Hey guys,

I'm having a unique problem with my '01 TL. About 3-4 months ago (or 10,000km ago) there was a vibration in front passenger wheel, this is was pretty noticeable from 60-80 km/h. It was usually only felt on accelerating and went away completely when I left off the gas. I took it to a shop and the following work was done:

-They replaced driveshafts for both sides (reman.)
-Replaced the Sway bar links
-and replaced a wheel bearing I think

after this work was done the vibration went away completely. Now, 10,000km later I am beginning to have the exact same problem...Again, in the front passenger side. Now, since the part was still under warranty I got a new driveshaft put in (today) and the vibration has shifted to the front driver side. It appears as if this driveshaft also needs replacing. This leaves me with some questions, mainly;

-Is it common for driveshafts to go that fast?
-The shop told me it could be due to the fact that my car is lowered (springs - eibach pro kit) and TL driveshafts are not capable of handling the extra pressure. Is this a possibility because I know a lot of us have our cars lowered (and mine isn't really THAT low). He suggested that I raise it back to stock height and see what happens.
-Another possibility the shop presented was that there is something wrong with the differential that keeps putting the driveshafts off. Does this make any sense to any of you?

Other than that I'm pretty confused and haven't heard of this problem with anyone else. I tried searching for similar problems on this forum but found nothing. Any help would be appreciated. I haven't got the driver side driveshaft replaced yet. So before I throw more down I would like to hear what you guys have to say....


Thanks!

 

I can't comment on how lowering could affect the drive shafts, but if the driver's side is still under warranty, I say go ahead and have it replaced. Being remanufactured shafts (aka, front axles), they could certainly go bad if not done right.

 

What was the brand of reman. axles used?

 

Not sure what brand they are...but the shop did say that they do replace lots of driveshafts and this supplier doesn't usually get many warranty claims....the main mechanic there is pretty fixed on the idea that there is either something wrong with my differential or it is because I'm lowered.... btw my tran has 50,000km on it, so its fairly new

 

when you lower the car did you buy the camber kit's for the front and back so that the car can be aligned properly?

If you didn't you now know why you having issues with the drive shafts, your running to much negitive camber putting the CV at a extreme angle relative to the drive shaft and destroying the joint causing the vibration.

There is a right way to lower a car and most do it wrong and never look at the alignment and correct the alignment so that it runs at zero degrees camber.

 

I am going to get the driver side driveshaft warrantied on Monday so the problem should be fixed for now. When I bought the car, the guy told me he had recently installed camber kits on it, but I never checked what brand or whether they are on the front or back. I'll check that out and I'll get an alignment done as soon as I get the new shaft installed.

 

See if you can pay a little more money and upgrade to NEW axles. Not the overpriced $1000 ones from the dealer, but from a reputable aftermarket company like napa. Lots of people have had vibration issues with reman axles, myself included. The problem is with the inner joint, not the outer, so camber isn't the issue. Wear spots develop in the inner joint, and when you lower the car, you move the bearings [balls] relative to the race. This causes vibration, and they seldom get replaced when the axle is rebuilt.

 

CarQuest usually has pretty good stuff, too. They are a little more $ (like NAPA), but better than most other chain stores. The one I go to will give a discount if you ask for it or start mentioning other stores.

 

Even if your car is lower, still shoudn't cause the axle to go bad, at least not 10k km.

 

So I got both driveshafts, now the car is back running great...still confused as to how this happened tho