Man its been awhile since i have been on these boards. I have an issue though, and there are tons of knowledgable people here. For starters, I have a 93 2wd 2.3l 96k miles. Over the last couple of months I have developed a vibration that occurs around 60 mph and higher, and it is growing in severity. If i am accelerating lightly it seems like this vibration (which feels like it is coming directly underneath me) often times won't occur unless I hit a big bump in the road, and then the truck will vibrate. If i accelerate hard to 60+ it will almost always kick in. What makes it weirder is when I am braking I sometimes feel a vibration coming from the year of the truck, this one seems more distinctly a side-to-side vibration. Any ideas?

Second thing is, i'm looking into putting in a new intake. The truck is in great shape and I plan on driving it until it completely dies, so i figure might as well put a better intake on it. the problem is, I have no idea what kind of intake i should get for this truck. Everyone i know that has gotten new intakes gets them on small cars and not their trucks, so i honestly have no clue what is preferrable. Any info on either of this topics would be appreciated. thanks!

 

I just went the whole nine yards with tire tread seperation on my '90.

Personally, I will never own a set of DUNLOP tires again! They came with the truck though. Used. Go figure...

If I were you, I'd look all around every single tire and see if there is any sign at all of bubbling in the treads or sidewalls. Do this at the maximum pressure the tires are rated for.

You may also have worn down the tread on one or more tires to the point where one of them is now out of balance. Either way - it feels exactly like you described.

This is what "DONE-POPPED" tires did for me;

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/5...elop-tire.html

 

I'd check your universal joints and hanger brg. that fixed my vibration simalar to what you described.

 

Goon is right - that was my first thought, and how I managed to catch a nasty situation in the making on the same truck as above. So now I have four new tires AND new U-joints.

Get a load of this:

"The DUMMY AWARDS"

 

Thanks guys, i was considering the u joints, but i don't know if there is a way to check them just to be sure. when the vibes first started happening i was justabout to get new tires so i do have brand new ones. so if the u joints are the cause, any idea how much this will cost me?

 

Ten to twenty bucks each if you know how to do them.

I usually check u-joints by setting the truck up on jacks IN GEAR with the parking brake OFF. Then I get under it and turn the shaft back and forth to see if there is play or signs of damage or wear in the front one.

If there is a center bearing, I check on both sides of it. The dif can be checked by turning the yoke while holding the shaft.

If you can feel play by hand this way - there's a problem.

It's also good to lube them if there is a grease nipple on them, but check them before you do that.

One further note - it is possible for an out of balance shaft to tear up the dif input shaft bearings. If this happens, you'll hear a whine or a howl from the rear axle.

 

Checking the u-joints for play is fine but that will usually cause a noise. The only way to proporly check the u-joint is too remove the shaft and check for stiffness or binding in the joint. Joints don't just get loose, they also can sieze up just like anything else.

 

Good point.

But when they do THAT they generally start tearing themselves to flinders - and you can tell it by the slack in 'em.

I reckon my bottom line on U-J's is that it you haven't replaced them your ownself - you have NO IDEA WHAT CONDITION THEY ARE IN.


Do you?



But then, I don't have to pay labor for anyone else to do that....

I'll be a grease monkey 'til the day I die! I can't imagine what it is like to be at someone elses mercy.

I expect it is very expensive.....


Shoot, I git paid an hourly rate - but customers are charged $85 an hour for what I just do because I know all that stuff....

And come to think - DID I NOT SAY:

1) Check for slack


and then

2) LUBRICATE THE SNOT OUT OF THEM!!!



Huh? Yeah well......

A "GREASE GUN" is a beautiful thing, especially if it is loaded with a cartridge that is way beyond what is called for to begin with!

I ain't using anything but the best.

Because it IS my backside if I don't....


PPS: U-J's will typically be a bit stiff at first no matter how much you slam them around to free them up. It is not a bad thing - it's a sign of a tight and good install. It is rare (except in 240 - 280 Z cars) that you get a lot of swivel and overall looseness - and even so, I would expect it to wear out fast.