I didn't know jack about U joints either. A friend pointed the U joints out a lunch and test drive, there it was..I could see bare metal but I had gotten under it and searched. What I probably missed, I wasn't able to see the other side of the U joint. I had gotten under the X while it was on the ground and pulled like crazy on the driveshaft and knew that it couldn't be drive shaft related. But that day with my friend finally led me back to the driveshaft after totally rebuilding the front.
Is it expensive...it sounds expensive , but no! For my X, I had a drive shaft company install all three of mine. I was going to install them myself, but one of the U joints came apart in the universal bearing and I wasn't able to find that part within 2 days since I needed the X for a wedding. I bought Spicer u joints and rounding up high.. $95, to install the U joints was $175. I also took the drive shaft out myself, so if you're not able to do that..hopefully around $100 in labor if you dropped it off. Good luck

 

Just another thing to consider. I agree I would check all the other things mentioned. There are times tires can be an issue beyond the usual run of the mill balancing. I had a set of Michelins that required road force balancing. When being balanced, the tires are put under a load. 90+% of the time, regular balancing is all you need. However, there are times when, due to side wall thickness variations and a few other techy things, the tire in balance on the standard balancing machine will be out of balance when 7000 lbs are sitting on top of them. If the tires are on the economy side of ones available, there is a good chance the manufacturing standards may not be so rigorous as more expensive tires (not that price necessarily always makes a tire better). The fact that the vibration is felt in the wheel and stops when you apply brakes makes we wonder about that issue. When the pads place force on the rotors they brace them horizontally. If your rotors are warped, the wheel vibrates when you apply the brakes. If yours vibration stops when applying the brakes, it could be something with a tire. It's easy enough to have them checked. With your X being 2WD, there is no drive shaft connection with the steering wheel--you would feel it throughout the vehicle-mainly seats and body but not the steering wheel. With 2WD, most rear end vibrations manifest as vibrations in the seats and floor. If its the steering wheel, its the front end. 4WD is an entirely different animal. Just another idea to keep around if some other leads don't pan out

 

So the problem definitely lies in the front-passanger side. While driving in rain it is very apparent. I thought it would be good to note the I feel the vibration continuously off and on but I don't feel vibration in the steering wheel until 35MPH.

 

How are your springs and shocks? Are your tires in good condition ie no cupping?

 

New tires and shock, in the above comments I have a list of all the replaced items