Six862m6

Ok guys, I could use a little help with tracking down a part and maybe some step by step procedures. My car is a '97 SC400 with 110,5xx miles on it that is pretty much all original as far as I know and have seen (I picked the car up with 78,xxx on it), As the title states, I've got a bit of a vibration problem. I've read through the posts and I'm pretty sure I've got a bad transmission (rear engine) mount AND I think the drive shaft support bearing is going out as well. On the interstate the car will vibrate from the 55-80 MPH range, sometimes bad, sometimes not so bad and some times not at all. Depends on what it feels like that day/at the time. It doesn't matter if I have steady throttle applied or if I let off completely. Punching the throttle does seem to have an effect on it, but its still there, just muted. Also, at lower, in town speeds, when I apply throttle and let off, I get a thunking right under the console area. The harder I shove the throttle and quicker I let off, the worse the thunk is. I confirmed this was the transmission mount failing by using O.L.T.'s recommendation of turning in a circle in a parking lot; once the weight was all shifted fairly well, the thunking subsided. I also had a car sick girlfriend. Lastly, when decelerating at low speeds (I think low speeds just because there isn't enough road noise to drown it out) I can hear a very light clicking that sounds like its coming from right beneath the center console cup holder. All of this being said, I think I need to replace the rear mount, which looks pretty straight forward and easy to get the part. BUT I think because of the clicking sound and possibly more to do with the vibration than the mount, I need to replace the drive shaft support/bearing. I am having a hard time finding one anywhere though! I can't find one on ebay, through google, anything. Am I just searching for the wrong term? Is it a dealership only item and I can't get an after market one? Also, once I get a hold of one, how hard is it to replace it? Are there any DIY posts on this item? I did a search for one and only came up with the transmission mount DIY and the " sc300 sc400 driveshaft center support bearing / roaring sound / vibration" thread . Any help would be much appreciated guys!

Thanks!

Six862m6

Bump to the top.

Six862m6

Dang.... did I make someone mad or does no one have any info on the part/procedure for the drive shaft carrier bearing?

ScottURnot

iTrader: (33)

I had that exact same clicking sound on a 97 SC400, After 4 trips to the dealer, a complete rearend rebuild, and full driveline inspection, they told me I dont know. It was always there but never seemed to hurt anything.

Six862m6

Thanks for the reply Scott, I've done a lot of readings on your builds/mods, good stuff. The soft clicking really doesn't bother me, I can certainly live with it. But man, when the car decides to start vibrating, sometimes it feels like the thing is going to shake apart.... I can watch the steering wheel and shifter shaking around and feel it in my seat.... and it's not like this is a "once in awhile" thing, more like I'm lucky if it's a "once a day" thing.... I'm still doing some research everywhere I can, I honestly think its the carrier bearing on the driveshaft going out because of age and a bad transmission mount, but I can't for the life of me find anyone that sells the bearing and I really don't want to shell out the money for a full on new drive shaft or waste my time/money on a used driveshaft that has one with it...

