jacked each rear tire up and there was no movement in either tire..

 

[meep]

Those wheel bearings on solid axles last a LONG time unless they are defective or there lube problems. They see the GL fluid as it sloshes around in those axles I believe.

worn rubber bits? all of the above items from mechtech are possible!

M

 

[kenwin30]

mechanic looked at my rear end yesterday and said it looked fine, so i rotated the tires and the vibration moved to the front, sounds like a tire issue now, having them balanced monday morning...

 

[racecougar]

Sounds like you have an unbalanced wheel/tire, bent wheel, or a tire with a broken belt. I assume that the tires aren't showing any signs of abnormal treadwear yet, right?

-Rod

 

[kenwin30]

all tires have about 40% tread left, so i think its a balance issue, taking it to the dealer to get the road force balance done, just a regular balance machine wont balance these tires, been there done that...