TWillz

Has anyone on here had the gas pedal vibration problem on their '08-'09 LX fixed? I have searched around and found a few people that had the problem here and on ih8mud - mostly on older threads, but I haven't found any where someone had it and then had it fixed using the TSB. http://alflash.com.ua/avtovideo/lx57...SB-0022-09.pdf

Mine is starting to bug me especially on the highway, and I'm just wondering if it's worth the $$ to get it repaired and fully fixes the problem.

ggebhardt

Does it only vibrate while braking, that would sound like warped rotors. If it does it all the time you need to get it to a dealer or front end shop to check out the front end.

TWillz

negative - this is a transfer case vibration. Only does it when accelerating, and when the RPM range is between 1800-2100. Unfortunately this is right around the range when I'm cruising down the interstate at 75 mph.

The TSB calls for replacing the transfer case and a bunch of other random components, as well as putting vibration dampening material on the accelerator pedal itself.

ad500

My 09 has this issue as well - resonance in the gas pedal and steering wheel. For me, the gas pedal is much more noticeable. It seems to have gotten worse as time went along, as when I bought the LX with just over 100k on it the resonance was just barely there.

I notice it most when lightly accelerating uphill or when towing a lighter load <2,500lbs. Under heavy acceleration or when towing significant weight (aka when you cross 2000 rpm's to move and stay there) it's smooth as can be. So pretty similar to what others report. If you look at the Australian forum (lcool.org) there is a 30 something page sticky thread on the subject. Apparently their diesel LC200's have it much worse and it's still an issue with even brand new ones.

On the Austrialian forum they refer back to a Russian version of the TSB where a bearing within the transfer case is replaced and the problem generally resolves itself. Here in the US, dealers don't like to tear into transfer cases and instead replace them, which makes for a very expensive proposition. I have considered having an independent transmission/4 wheel drive shop do the Russian TSB mod and see what happens. I've attached an image I found on the forum. Someoneon Lcool.org translated from the version in Russian. As I understand it, there's some type of tolerance issue with the bearing that leads to it vibrating.

As for the US TSB, I took the approach of trying the cheapest thing first and seeing what happened. So I started with the pad looking thing the TSB says to put under the accelerator pedal. When I ordered it and the related nuts (around $20) I figured it would be a big piece of rubber. Wrong...it's a piece of steel. It does nothing but raise the accelerator about 1/4".

Knowing I had 1/4" of space to work with if I removed the useless metal plate, I tried what folks on the Tundra forums (same issue; makes sense since same power train) and F-150 forums have been trying to solve the same issue - putting a sorobothane pad under the accelerator. I was able to get 1/4" under there (two 1/8" pads). It slighly dampened, but when you hit a hill or sat around 1800 RPM it was right there again vibrating your foot. So really didn't make a difference. So then I thought to put a 1/8" pad under the pedal and then a 1/8" piece with a washer on top under the nuts on the top of the pedal. This actually made a decent bit of difference (progress!), until the sorobothane crumbled. I'm guessing the pressure against the washer as you hit the gas was just too much. Oh well. But either way the resonance seems to come through the bolt sticking up from the floor the accelerator attaches to.

I've also noticed the resonance seems worse when it's really hot and after the AC has turned on. I'm going to look at replacing the components around the AC line that is in the TSB next and see what happens. This spans from the fact that if the air isn't on, it doesn't seem as bad. And last fall, when the temps were in the 50s-60s, I went about two weeks without feeling the vibration - all while driving the same route to/from work - with plenty of hills. So there is something temperature intemittant about it. The folks on lcool had similar notes - it would come and go based on weather (and other random things).

I'll also add that I've noticed it gets a little less noticeable if I simply drop to 4lo while stopped in neutral, lock the diff, unlock the diff and then go back to 4hi. In some cases this nearly stopped the issue for a few days, so maybe it allows the bearing to be seated a little differently. But it always comes back.

Hope this helps you and the group a bit...

Diagram of component to replace in transfer case.

TWillz

Interesting info for sure. It's amazing to me how much vibration is going on in my truck. Not only does the front differential cause buzzing in the steering wheel and gas pedal at that RPM range, but even my climate control system causes vibrations as well. I have the broken fresh air/recirculated air door servo due to someone changing the cabin air filter without putting it in the "recirculate" position. Any time my heater or ac is running, my steering wheel and to a lesser extent the gas pedal - vibrates like crazy. I'm hoping to get that door servo fixed soon to cut down on some of the vibration, but I doubt I'll ever fork out the cash to replace my front diff and all the related components. I've learned to just try and avoid that RPM range as much as possible.

ad500

I've replaced my cabin air filter and never had issues - recirculate or not. I just always do it with the car off and nothing running. And then I make sure it snaps back in properly. Maybe that's where folks have gone south before and the filter gets moved around and jams something. I dunno. Haven't dug much into that issue so I can't speak much to it. I just know my servos make a little bit of noise when you turn on defrost, but so did my old 4runner with computer climate control and I hope I never encounter this issue.

As for the 570 itself, there is a lot more vibration than I expected, but underneath it's a bulletproof, rugged 4x4 truck with a nice body and interior on top. I do feel the LC100's/470s were smoother, or perhaps more refined is the better term, but the power and handling of the 200 is far superior. I towed 3k two weeks ago with 4 people and a bunch of stuff in the car and the 570 didn't even flinch at it, hills and all. The LC100/s/470s would have been lagging a bit. One of my friends has a 15 Land Cruiser, and I will say it's definetly smoother. But I don't know if that's age or adjustments to things (like tolerances) as time has gone on. Then you have the lcool.org forums in Australia where as of today (2017) folks buying brand new LC200's are still reporting gas pedal and steering wheel vibrations in the 1800-2100 RPM range. I guess it is just a characteristic of the vehicle, but one that shouldn't be there for the cost and is surprising Toyota didn't catch up front or adjust for more as time goes along.

In the end, all I know is that
1) Dampening material under the gas pedal makes no real difference. Save your time.
2) Sometimes the vibrations will go away for days or weeks; this tends to be when the climate is mild.
3) I do think the AC lines (which the TSB addresses) transfer some of the vibration, and the temperature of those lines may impact things. Hot days, AC running wide open = vibration always very much there. Mild days, when it's just circulating air for the most part and the lines most likely aren't as cool, or the heat is running = less or no vibration. I don't think it's the compressor vibrating because once you cut off the system, it's the same. It really seems tied to the temps of the lines. I am going to do the AC line bracket/mount portion of the TSB next and see what happens.
4) The only way probably to truly make a difference is to do the TSB ($$$) or possibly try the Toyota Russia approach of replacing that one component in the transfer case. And to do that you'd have to get an aftermarket transmission shop involved and find the individual part, which I haven't dug too much on but am considering. Or you sell the car and get an Infiniti QX/Nissan Armada, which is not the approach I want to take.