My F350, 2003 diesel 4x4, same as in the signature, 160K miles, seems that it has all of a sudden developed a vibration that you can barely feel after 30 mph and become more prominent after 40-45 mph but decreases after 50 mph.

It isn't severe, but of concern. I know I need to have the ball joints replaced. Could this be the cause? What other issues could cause this?

We had planned to use the truck to go on vacation on Wednesday but thinking about taking the car now.

Your help and suggestions would be appreciated.

 

Sounds like tire balance. Had several cars and trucks throw weights and that's what would happen.

 

I agree with EDC8008. If it comes and goes its probably tire balance. Most likely anything else would start and stay or get worse as speed increases.

 

Thanks guys, I will take it down to the tire store tomorrow and have them check out the front wheels balance.
When I return from our vacation, I plan to take the truck in and get the ball joints done as well. I have been putting it off as it represents a substantial cost. Haven't been doing any heavy hauling, just commuting to and from work.

 

Definitely a tire balance issue.

 

It either tire balance or a ply separation in the tire itself. Pull the tire off and look at it closely. Look for out of roundness or bulging on one side.

 

I took the truck down to Les Schwab to have them check the balance of the tires. They said they saw an irregular wear in the front tires. As this is a DRW they had to dismount the front tires and swap them with the inner rear wheels which looked perfect. Then they rebalance all four wheels that had been remounted.
NO difference.
I am on vacation right now and will have to deal with this when I get back. I will be taking the truck up to Randy's Off Road service center for front end ball joints and will have them check the system when I take it in. They said it could be a universal joint on the front axles or front beerings or ? I trust them they are a premier service center and off road supply house.
I will report back on what they find.
Thanks all for the input. The tire balance was worth a try.

 

Mine did that from 45-50 and back down and was tire out of round, my front right still does it if it's not at a specific psi. I think run slightly less psi now and it behaves itself. The v10s weight really makes the tires out of round somewhat quickly if not rotated often.

 

I've chased vibes in cars and finally having a "road force balance" done fixed the issues. Scwab doesn't road force balance. Might be worth trying.

 

It's definitely not a wheel bearing. That vibration is constant and doesn't come and go.

 

I took the truck into Randy's Offroad here in Marysville, WA. I knew that I needed to get the ball joints replaced. The truck tracks perfectly down the road so was surprised when they showed me that one of the ball joints moved almost an inch. They found some issues with the drive line U Joints and carrier bearing as well. So she is in the shop now, work to begin on Monday and should be done Tuesday. Here is a list of what they are doing:

Upper Ball Joints
Lower Ball Joints
Inner Axle Seals
Drag Link Ends
Tie Rod Ends
Carrier Bearing
Rear Driveline U Joint
Front End Alignment

They will be also checking the Axle U Joints when they have the front end apart and wheel bearings. They indicated that there might be excessive movement in the rear end and wanted to pull the cover and do a pattern check. I am having them hold off on this as the total bill is already pretty high and I can have it done later if necessary.

Total cost for all of the above $1733. I think the price is good. I am having them install the ball joints with the zerk fittings.

I will report back on what they find and if this solves the problem. Did notice when taking the truck over that the vibration seems to be getting a little worse or it could have been that I am more sensitive to it, not having driven the truck for more than a week and may be noticing road vibrations and equating it to the original problem.

Regardless, all these items needed to be done so just hope that this is the cause. We shall see.

 

I will check into this to see if anyone in my area does this. Hopefully the problem will go away with the work being done but if not this would be my next step.

Thanks.

 

You have 6 tires on your truck and they only checked 4 of them. What if one of the other tires were at fault. Also look to see if there might be a missing wheel weight. I have seen them come off wheels before especially the ones that go on the edge of the wheel. As for the other stuff you are fixing that will defiantly make it drive better.

 

One of the only scratches on my 99 F250 was when a wheel weight flew off and dinged the area behind the rear wheel. It does happen.

 

How many miles on the truck? An 03 is likely at or above 150K. Time to start looking at the wear parts.
Look at the front outer Ujoints. Check them for bind which means axle removal which means replace them with Spicers. Check ball Joints, tie-rods, track bar, front hub bearings and front driveshaft coming out of the xfer case. Remove that shaft and feel the cardan (double rear joint) and front joint for bind. My bet is you will find something worn out or seized up front. Pull the shocks to feel if they have lost their charge and replace as needed. How are the rubber insulators in the shocks?
If 4WD is inactive for long periods the front outer and front drive shaft ujoints can wick water in past the seals and rust up (seize). Thats why its important to engage 4WD monthly.