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4x4 Shaking All Over


Nick Branson
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Hello,  I bought a Toyota Hilux Surf 4Runner 3.0 litre Automatic 2 weeks ago from Lytham St Annes and drove it home to Leicester. Half way home the car developed a terrible shaking from the front, the steering wheel was going crazy. I've had my MOT garage mechanic examine the car and he checked steering, ball joints, and suspension, all good. I then had the 2 x front wheels balanced. My mechanic has also done an Oil change on the engine and gearbox, he has also checked the Oil in both Axles which actually look New too. Engine pulls strong. But there is a Vibration when engaging the Auto box into the Drive position driving down the road. On Saturday after the wheel balance, I took the car out into the countryside, driving about 40 or 50 mph. The vibration from the front happened again. It felt like something was holding back the car. I am worried this is a Drive Shaft or Axle problem or worse the Auto box ???

Does anyone know what the problem is ? 

I've owned a Toyota Land Cruiser Prado 3.0 Automatic for 14 years and It's been the most reliable car I've ever owned and I've been driving since 1985. So I know something serious is wrong with the SURF.

Please Help. I only bought this 4x4 due to a catastrophic engine failure on my BMW 520 Touring.    

Thanks

Nick Branson

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Edited by Nick Branson
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Private sale or from a dealer? If from a dealer you will be covered under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 - https://www.which.co.uk/consumer-rights/regulation/consumer-rights-act

See the section 'The first six months'. 

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Someone had similar issue recently, car shaking above 50 or 60 mph. From what i recall, problem was a tire bulge that was not that obvious and expanded at speed.

Maybe try swapping front with read tires.

I would also suggest to check, when the vibration starts, always at same speed, always at same gear? 

Try to change gear while it's happening, to try to identify if it's the transmission or not.

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It was a Private Sale and my car is an Automatic.

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1 hour ago, Nick Branson said:

It was a Private Sale and my car is an Automatic.

I presumed you had kickback.

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Tony, I am not a mechanic, how would I check these ?   

Dean, I don't know what kickback is  ?

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20 minutes ago, Nick Branson said:

Tony, I am not a mechanic, how would I check these ?   

Dean, I don't know what kickback is  ?

I wanted to write kickdown, not much sleep last night.

When you press pedal all the way down, and the transmission shifts to lower gear, used for overtaking and such.

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4 hours ago, Nick Branson said:

Tony, I am not a mechanic, how would I check these ?   

Dean, I don't know what kickback is  ?

Hi Nick, the engine mounts bolt the engine to the chassis. The u/js are on the prop shaft which connects to the diff on the axle, if these are worn they can cause vibration. If you're not confident checking these I would take it back to the mechanics so they can check them for you as you would need to get under the vehicle to check these.

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I will pass on your advice to my mechanic, Thanks Tony. I really hope I get to the bottom of this.

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On Friday 21/9/2018 I took the Surf to a very good 4x4 Mechanic in Leicester, The Garage is called D&G 4x4. Geoff said "how many Garages have you taken this to ?" Only my Mechanic and the MOT Garage he uses called Graham Goode Racing" Geoff then asked If I'd like to see what he had discovered on the Toyota Surf !  YES of course. Geoff got his Mechanic to sit inside the car to operate the Steering and then Raised the 4 Post Lift. We then Took a L@@k !  Well I was Gog Smacked !  It was So Obvious to See the FAULTS with the Car from Underneath.

Oh WOW !  How did the MOT garage mechanic who examined the car who checked the steering, ball joints, suspension, and found NO Issues have Missed these Faults??

The Steering Rack and the Bar above it ALL had Shot Warn Out Rubbers or are they called Bushes ?  The Bar on the Rear had similar Fault too.  Surely these are all MOT Failures ? JESUS ! The Ball Joints may also be Suspect. I am Hoping these items will FIX the Shacking Steering and Vibrations.

 No Idea how much this will all Cost.

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Just goes to show how bad some garages are, and how good others are. Well hopefully you can get it sorted now. At least you know where not to take the car for repairs.

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Hi Tony,  There is NO Way I will be using GGR for my MOT's in the Future. I'm worried Now as to what State my Toyota Land Cruiser is in Underneath too as GGR have been doing the MOT on that car for Donkey's Years !  

Geoff also said "he can't understand why people are so afraid to work on 4X4 cars, it's just a Car" and he also said "Some People just don't want to work on them" 

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Hello Nick, they probably just want easy jobs for easy money. Still that's two cars the've lost and now doubt you'll tell other people so potentially they could lose a lot of work. 

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Tony, I've had my suspicions about GGR for a while now. They use to Fail my BMW on a Angel Bulb and charge a fortune to replace it, even though when I dropped off the Car for the MOT there were NO Alarms on the Dash to say a Bulb was out. Disgusting Behaviour and recently they were failing my Land Cruiser on an Indicator Bulb ! WTF !!!  Oh and marking the paintwork on my Wing where the idiots tried to remove the Indicator Side Light assembly wrongly !  Disgusted I was !  I've had an Email from GGR today stating my MOT is due in November 2018. I won't be taking it to them in future or my SURF which is due on my birthday in December. And there is NO WAY on Earth I'd take my STAG there either, That Car goes to my STAG People.  Cheers ! 

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Oh dear my 4x4 mechanic is struggling to get hold of the "Nolathane Steering Rack Mounting Bush Kit" 
RoughTrax are also Sold Out.

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I have telephoned Geoff and Ordered the POWER STEERING RACK MOUNTING BUSH KIT and the Drop Link Anti Roll bar bushes too for the Front & Back.  Geoff Will Be Pleased !  lol
Really Pleased www.milneroffroad.com had these in Stock !  woo hoo

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D&G 4x4 have fitted the new Power Steering rack mounting bush kit and the Drop Link Anti Roll bar bushes to for the Front but the 19mm Drop Link Anti Roll bar bushes on the rear were the wrong size.

The Steering has improved alot but there is still an issue, but what ? The steering through the rack feels a little loose around 40 - 50 in the countryside. Or is it the BF Goodriche tyres ?

Finally, turning left into my driveway this morning after returning from a Sunday Car Booty (turning almost at full lock the car felt like it was being held back) But I got out and the Wheel was not touching the Wheel Arche.

No idea if this is a Steering or Driveshaft Issue...

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I've been informed this is a common issue on the Surf and 90 Prado, it is play in the steering column.

There are a few fixes on various websites, some involve removing the column and doing a spot welding. Other fix it with some sort of rubber gaiter.  If you can LIVE with it, it's not a MOT failure, just a bit annoying on uneven ground.

NO I Can't Live with IT. I will try and search the NET for "The FIX"  What a Nightmare !

 

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I wonder if this will FIX my Steering Problem ?  Does my Car have this Steering Box ?

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More Bad News from RoughTrax.
 
We don’t list a steering box for your model, I see the link in the email states the video is of a 4Runner which is the earlier model to yours so I don’t think it will be of any use.
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the problem is that a slip joint along the steering column, (which is designed to collapse during a front end collision), develops a small amount of play over time. Toyota has never done a recall for this issue, so it's probably safe to say that the slip joint won't actually come completely loose to the point that you cannot steer the truck. The upper steering assembly can be replaced completely, but many people who have done this report having the problem come back after some time.

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