Hello. I just purchased a '98 Expedition Eddie Bauer, 36,000 miles. Great car, but it has a slight vibration that is annoying, as well as a somewhat bumpy ride.

Several mechanics and dealers have worked on it, and after ruling out several possible causes, and after balancing the driveshaft, I am hearing the explanation that "Expeditions are made that way, they have vibrations and drive like a truck"

Anyone have a similar experience with vibration or a rough ride? Is it something inherent in Expeditions that I need to live with, or do I just need to find better mechanics?

I appreciate your feedback.

 

Let's narrow this thing down a bit.

1. Describe the vibration ie. is it a buzzing sound, does it shake the whole vehicle, where do you feel it?

2. Does it occur at specific road speeds? If not, does it occur at specific engine speeds? Does it occur while coasting as well as under power? What special circumstances create this vibration?
Does the vibration occur while the vehicle is in Drive and standing still?

3. Does the vehicle have aftermarket suspension parts, ie. shocks, swaybar etc. This vehicle is built on a truck chassis. Your perception of ride quality should be relative to the type of vehilce you're comparing it to. The Expedition is marketed as a minivan alternative where housewives are likely to drive it. The ride quality is somewhat softer than the typical 1/2 ton truck. Aftermarket suspension add-ons can stiffen the ride and improve handling.

 

Thanks for your response, rob_nc.

There is no noise with it. It is felt through the steering wheel primarily, a constant minor rattling/shaking of the steering wheel, but also through the armrests etc. It is also felt throughout the entire vehicle. It is pretty constant during a drive, although it sometimes feels as if the vibration worsens every 2-3 seconds at lower speeds. (It feels as if a tire is out of round, or there is a bent rim or axle, but those have been ruled out.)

I feel the vibration at all speeds, although it may be more noticeable under 40 mph. And it happens whether giving power or coasting. Yes, it does occur while the car is standing still, and to an extent the vibration is worse in park. (Engine mounts checked out ok, and the drivetrain was balanced)

The Expedition has nothing aftermarket on it that I am aware of. Any suggestions as to aftermarket mods that may smooth the ride? Any idea if an undercoating will help lessen the vibrations (as well as lessen road noise?)

My previous vehicle was a Jeep Cherokee, so I have seen a big improvement in ride quality. I wasn’t expecting a Lexus type smooth ride, but I’m surprised that it is not better for a car with an MSRP of $35K plus when new.

Again, thanks for your help.

 

OK, if the vibration is felt while standing still, that rules out all drivetrain components from the trans on back as well as tires, drums, rotors, and hubs. Probable causes are exhaust system drone or torque converter imbalance. I have the exhaust vibration in my '01 F150 but haven't had it fixed yet. If you take the Y-pipe support loose at the back of the trans, you may find the vibration has disappeared. These types of vibrations can be resolved by adding mass dampers to the exhaust. It's a trial-and-error type thing where you put it on and test drive, then move it a bit and drive again. This cycle continues until the vibration is gone.

As far as ride quality is concerned, price doesn't make a great riding vehicle. It's all in the design. I will say that if the ride is too smooth, handling tends to be sacrificed due to a mushy suspension. Your truck does way 6000 lbs. so it will have a stiffer suspension than a Lexus SUV. Does your truck have Load Leveling Suspension? If so, make sure it's working properly.

 

Thanks for the info.

Update: Took the Expedition back to the dealer, who sent it off to try to find problem. The drivetrainwas re-balanced again, with no improvement in the vibration, but now there is a loud hum as starting at 60 mph. There was no hum before the balance.

I then took it to a mechanic I had lost touch with, the best in town. He found that Discount tire did a crappy job of balancing the tires when they put new tires on 2 weeks ago. Every tire was not balanced, one was off by 3.5 ounces. Tires are now balanced, and the ride improved vastly.

He also found that when you mount the wheel onto the axle, the wheel will not self align. The lug nuts and wheel are not self-aligning, they are flat. The result is you manually hold up the
50 lb tire and have another person tighten the lug-nuts, and hope for the best that it is aligned. Not like most cars where as you tighten the lug nuts it automatically aligns. He thinks the vibration and hum may be due to wheels not properly mounted. The wheels are the stock upgrade wheels.

Regarding the vibration while idling in park, he thinks that may be improved once he cleans up the fuel injectors. As far as the hum goes at 60mph or higher, thats the real problem now.

Thanks for the advice, I'll run that by him. I can live with some of the characteristics of a Ford truck, the only thing I don't like is that bumps in the road will reverberate throughout the cabin. Any thoughts on whether an undercoating will help dampen some of the rough ride?

 

I bought a 98 3 weeks ago and have a similiar problem, my vibration and noise is only when i am in drive or reverse and i am idleing(stop sign or red light). I have had three people look at it and no problem is found anywhere on the exhust as far as loose etc. I have been told that the noise is common in the Expeditions especially that year. I have been told to but dents in the pipe and that will get ride of the noise but i am cautious to do that.

Another problem i have is that the car was aligned twice and it is still pulling to the left...Could this be the same problem that you have with the tires not being mounted right?

Pablo

 

Pablo, as far as the pulling to left concern. Have you tried rotating the tires from side to side? If the vehicle then pulls right, it's a tire problem. Before replacing the tires, put the steer tires on the rear and see what happens.

Have your dealer add a mass damper to your exhaust system. The exact location is determined by trial and error, but it works. It just had my '01 F150 fixed for this problem and it worked wonders.

 

Thank You, I will try this, and let you know!

Pablo

 

Rob_nc,

How much did the dealer charge you for the exhaust dampners?

Thanks.

 

I haven't tried the mass dampers yet. I am taking to two other muffler places first to see if they have any luck!
Pablo

 

My truck is under warranty. The repair invoice didn't give totals, so I can't tell you what they cost. The part cost is minimal compared to the time it'll take to find the right location for them.

 

Did they charge you every time you had to go back to change the location?
Pablo

 

Update: Problem solved........

My expedition is much better now.

The shop that was balancing the drivetrain has mentioned several times he thought the vibration during driving was caused by a component in the transmission. Not sure of the correct name or function of the component, but the imbalance was in the planetory(sp?) component of the transmission. Connects to the drivetrain. A tranny specialist balanced the planetory, sent it back to the drivetrain shop to re-balance the drivetrain, and the difference is quite noticeable. The hum at speeds over 60 mph is gone, and the ride is much smoother.

As an extra measure, the dealer sent the Exp to a tire shop that could balance the tires on the rim. Since there was the issue of whether the tires could be properly aligned/centered on the rim without self-aligning lug nuts, they shaved off any portion of the tire that was not perfectly round on the rim.

Cleaning the fuel injectors did reduce most of the vibration felt while in park.

Right now the car runs very smoothly. Balancing the drivetrain and the transmission component did the trick.

 

I finally think i will get my vibration fixed... I took it to a local muffler and brake shop. They also at first found nothing wrong with the muffler system, and still hasn't...but.... when the noise occured in front of them the guy went under the car and found a hairline crack on the hanger on the trans mount for the exhaust pipe. This little crack was causeing this huge noise and vibration. He would push up on the mount and it would go away. The dealer will pay for the fix to the muffler shop since tbey found it. The fix should be done by next week.. So we will see....
Pablo - I will send this to the other questions concearning viabration as well...