Out of the blue my 92 4.0L AWD (100k miles) started shuddering heavily as I was driving at 70mph w/cruise control on. Freaked me out. The steering wheel was shaking and the vibration could be felt throughout the van. Felt like the whole van was going to start skipping across the highway!

Turned off cruise control and there was no change. Shifted out of OD and there was no change. As I decelerated the shudder would stop for a few seconds and then start up again. The shudder is still there at lower speeds 30-40mph, but as I increase speed to 50-70mph the shudder is very heavy.

Can anyone tell me what might be causing this? This van has never had this problem before.

aerostargal

 

I would check your tires. See if any part of them has come apart at all. Maybe you have a broken belt. I have heard that GoodYear tires are garbage and many of them have broken belts inside which cause the problem you are describing.

-Matt

 

Also check your U-Joints on the Drive shaft.

 

Aerostargal, Check your tie-rods, My recent shuddering problem is noticeable when on rough roads, pot holes and applying brakes.
Found it to be right side tie-rod. Same side as most man holes are on, my local parts dealer pointed that out to me. Also check your bearings. Good Luck, Andrew

 

I second checking the U-joints.

 

Thanks for the input guys. My tires were new this spring (they are Goodyear tires), the tie rods were replaced two years ago, and the ball joints redone this spring.

Oddly, since I started this thread my van has not done any shuddering. Would the u-joints cause intermittent shuddering?

 

aerostargal,

My 92 3.0L 2wd XLT had a bad U-joint at the transmission and would periodically cause a slight shake that seemed like a rear wheel problem. I waited on checking this out as I thought it to be minor and didn't actually get under the van until I began to have a transmission problem. I slowly lost transmission fluid on a long trip. The fluid was coming from the rear trans seal because the bad U-joint damaged the seal due to excess movement of the driveshaft. This could have been much worse had I allowed it to continue and ruin the transmission. As it was I had to remove the driveshaft to replace the U-joint and remove and replace the rear trans seal.

Definately have the U-joints checked. Siince you have an AWD be sure to check both the front and rear output shafts.

Related to the steering you say that the tie rods were replaced two years ago. I assume that you are refering to the outer tie rod ends. Be sure to check the inner tie rod ends as they are separate from the outer, and check for looseness or play in the rack and pinion steering unit. I just had to replace my rack and pinion due to weird pulling and wobble immediately after strong right turns. Turned out the passenger side seal was shot and the linkage had a small amount of play (less than an inch) which translated to a noticable wobble on right turns. So, if you find that the U-joints are good, be sure to have a thorough check of your steering. I don't know what effect the AWD might have in relation to this problem.

LOL

Ron

 

I grew tired of my 1991 3.0L's vibration. Couldn't drive over 75 mph. The floor shook even at the back seats. My back seat passengers sounded like helicopter traffic reporters.

Tugged on the wheels and felt looseness. Driveshaft was okay. So, I changed the tie-rods, the shocks, and steering links. The easy stuff. 6 months later, the tie-rods failed, again. The coil springs/old shocks must have allowed too much travel at the rack. So, I went for overkill. I changed the coil springs, the rack & pinion, the tie rods (Federal Mogul greaseless design), steering links (again), and lower & upper ball joints, plus all bushings (but not the sway bar). I just wanted to justify the purchase of my new shop press from Northern Tool back at Christmas. The only problem was finding someone, who could align the van correctly. Most shops don't know about the shims at the upper bushings to upper ball joint.

Now, no vibration, plus I can go 85 mph (in Atlanta average traffic), but my 3.0L is limited to that. About every year or so, I'll keep changing the steering links, I like the added stability in the steering, and they are cheap.

Now, my 4.0L, is going through the same ordeal. Doh!!!!!

 

Aerostargal,
Sudden shudder onset and dissipation is unusual. As others have pointed out, tie rod and u-joint wear are the usual causes. However, once the components are worn to that degree, the shudder generally remains and gradually worsens. The fact that yours disappears completely makes me wonder if the transfer case solenoid is improperly engaging the four wheel drive. The resulting torque build up in the front wheels at high speed on dry pavement would tend to produce a sudden shudder from torque unloading.

The next time this occurs, unplug the AWD control module located under the driver's seat. If the symptoms are relieved, I would advise leaving it unplugged and have the transfer case electricals checked out. Prolonged engagement will either burn out the solenoid or damage the transfer case.

Not guaranteeing this is the cause, just another thought on the matter.

 

Clydes270,

What part were you referring to when your wrote "sterring linkage"?

 

Actually on the note that bad tie-rod shudder usually remains, i had an issue with my 93 that the inner tie rods were gone, but the shudder or wobble came and went (usually after bumps). Had that fixed and no more problems.

 

The shudder occured at 70mph on dry, smooth highway. I had the OUTER tie-rods replaced 2 yrs ago, but all shocks were shot for 9 months before I had them replaced

Are there any other symptoms I would notice with bad inner or outer tie-rods?

Would there be any other symptoms if the problem is related to the transfer case solenoid ?

How about with bad U-Joints?

As you can tell, I haven't got a clue, but I REALLY appreciate all the help!

aerostargal

 

I had this problem a few years ago, and am sorry to say it took days to discover the lug nuts on a back wheel were loose. You have checked them all?

 

Front end stablizer bar link, is what Advance Auto calls them.

TRW 18204HD made by Federal Mogul.

http://www.partsamerica.com/PartDeta...ype=78&PTSet=A

They're easy to change, and come in hot pink bushings.

 

Clydes270,

Thanks for the clarification, though I'm not sure how loose or even broken stabilizer bar end links can cause the car to shudder.

Aerostargal,

Here is one more thing you might want to check. I do remember one time when my van did suddenly start to shudder while I was on the freeway. It was a hot day, and the freeway was very crowded, so I was using the brakes a lot in stop/go traffic. At some point, the shuddering started, and I pulled off the freeway to find out why. I noticed a lot of smoke and heat coming from the right front wheel well, and guessed that the brake caliper must have locked up. I think I never changed the brake fluid since I bought the van from the previous owner, and it must have boiled; the fluid was brown, and when the brakes cooled off, and the wheel was turning again, the brake pedal was very spongy. I carefully drove the van home and did a complete brake job; rebuilt the calipers, changed the fluids, pads, and rotors. The spontaneous shuddering never came back, and the brakes worked fine until the rotors got warped again from overheating. The shuddering from warped rotors would only occur when I was actually applying the brakes. (Again, those damned undersized brakes!)