Toyota Land Cruiser DVD auto 2005 - Steering wheel vibration - mtg

I have a 2005 Toyota Land Cruiser that I have owned since new (10 years and 126,000 miles). It has been seviced exclusively at a Toyota dealer. It has recently developed a problem - intermitent steering wheel vibration at 65+mph. I have had the wheels balanced and also swapped them back and front but the problem persists AND is intermitent - one day the steering wheel vibrates, exactly as if the wheels need balancing, and the next day it doesn't - even over the same stretch of road. Any ideas please?

Toyota Land Cruiser DVD auto 2005 - Steering wheel vibration - gordonbennet

Might be worth jacking the vehicle up and spin the wheels yourself to see if they're completely round.

Other than that, presumably the dealer has been greasing the prop shafts, joints and sliders, when required, should be some evidence of greasing if you slide underneath and have a poke nose, and give the props a waggle whilst you're there in case a joint is worn.

As its intermittent i wonder if its a combination of two tyres, and only when they come round to the same rotation point that a very slight imbalance is then magnified/doubled...are they wearing evenly?

Edited by gordonbennet on 01/07/2015 at 19:14

Toyota Land Cruiser DVD auto 2005 - Steering wheel vibration - focussed

I have exactly the same problem with my 05 L200 2.5 diesel double cab pick-up. OK one day - steering wheel vibration the next day, had the fronts balanced at a good tyre shop, ok for a day or so, then back it comes.

Suspension is ok no wear or knocking, toe-in set dead parallel, no wear in front cv's etc.

Tried altering pressures, 4 psi higher pressure than standard seems to stop it almost completely but don't want to run them higher permanently.

The front tyres are standard size Maxxis 265-70 x 16"- big fat Tonka toy tyres, not my choice, they were new on it when I bought it and I can't wear them out!

The only thing I can put it down to is flex in the sidewalls at standard pressures, and bumping the pressure up stiffens the sidewall sufficiently to stop the vibration.

Next set of tyres all round will be a set of BFG AT's which have 4 ply sidewalls.

Toyota Land Cruiser DVD auto 2005 - Steering wheel vibration - Peter.N.

I would suggest that both front tyres are out of balance but by the same ammount, as you corner the difference in speed from one side to the other changes the position of the wheels so the imbalance can go in and out of phase according to the wheel position, when in phase the vibration is doubled when out of phase its cancelled.

Toyota Land Cruiser DVD auto 2005 - Steering wheel vibration - Bolt

As a matter of interest have you checked steering column and bottom UJ to rack/box as they have been known to cause it....common on 70s fords bottom UJ worn