OK. I've searched dozens of great threads on this subject, but can't find one that helps my situation. Here's the scenario:
I have a 2006 F250 4X4 Supercrew Lariat w/ 6.0 Diesel, auto trans, short bed, factory 20" tires (Goodyear A/T's) and wheels. It's had an annoying vibration since day one (2 years ago) at 48-50 mph. Currently have 65K miles on truck. The vibration is not minimal - it'll almost shake the coffee out of a 3/4 full cup!
It is a "low frequency" vibration (like a tire - not a driveshaft/u-joint issue).
I used to be in the tire business and I swear it feels like a tire that's either separating or has a flat spot BUT it's only present at a specific speed (about 49mph). That said;

• Rotating tires (several times) never made any difference.
• Same results with balancing (at 3 different shops). Dealer even "load balanced" - no improvement.
• Have replaced all 4 tires. Twice. No improvement either time.
• It feels more like the rear than the front (tends to shake the seat, not the steering wheel).
• Have put the truck on a lift, engaged in 4WD and run up to speed - no significant (visible) run out on any tire.
• Makes no difference if in 2WD or 4WD.
• Makes no difference if tow/haul is engaged or disengaged.
• Cruise control has no effect on it (BUT, it is very specific, only noticable at 49 mph, so as cruise fluctautes 1mph +/- it comes & goes)
• Have held speed with right foot & lightly touched brake with left foot to take torque converter out of lock up- no change.
• Dealer has basically given up.
• 

At this point it's become a trivial annoyance, but a matter of principle if you know what I mean!
I try not to drive at that speed, but for some reason, traffic always seems to be right about there!

Anyway, just wondering if anyone else has experienced this and/or has a solution.

Thanks in advance for your help, and Merry Christmas everyone!

 

driveshaft balance issue ???

u might wanan have ur rear driveshaft checked..

if its sucha specific harmonic vibration and swapping tires didnt help, that would be my guess..

u dont have a slightly bent rim by chance ??? im thinking not since u said u looked at tire runout...

 

I vote driveshaft.

 

i just purchased an 06 crew cab 6.0 short bed. i have the same exact problem but its at 75-76 mph. i noticed it when test driving, and made the used car dealer take it to a shop. he said he had just balanced all the tires so i assumed u-joints. we took it to the shop and pulled the drive shaft. the u joints were all good. i then thought it was out of balanced so he took it to a shop to have that done. the shop flipped the 2 piece part and said it was closer, then added some weights and said it was as close as he could get it. the vibration was alot better, but not how it should be, and it was still noticeable. i have heard ford had a problem with the 06 driveshafts and they were just replacing them. my truck is out of warranty with 110k so a 700 dollar drive shaft is out of question for me. im going to take it to another shop to see if we can get it a little closer.

hope this helps, let me know if you find anything else out.

 

That might settle what I was just working today with a tire shop. I have an 06 F250 CC 6.0l that I have had for about a month now. I upgraded the tires and wheels 2 weeks ago and have noticed that I have a vibration around 38-43mph. Had a tire shop(tires/wheels were purchased online mounted and balanced) rebalance the tires for me with limited help for the vibration.

Time to push on Ford about the driveshaft. How does one go about bringing up known(but unknown) issues with the dealer other than "On the Ford Truck Forum I saw that...."?

Thanks,

Rich

 

Never underestimate the power of FTE. Get the service mgr. to look at the forum and maybe he will realise the depth of diagnostic experience that is here.

 

Here is a bump for this topic. I have been fighting this same issue with my 05 Ext Cab LB 4x4 F350 SRW since nearly new. I am at wits end and ready to trade this vehicle off for another brand due to lack of dealer support.

The vibration I am experiencing is noticeable at 45-50mph and then again at 65+. As was stated above the vibration is more from the rear of the vehicle and shakes the seats and center flip down like crazy while not significantly affecting the steering wheel.

Can anyone offer any help to those of us with this problem?

