Vibration Help !!
Post Fiend
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 11,798
Likes: 14
From: Mt. Shasta California
Thanks for the offer Greg B. I would take you up on it right away but I am in Atlanta, GA right now on vaction. I am trying to get this fixed for the ride home. If I don't get it fixed you will be the first person I will get a hold of when I get home. It drove me nuts on the way down here. I will take the driveshaft off tomorrow and see what turns out. I just got the wheels balanced two days ago and have a brand new tranny so I hope a bearing is not the problem. I have the front axle unlocked so that should not be spinning at all.
Thread Starter
|
Lead Driver
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 5,372
Likes: 108
From: Northern Indiana
Alright, the rear joints are good. I am at a complete loss. Both front bearings are new with in the last year and a half. Is there any way to test these? They are expensive to replace at $250 a piece. Could the rear tires being out of balance cause this?
Post Fiend
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 11,798
Likes: 14
From: Mt. Shasta California
Jack your car up ans pull on the top of the tire to test. Did you check all the things I mentioned ? Jerk hard up and down on the front and back of the driveshaft, while looking for movement. Look for scrapes and on it and leaks at either end also. Check your wheels by mounting the spare 1 corner at a time.
Thread Starter
|
Lead Driver
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 5,372
Likes: 108
From: Northern Indiana
When I jerked on the driveshaft I had a small movement up and down where it connects to the transfer case. I then compared this to the front driveshaft and found it to be about the same. There is no noticable movement in the caps from either end of the driveshaft. When I took the driveshaft off to take a look I did notice that I had some small amount of movement up and down in the tailshaft of the transfercase. I don't know if a little play is normal or if it is supposed to be tight tolerances? I have not got a chance to jack up the front wheels to check the bearings yet. I took the truck for a slow speed spin with the rear driveshaft out, it still did the vibration so I am pretty much ruling the rear out. I was wondering if it could be a rear axle bearing? What kind of noise does that make. I am hoping to check the front this afternoon, will write back as soon as possible.
Thanks EXv10 for you guideance, I normaly am pretty good at fixing my truck but this has me stumped.
Thanks EXv10 for you guideance, I normaly am pretty good at fixing my truck but this has me stumped.
Post Fiend
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 11,798
Likes: 14
From: Mt. Shasta California
Rear axle bearings make a roar but I have never seen one cause a vibration. There is some play allowable at the rear of the tarnny (up and down.) Was there any wear on the front yoke. ? I am starting to wonder about the MT wheels, but the intermittant part is very important (I just saw that). A spark slug miss caused by water on the back left plugs can mimic a vibration especially at higher speeds, and it can come and go with the drying/wetting. Actually all the mechanical things should be constant. Sorry I missed that word.
Thread Starter
|
Lead Driver
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 5,372
Likes: 108
From: Northern Indiana
Intermittent to me is I only notice it every little while. The vibration is felt at lower speeds on a small level. As you speed up it gets worse, and when you have the cruise on at about 70 and you are going aroud a corner it shakes the whole truck pretty good. You can feel the steering wheel shake a little but you feel it a lot in the seat of your pants. The front yoke moved about the same as the rear so I ruled it out. I am going to change out the wheels in the front with my spare and going to try that. Did you see my first post about the track bar? Do you think it could because a bind between the front wheels/tires and the rear wheel/tires on the corners? I have a diesel, so no plugs. What would I be looking for on a diesel. It is idleing fine and doesn't seem to be missing.
Post Fiend
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 11,798
Likes: 14
From: Mt. Shasta California
It can't be a bind between front and rear tires out of 4WD. I didn't see that it was a diesel. The steering stabilizer shouldn't cause anything, but they can subdue a problem. They are easy to take off and see if it is working. I am leaning towards the wheels now. Were they always on there?. I don't see why a trac bar length would affect it. I had some 10" wheels one time that never did work right no matter what I did. Sometimes wheels are sold cheaper as "seconds" but aren't made right.
