front end vibration
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Posting Guru
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 1,623
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front end vibration
this is my first post here but a buddy of mine has a 97 explorer 5.0 and at around 35-40 mph he says he is getting a vibration that is comparable to running over those warning strips right before a set of railroad tracks...i went for a ride with him and of course i didnt fel anything but he claims it happens all the time...he wants to keep it but he says if its something serious he is just going to get rid of it because he is leaving for the airforce soon...any ideas what it could be??o yeah the explorer has 76000 miles and is AWD
Posting Guru
Joined: May 2002
Posts: 2,450
Likes: 2
From: Baltimore
I'd start by rotating the tires front to back and see if there is any difference. If so, it could be wheel balance or tread wear problem. If he recently rotated the tires and the problem started, then I would suspect the wheels/tires. Start with the simple stuff.
Elder User
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 856
Likes: 0
From: Kansas City, Missouri
The spare could certainly be bad. If it is the original it has been under the truck rotting for 10 years. Have him move it to the back and see if the problem goes away. Unless he really wants to get away with it, no matter what the problem is I doubt it is worth getting rid of over it. If the matching tire that was taken off was bad, it the remaining one on the driver's side just as bad too?
Posting Guru
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 1,951
Likes: 7
From: pacific northwest
Your buddy ain't going nuts. I have a 96 Explorer 5.0 AWD with about 130k miles that has been doing the same thing. Not the tires since I have rotated as well as swapped in the winter with snow tires mounted on their own rims...and still the same problem. Does not happen all the time, only occasionally and not predictable. Just like running over warning strips or a cattle guard...
Gonna have to take a look at the front driveshaft. Thanks, Casey
Gonna have to take a look at the front driveshaft. Thanks, Casey