Thanks in advance,

Goose_Hunter

 

Probably a rear shaft issue, I have spent countless hours on my 01 changing the carrier bearing position, having the shaft assembly balanced,(changes the speed and harshness of when the vibration starts) next is to rotate shaft 90 degrees in rear yoke, then I think I will try shimming down the carrier bearing. I know mine is the shaft, I just have to find that perfect assembly sequence. Too cold to play with it now, but I will get it. I had it once smooth as silk and the u joints went bad. Now I have to start all over, if you mess with your shaft remember to mark everything so you can go back to original if you need to.

 

Welcome to my world. I've had this same issue since day one n my '02 crew cab long bed. 150,000 miles, 4 sets of tires, two sets of wheels, shimming driveshaft, you name it, nothing has fixed it. Mine is at 42 mph, exactly where I do a ton of driving. It's very annoying to say the least. I can't afford a driveshaft, but that's my best guess. Mine will go away if I pull a heavy trailer, which would lead one to believe that shimming the carrier bearing would solve it but, nope. Let's all pitch in and buy me a new drive shaft to see if it helps!

 

Mine is a 05 and has the same problem around 59mph, I just changed out the steering stabilizer and it seem's like it helped alittle.

 

Vibration/Hop at 40-48 MPH, Truucks with Trailer Hitch:
Some 2005-07 F-Super Duty trucks with long wheel base (over 156") may exhibit what is described as a hop on smooth or coarse road surfaces. Although Ford conciders this to be characteristic of trucks with a GVW of over 8500 pouns, some drivers may be more sensitive to the condition. There is a damper kit (P/N 5C3Z-5D008-A) available to correct the hop under the described conditions. It will not correct shimmy, harsh ride or vibration after hitting bumps. TSB #07-5-11.


PLEASE READ THIS--- I have a 2005 F250 CC 6.0 Lariat that I installed this dampener on and it did not help.. This part is BS in my opinion. I have been searching the web for related issues and as it seems alot of people have had the same problem.. I noticed the problem from day one but TIRES are not the problem. Im on the third set. Any help is appreciated. By the way, the above info is a TSB from FORD.

 

Mine went away when I hauled a ton of wood pellets for my old man....

Has something to do with the angles of drive shafts maybe?? or U-Joints?

-Rich

 

2006 F350 FX4 Lariat 4X4 SRW I have the same problem most noticeable between 60-70 mph. New tires balanced twice. Hate to start throwing money at u-joints, carrier and drive shaft balancing if its not fixing the problem. I doubt Ford is going to commit any resources right now to fix it!!!

 

I have an 05 Reg Cab 4X4. 49000 miles

I have had the same center truck hop since I bought it. It went back to the dealer several times and always got the "could not duplicate" junk they always say.

I have 2 sets of tires, both have been road force balanced by a shop that knows what it is doing. The hop is identical in every way with either set of tires on the truck.

I recently decided to have the rear driveshaft balanced at a local shop. It reduced the slow speed hop at 48 MPH by about 75%. The occilation is different than it was before, there is now only a slight hum in the steering wheel compared to the wop-wop-wop in the center console before.

The guy that worked on the driveshaft said there was still some visable movement in the shaft area, but it could not be removed by balancing alone. The next step would run me around $400.00 bucks to start attempting the fix. It is something I am going to persue when I have the time.

To have the shop drop, balance and replace the shaft was $117.00. It was well worth the money as the truck was really starting to feel undriveable.

Find a reputable local shop and have it inspected and balanced. I don't trust dealers any more.

 

yup. 2000 SD 4x4 v10 got it used have around 65,000 on her now. and been fighting this issue for over a year now. replaced the wheel hubs ball joints, tires. streeing damper, rotaited many times balanced. nothing....

was thinking about shimming the driveshaft....I'm sure that NO 1 fix will work for us all.
But I hope someone finds it. it will give me direction

thanks for the post