FTE Stories
Ford Trucks for Ford Truck Enthusiasts
10 Best Ford Truck Engines We Miss the Most!
Joe Kucinski
2026 Shelby F-150 Off-Road: Better Than a Raptor R?
Brett Foote
2027 Super Duty Carhartt Package First Look: 12 Things You NEED to Know!
Michael S. Palmer
10 Most Surprising 2026 Ford Truck Features!
Joe Kucinski
Top 10 Ford Trucks Coming to Mecum Indy 2026
Brett Foote
5 Best / 5 Worst Ford Truck Wheels of All Time
Joe Kucinski
Ford Super Duty: 5 Things Owners LOVE, 5 Things They LOATHE!
Joe Kucinski
Every 2026 Ford Truck Engine RANKED from WORST to FIRST!
Michael S. Palmer
The Best F-150 Deal of Every Trim Level (XL through Raptor)
Joe Kucinski
Thread Starter
|
Lead Driver
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 5,372
Likes: 108
From: Northern Indiana
I don't have a steering stabilizer at all. Do you think I should buy one? If it would help at all with feed back to the steering wheel at all I will buy one. Here is what I did with the wheels. I took my spare a swapped it out one at a time on the front with, the vibration was still the same. I then jacked up the rear axle and put it on jack stands. I brought the truck up to speed and noticed that the left rear tire had a considerable "out of round" movement to it. I then swapped out that tire with one from the front that was just balanced and took it for a spin. I noticed that the vibration was not near as bad. I was wondering if it was in the rear tires after all. I am going to go tomorrow and get the rear two balanced. I figured that at the worse I could then rule out the rear of the truck totally. What do you think?
Post Fiend
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 11,798
Likes: 14
From: Mt. Shasta California
I guess you didn't try the spare in place of the wheel in question. Balancing might not help if that 1 is out of round. I balanced the ones I had years ago but nothing helped. You don't need a steering stabilizer but they can deaden feedback to the wheel. Not all trucks have them.
Thread Starter
|
Lead Driver
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 5,372
Likes: 108
From: Northern Indiana
No it got dark before I could put the spare there. I did put on of the freshly balanced wheels there and took it for a spin. It was somewhat better. I was wondering if maybe I broke a belt in the one that is so "out of round"?
Thread Starter
|
Lead Driver
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 5,372
Likes: 108
From: Northern Indiana
Well went and got the rear tires balanced. They said they were diffently out of balnce. But the bad news is the vibration is still there 
I am going to put the spare in place of the tire that was so out of round and take it for a spin and see what that brings. I am begining to think it is something in the tranny/driveline. Maybe a bearing in the transfercase or something in the new tranny is going out. I really didn't want to have to tear down the front end to look at the bearing but it looks like I am going to have to? Anybody in the Atlanta area that could come take it for a drive and see what they think?
I am going to put the spare in place of the tire that was so out of round and take it for a spin and see what that brings. I am begining to think it is something in the tranny/driveline. Maybe a bearing in the transfercase or something in the new tranny is going out. I really didn't want to have to tear down the front end to look at the bearing but it looks like I am going to have to? Anybody in the Atlanta area that could come take it for a drive and see what they think?
Post Fiend
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 11,798
Likes: 14
From: Mt. Shasta California
Trannys don't vibrate except for maybe a rear bushing (front yoke) but you already checked that. A torque converter can rarely but it would be constant. I am still leaning towards that bad wheel. I don't know if you can match it since Mickey Thompson (and wife) were shot in his driveway years ago. Don't forget about that short rear yoke problem (but you said it was intermittant).
Thread Starter
|
Lead Driver
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 5,372
Likes: 108
From: Northern Indiana
I had a mechanic friend come over. I took him for a spin. He said he thinks that it was in the tranny 70% and a wheel bearing 30%. We brought it bad and checked the fluid, it was full but smelled very burnt. I didn't think about this before since the tranny is a new rebuilt put in less then 15,000 miles ago, but dosent burnt tranny fluid mess up how the clutches mesh and could cause a vibration?
Post Fiend
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 11,798
Likes: 14
From: Mt. Shasta California
No. The clutches will slip if they are too burnt and even then the weight and the concentic axis doesn't change. I rebuilt many auto trans and never had one vibrate. I have seen a converter vibrate but it was constant at low RPM. Did you ever check the front wheel bearings? The needle bearings next the the wheel hub main bearing could be worn and hopefully not into the stub axle. (You said it vibrates on a turn.) Which would have nothing to do with the trans. Turn your stub shafts by hand (at the front U-joints) and see if they make a clicking sound, turn unevenly, or feel rough.