Driveline vibrations
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Senior User
Joined: Mar 2007
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From: NE Ohio
Driveline vibrations
I have a vibration that is very noticeable at highway speeds. Over the summer I had a u joint (rear @ differential) replaced, but the vibration wasn't any better. Took the truck to Ford and they said the slip joint is bad and I need a new driveshaft, which is $1,000.00 without labor. There is some minor play in the slip joint, but with 118,000 miles maybe theres no grease left in there? As it doesn't have a Zerk fitting.
I am the king of making things more complicated than they are, so could this be something as simple as greasing the slip joint ? Any thoughts or experiences would be great!
I am the king of making things more complicated than they are, so could this be something as simple as greasing the slip joint ? Any thoughts or experiences would be great!
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Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 13,834
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From: Middle Tn.
At that mileage I would grease the slip joint and replace the center carrier bearing. While your at it might as well do the front U joint and everything is covered. For the slip joint I would use the blue marine grease. It resists water and has a fibre in it that would act as a cushion.
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From: Duncan, OK
When I had to change the u-joints in my rig, I just dropped the drive shaft in my garage, threw it in the bed and put it in 4hi and drove the 2 miles to the driveline shop, I supplied my own lifetime warranty u-joint and the install only cost me $12.00 took less than an hour from start to finish, and I also added grease between the 2 shafts. Worked out great
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From: NE Ohio
Update:
The shop couldn't find anything wrong with any of the u joints or carrier bearing. I have F 350 blocks in the rear, they said its causing a driveshaft alignment issue. The tech put a temporary 1.25" spacer in to drop the carrier down and said that it took the vibrations down considerably. He wanted me to take it for a spin to make sure that I noticed a difference, but I just couldn't make it happen today. Tomorrow they are going to put a more solid "shim" above the carrier.
Does this make sense to anyone? I tow everyday with this truck. When the trailer is hooked to the truck, the rear drops 2" in the back, sits dead level, and the vibration is still there. Does a 1 ton have a different carrier that drops the bearing down to make a better alignment? Or does a 1 ton rear end have a higher pinion height to make a better alignment? I have had the blocks installed since the 50k mile mark. The truck has 118k now and this vibration was only noticeable for the last 6 months.
Does this make sense to anyone? I tow everyday with this truck. When the trailer is hooked to the truck, the rear drops 2" in the back, sits dead level, and the vibration is still there. Does a 1 ton have a different carrier that drops the bearing down to make a better alignment? Or does a 1 ton rear end have a higher pinion height to make a better alignment? I have had the blocks installed since the 50k mile mark. The truck has 118k now and this vibration was only noticeable for the last 6 months.
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Hotshot
Joined: Jul 2005
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From: Middle Tn.
To my recollection the only diff. between a 250 and 350 srw is the 250 has a 2" spacer block and the 350 has a 4" spacer block.
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Thread Starter
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Senior User
Joined: Mar 2007
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From: NE Ohio
Thanks guys.
I picked the truck up yesterday. I must admit, the truck feels tighter (more responsive) and the vibration is still there, but it has to be 50% less. They also performed a full tranny flush, dropped the pan and changed the filters too, along with shimming the carrier down an 1.5".
I'm leaving for Dalton, Georgia at 4am, so were going to give it a nice 800 mile test drive!
Cheez it, what is the procedure when the 450's come in with these symptoms?
I picked the truck up yesterday. I must admit, the truck feels tighter (more responsive) and the vibration is still there, but it has to be 50% less. They also performed a full tranny flush, dropped the pan and changed the filters too, along with shimming the carrier down an 1.5".
I'm leaving for Dalton, Georgia at 4am, so were going to give it a nice 800 mile test drive!
Cheez it, what is the procedure when the 450's come in with these symptoms?
