Explorer 2003 - front end vibration
 

Tires have been balance, rotors have been calibrated, front end has been aligned. I think I can feel the vibration through the steering wheel at idle.

Major vibration when braking, and wheel vibrates, back and forth, significantly over washboards or series of small bumps.

This is still under warranty but I want to suggest what service should look for. Suggestions welcome.

Rotors warped or brake pads cracked or caliper bolts are loose.
Wheel bearings (hubs sealed unit)
What do you mean rotors calibrated ??????
The were chk with a dial indicator???
Could be ball joints but problaby not its to new

Rich

Thanks very much for the reply. I meant that they ground the rotors down (all four) apparently there was some pitting but the vibration still comes through the wheel when braking and a subtle vibration is always there.

can't figure why the wheel should move so much over bumps? Any more clues?

If you are feeling the vibration at idle, it shouldn't have anything to do with your running gear (tires, brakes, ball joints). It could possibly be a motor mount. The previous owner of my '02 mentioned that he had to have the motor mounts replaced because they were causing a bad shake. He also said that they replaced a body mount on the driver's side. All this was done before the truck even reached 3k miles. Now, my '02 doesn't shake at all w/ 7k on it. I can feel a slight vibration through the gearshift at lights, but I get that on every other 5-speed that I drive.

Hope your dealer figures it out for you.

Tim

I just bought a 2002 XLS five speed manual w/ 16k miles. Pretty neat! Traded in a 1998 Cherokee w/ 5 spd. I have noticed a little bit of a stuttering/hesitation when I am fully accelerating. This is most noticable in 2nd gear. Would it be the Auto 4x4 kicking in, or is there something else the matter? It is still under warranty, but I like to be informed before going in.

Thanks,
Rich

Rich - Aren't these 5-speeds awesome? I love mine! There aren't too many of them around. About what RPM are you feeling the hesitation? I believe that I have felt a slight hesitation around 2000-2400 rpms. It wasn't really noticeable though (I thought it might be the computer trying to learn on the fly by advancing timing until it senses pinging or something). It certainly doesn't happen regularly. If you can repeat it over and over again, I would be concerned. I also don't accelerate fully unless I have good reason (this thing drinks enough gas without me helping it). Unless you have a wheel slipping, I don't believe that the Auto-4WD will kick in. I doubt that you have a wheel spinning in 2nd gear. I haven't found any snow/slush to drive in yet to see how the Auto-4WD engages.

Tim

Tim-
The hesitation does start at about 2000-3000 range, and it is when the accelerator is floored, but the engine doesn't need to be racing. It is more than "barely noticeable". It hesitates, then picks up, hesitates and picks up, etc. It is like a stuttering effect, but not as rapid. I do love the 5 speed manual though - I wonder how many of these were made? Thanks for the info.

Rich

Back to the original poster !
only when you step on the brakes do you feel the vibration ?
Your abs system is not kicking in is it ? you know how that works. right?

or is the vibration there at speeds going over bumps only?

loose motor mount as suggested
loose shock mounts
or ball joint.
You didn't say how many miles

Guys we need to stay on topic here.

Rich

Sorry about going off topic - I was just excited to see another person with a manual transmission Explorer.

Rich