Car Vibration At 65Mph+

[Badgersdad]

My rav4.3 diesel vibrates at any speed over 65mph,felt through the seats especially.Had all wheels balanced,can find no obvious faults in wheels,tyres,uj,s &driveshafts.Has anyone had similar problem?

[sich1]

not with a rav, had it with a warped brake disc once on another car. how is it when you brake?

[crofter]

As it happens at a set speed+ it would point to something after the gearbox and you seem to have checked all the obvious.

I have seen in the past a small thin sheet of metal (like a piece of tin can)on the prop shaft that are there to balance the shaft it's self,could it be that yours had this and has now shed that piece causing an inbalance

Just a theory of course, but it may be worth checking if there is a cleaner patch on the shaft

Good luck with this prob matie

Del

PS have just noticed that you are a new member so,welcome to the club

[Badgersdad]

No problems braking,vibration starts at 65 ish,at least up to 90,worse under acceleration.Thanks for the welcome.No obvious marks on propshaft v

[crofter]

OK viv have you tried changing, one after the other,rear wheels with the spare as maybe a tyre has developed a fault under the tread that only manifests itself when subjected to the centrifugal force that is created at speed

Del

[ALake]

I've had a similar (sort of) vibration/noise issue at 3500 rpm (which is roughly 60mph in 4th and 80mph in 5th on the petrol) and I've never found a reason for it.

I've checked everything I can and dismissed the wheels as they've been checked, and also because the engine note becomes louder at the vibration point . I'm now fairly convinced its something to do with the exhaust.

I've checked the propshaft for any damage but it looks fine, not that says anything I suppose! Your diesel will have different characteristics to my petrol but I'll be interested to see if you find anything in your exploration!

[Badgersdad]

Has anyone any knowledge about the propshaft centre bearing,seems to be a rubber mounted bearing.Can I remove propshaft completely and drive in 2wd to prove prop balance.V

[crofter]

Viv, if you enter 4WD to 2WD in the search box at the top of the page you will find some info regarding this

Hope this is of help

Del

[Badgersdad]

Had all wheels checked and balanced,propshaft removed ,uj's checked,centre bearing ok.Also driven with prop removed ie 2wd.Still have vibration.Garage think it maybe inner cv joint,small amount of slack apparent.Anyone come across this before.Thanks in advance viv.

[gjnorthall]

Pot joints (inner CV joints) invariably have some play - with the wheels straight ahead, grasp the driveshaft close to the joint. It shouldn't move in / out or up/ down more than 3 or 4 mm. It's very unusual for the inner joints to give any trouble.

[Badgersdad]

Thanks for that,car now in hands of garage where purchased with 3yr warranty bought at the same time.

[crofter]

Would love to know what is found

Del

[Badgersdad]

Latest,confirmed by 2nd investigation inner cv joint offside.But warranty will not cover the fault.Expecting a bill for £1000+ if I go ahead and authorise repairs.

[ALake]

That's a hell of a price for a cv joint! More proof the warranty is useless. If my vibration is caused by the same thing then I'll be ditching my rav and getting a Kia again.

[Badgersdad]

Has anyone experienced cv joint failure,especially inner joint? Mine has failed at 85000mls.Would like to hear because warranty(,not by Toyota) say normal wear !!

[gjnorthall]

Outer CV joint failure is reasonably common, often due to ingress of dirt and water when the rubber boot has failed. The inner joint is a beast and very rarely fails. Exactly what is wrong with it? It's around 1.5 hrs hours to remove and install the joint and I'd suggest contacting Reco-Prop (UK) - if they don't have a replacement - they will remanufacture your own joint.

[Badgersdad]

Thanks for that gjn will contact them tomorrow.

[Badgersdad]

Had inner offside cv joint reconditioned at a cost of £150 ,removal &reffiting £50,drives fine up to 90mph.vibration free at last.

[Badgersdad]

Just found out joint too worn to recondition,so was replaced with new inner cv joint.Could the joint have been damaged when the engine was replaced by mr T 12000mls ago?

[Mike169]

I know you say you have had the wheels/tyres checked but i know from past experience a wheel that has been balanced can still give problems. i really would try swopping the 2 front wheels for the 2 rear ones and see if the vibration transfers to being felt through the steering wheel rather than through the seat (rears), a free thing to do and will definitely rules out the wheels/tyres, worth a shot.

Regards Mike169

[Badgersdad]

Mike,car ok now ,vibration all gone with replacement cv joint,just looking for a reason for what seems premature failure of a cv joint that no one else seems to have had.

[gjnorthall]

It really depends if the joint was damaged or just worn. It's conceivable that an inner CV could be damaged when changing the engine - but wear is something different. These inner joints are not prone to failure in normal circumstances and usually fail from water / dirt ingress due to failure of the rubber boot.

[Mike169]

Hi Viv, alls well that ends well, hope it wasn't too expensive? Your joint 'going' is unusual but not uncommon and it could of been a lot worse/expensive, glad you got it sorted.

Mike

[Badgersdad]

No reports of rubber boot failure from to separate inspections,seems to be badly worn & unrepairable.But sorted now.

[Badgersdad]

Actualy cost me £50 labour,must assume the offer to repair @£140 was changed without contacting me to replacement by garage or warranty co.I had words at the garage that supplied car and advised purchasing 3yr warranty.Have had new starter motor and now new cv joint.Thanks for all input.Viv.