Vibration

[Jay]

Hi all,

Getting some vibration, seems to be in the drive-line. Not constant, worse the faster I go.

I climbed under the van and found:

1) the SAD shaft will turn back and forth showing play at the bolts / rubber interface. I'm guessing this will need addressed sooner rather than later.

2) what I think the immediate problem is the center support bearing for the front drive shaft. If I grab the shaft and push up & down it has 3/8" to 1/2" play in it. I'm anything but an expert ,but this seems excessive.

Any thoughts from the experts?

Many thanks,

-J

[Jay]

Anybody know if a 91 AWD can be driven with the REAR driveshaft removed? I've read many a post about removing the front, can't find anything on the rear. I've a trashed u joint. I'm concerned I will snap a / or all of the studs on the transfer case flange. Can't be without the van waiting for replacements.

Thanks & Best Regards,

-J

[timsrv]

Jay, So you have excessive play in the front carrier bearing AND a bad u-joint on the rear drive shaft ? With problems on both front & rear I'd worry about over stressing the front if your remove the rear and over stressing the rear if you remove the front. On the earlier vans I know for sure you can remove a shaft and make the van into a front wheel drive OR a rear wheel drive without issue. On the Previa the viscous coupling in the transfer case makes this a bit more worrisome. While I was getting my front drive-lines balanced I used my All-Trac Previa with only the rear drive-shaft and had no problems. For the most part I took it easy (as I wasn't sure what repercussions I might face). I did have to gun it a few times when pulling out in traffic though and the only difference I noticed was the potential to spin a rear wheel if the conditions were right (this could never happen with both front & rear drive working).

Another member posted about doing the same thing with his All-Trac & complained of a noise like a turbine during the 1st attempt to drive. The noise ended abruptly as the rear wheels engaged suddenly & violently . He said after this initial "surprise" everything seemed okay and the van performed like a normal RWD. For whatever reason I assume his viscous coupling was slipping then engaged, but not sure why his did & mine didn't.........also not sure why it did that only once .

I've never tried to drive my Previa with the rear drive-line out, but if the need arose I wouldn't be afraid to try. Just stay very aware of noises, vibrations, slippage, or any thing else unusual or "bad" during your test drive. If ANYTHING AT ALL doesn't seem right then DON'T PUSH YOUR LUCK. Please report back with your experience as I'd be interested to know how it performs.

As you may know, all the U-joints (front & rear) on the All-Trac Previas are staked. This means they cannot be easily replaced (you will need entire shafts). The good news is Power Train Industries in Garden Grove, CA makes quality aftermarket drivelines for the Previa (front & rear). Their phone number is 1-800-798-4585. They also carry the center support bearing between the two front drive lines. The best thing about the Power Train Industries drive lines is they have heavy duty replaceable u-joints. This means in about 150k-300k miles, if you have another failure you can just change the joint(s) . Tim

PS: I happen to have a genuine Toyota front-most drive shaft (Toyota part #37110-28260). It's new in the box. I don't have an immediate need for it so I'd let it go for $150 + whatever shipping costs. I also have a genuine Toyota SADS shaft assy new in box (Toyota part #37910-28050). I'd let that one go for $500 + shipping.

[Jay]

Tim,

As always, excellent information. Thanks for the Power-Train info. I may try rebuilding the original staked in type, not sure yet.

As far as the Front Wheel Drive Only theory goes, I'm not going to try it. I've researched viscous couplings and decided not to risk it. After all, the old girl has over 280,000 miles, no reason to hasten the end.

I'll keep you posted on my progress.

Thanks, & Very Best Regards,

-J

[Jay]

OK, well that is an eye opener, called Power Train, was quoted $375.00+ship. I'm guessing "Steve" was having a bad day & was sharing.
Didn't seem overly interested in playing "let's make a deal."

Odd thing is, I can get the same part (Power Train # 2391-502) from ThePartsBin.com - Drive Wire & others,for $228.98 + $73.20 core charge = $302.18 + ship.(why the core,I don't know-I looked at the picture Timsrv put on, I know they don't rebuild them.I'm guessing it's just another way to make money, I doubt my core would be accepted, after I paid to send it back. So, ) These places show list $ as 361.10 !

I can get OEM for $374.28 from Toyotapartseast.com. I know it's not as pretty, or as heavy duty, or with replaceable u joints, but the original lasted 280,000 + miles.

This is over budget, going to have to rethink this.


-J

[timsrv]

I hate it when that happens. Companies become successful by giving great deals and great customer service, then they get too big for their britches and forget how they got that way. I don't know if this is what is going on with Power Train, but it sounds a bit like that. What leads to this is big contracts. They likely have found big supplier(s) that have contractually bound them to not sell small quantities for less than $xxx.xx each.

I purchased my rear Previa drive shaft from them for $228 about 2 years ago. Back in May of this year I purchased another one for my cargo van and also got a great deal. I did however identify myself as a retail outlet and I gave him a link to the drive-line thread. Sorry to hear of your experience. I'll see if I can dig up my old (but still good) rear drive shaft I removed from my Previa. $50 + shipping if you want it. Tim

[Jay]

Tim,

Oh, you bet I want it. Please.

I know what your saying about "contract obligations", but it really is sad for us little guys.

I'll PM you my contact info / address when you let me know you found it.

Thanks again, these vans wouldn't be still as popular or even viable without support from people such as yourself.

Regards,

-J

[Jay]

OK, to update.

I heard from Tim & his part is AWOL. I ended up ordering the Powertrain part (2391-502 - rear shaft, AWD) from J.C. Whitney $330.18 delivered to the door. This includes the core charge of $73.20. J.C. had the best total price even before the $62.99 discount my wife negotiated with the sales rep.

If you do not have a business in order to get a better deal, this was the best route I found. YMMV!

A big Thank You to Tim for taking the time to look for his part.

Regards,

-J