Kaydee

I get 2 kinds of clicking that I have to live with...annoying me tells ya

capnfred

I don't know the configuration of the drive shaft on your car, but is sure sounds like a universal joint to me.... clicking and clunking, if you suspect the support bearing is bad all you is reach under the car, grab the driveshaft and try to move it any direction, up, down, left and right, forwards and backwards. If the bearing is bad there will be play in the driveshaft, ie it will move when you try to make it move. As for the u-joint thats another easy one, try and turn the drive shaft, is the joints are worn, then you will succeed. Now here is a bit of advice, go and get a shop manual, spend the money, buy, beg, copy, but get a factory shop manual (FSM), not a 1 size fits all chiltons, or its ilk. The first time you do a repair yourself the manual will pay for its self, (especially at $100 + per hour that the dealers get. Not to mention the good feeling that comes with knowing that your becoming self sufficient, and did it yourself. Most of the maint. on cars is not all that tricky if you have the right tools. So get the most important tool there is.. a real honest to god FSM. One last bit of advice, rather than going to the dealer or aftermarket, find out the OEM part number for the bearing, a bit of useful knowledge is that seals and bearings come in standard sizes, so if you know the size, go to an industrial bearing and seal shop, either give them the numbers stamped on the bearing or give it to them, they will measure it and find the correct one for you, the savings can be significant. When I said OEM part number I am referring to the manufacturer of the bearing not Toyota, they (Toyota) probably like most other manufacturer do not make bearings, they used standard size bearings made by one of the few bearing manufacturers in the design of the cars, just like every other assembler, which is what car makers really are.... the engineers are driven by the bean counters to design stuff that uses existing products rather than have something custom made. I know I digressed from the original thread, but since most of the users of this board are not trained mechanics, technicians, or engineers, I thought I would share this bit of useful knowledge. The difference in price can be mind blowing.... a short example, I am cruising sailor, boat parts prices make Lexus look cheap in comparison, my gearbox died, the manufacturer of the gear box (ZF), which is an abbreviation for a multi-syllabic german transmission manufacturer wanted $25-35 per bearing, which there are four, I took the old bearing to my buddy at the bearing shop, he miked it, looked it up in his book, and said he had to order them, be there in a week,,,, so I asked him whats the damage, are we sitting down sportsfans....with s/H, $30.00 for all four.... and by the way, they were SKF bearings, some of the worlds best (made in germany) but that is another story, so hopefully this old wrench can help some of you young guys save some hard earned $$$$$$ and gain some confidence.....just remember that most automobile assemblers are not skilled machinist, they are just people that can follow instructions well. The manufacturers know this so the cars are engineered to be bullet proof for the assemblers, ie they make parts that will only go one way, have clear markings as to how they are to be put together, etc etc... any of the other oldsters here remember the good old days when this wasn't true..... right fellows.... as for my credentials, been turning wrenches since I was 12, (now 63), and have over 40 years experience and training as a Technician, mechanic, with a heavy engineering background, (electricity/electronics)... but I never finished school and got the diploma, just been working all my life... having fun....If anyone has any Comments or criticism, I would love to hear them.....my g/f can attest that my finger nails do not stay clean for long...LOL, I love to work with may hands....BTW I am just getting familiar with the way Toyota does things from an engineering standpoint and like what I see.....very well engineered with the idea that its going to break and need fixn some time or later, and I find my ES (Camry) easy to work on once you understand how to speak the lingo..... enough of my typing for now... so get in there learn your car, fix the easy stuff, take the hard stuff to someone that knows what they are doing, and that sportsfans from what I have been reading here and other Toyota based forums is not neccecarily the dealer....I know that I have not taken any car I have owned to the Dealer for any reason other than a few instances where I had no choice, (safety recalls), and then I double checked what they had done to make sure it was not professionaly.....NO GD shortcuts.... you cannot believe all the Jerryrigs I have found in my Lexus, which according to a stack of receipts I found under the seat (while replacing the rear speakers) had been serviced for some time by LEXUS......so if its under warranty, by all means let them fix it, otherwise either learn to do it yourself, (professionally), or find a competent mechanic/technician to do it for you. Good luck, drive safe, and keep the greasy side down, the shiny side up.

Capn

Kaydee

^ that is officially the longest post I've ever encountered on CL

TheMole

iTrader: (13)

Hurts my eyes trying to read some of the posts above. Paragraphs are your friend guys lol.

jdm93400

Sorry to be an *** but can i see ur sig pic a little bigger

TheMole

iTrader: (13)

http://www.intellexual.net/
Also a good resource for information.

Six862m6

Haha, I was going to try and dig up the pic on my computer but I clicked the link you posted and there is the sig pic MUCH larger.

jimbosr1

i am bringing up this old thread because i had the same symptoms as the first post with the exception of any vibration.i replaced the transmission mount and it is complete quiet now and i changed 2 qts of tranny fluid while it was up in the air.shifts are like new and going from park to drive or reverse is also like new.if you have any of these noises change you transmission mount.ps: my sc400 has 105K miles.
the noise i had was under the cup holder.