Driveline Vibration
8/17/16, 11:24 AM
#1
Driveline Vibration
2011 5.0 GT with just under 60k. I have had driveline vibration off and on for a very long time with differing tires.
At one point it was also warped rotors and the shaking was bad under braking.
Now it comes on at 62ish especially when cold and the first run of the day. Yea, Tires not warmed up.
Two piece drive shaft...Yep it's out of balance.
Tires are Toyo Proxes 4plus, with less than 5k and have been balanced several times.
So tired of the shaking. Took it into the dealer for the airbag inflator and asked them about the shaking and they said: Normal operating characteristics.
Really? It's not normal, the doors vibrate in the jams and the passenger seat shakes. I've read a lot of OLD Threads about this, some have sold their cars over this and will never own a FORD again. Others fixed this with Force Balancing the tires, some had the driveshaft replaced and not fixed the problem. Others have switched tires and not fixed the issue. One person said it was the angle of the driveshaft and lowering the car fixed it.
It seems like everything is contributing and the dealer won't even acknowledge there is a problem.
Trust me there is a PROBLEM.
Yesterday I drove m parents Jeep Cherokee, my old VW and the wife's Focus and none of them SHAKE.
Sometimes the shaking is in the chassis sometimes in the steering wheel.
Very Frustrated and spending too much time on this and no one has an answer. My next thought is to go to a one piece drive shaft... if that does not help then it's a waste of $500. I got new tires, some of the best out there and it still shakes.
WTF?
At one point it was also warped rotors and the shaking was bad under braking.
Now it comes on at 62ish especially when cold and the first run of the day. Yea, Tires not warmed up.
Two piece drive shaft...Yep it's out of balance.
Tires are Toyo Proxes 4plus, with less than 5k and have been balanced several times.
So tired of the shaking. Took it into the dealer for the airbag inflator and asked them about the shaking and they said: Normal operating characteristics.
Really? It's not normal, the doors vibrate in the jams and the passenger seat shakes. I've read a lot of OLD Threads about this, some have sold their cars over this and will never own a FORD again. Others fixed this with Force Balancing the tires, some had the driveshaft replaced and not fixed the problem. Others have switched tires and not fixed the issue. One person said it was the angle of the driveshaft and lowering the car fixed it.
It seems like everything is contributing and the dealer won't even acknowledge there is a problem.
Trust me there is a PROBLEM.
Yesterday I drove m parents Jeep Cherokee, my old VW and the wife's Focus and none of them SHAKE.
Sometimes the shaking is in the chassis sometimes in the steering wheel.
Very Frustrated and spending too much time on this and no one has an answer. My next thought is to go to a one piece drive shaft... if that does not help then it's a waste of $500. I got new tires, some of the best out there and it still shakes.
WTF?
8/18/16, 07:58 AM
#2
Mach 1 Member
Have the tires/wheels road-force balanced. Make sure all four are round and running true. Make sure there are no bent axle flanges/hubs. No brake run-out as you already noted. Sometimes re-indexing the driveshaft 180* helps. Make sure the driveshaft is hung straight and the pinion angle is correct. Make sure the transmission tail mount and driveshaft hanger bearing/mount are in good shape. If it’s a V-6 car I’ve heard some had issues with the mass balance on the drive shaft. If none of that helps, try a one piece drive shaft. If you can’t do this, don’t take it to Ford…they’re a dry well in the desert. Take it to an independent shop that understands performance cars and can/will take the time to properly diagnose issues and correct them. Expect to pay accordingly for their time.
John
John
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SVS (8/18/16)
8/18/16, 11:54 AM
#3
Have the tires/wheels road-force balanced. Make sure all four are round and running true. Make sure there are no bent axle flanges/hubs. No brake run-out as you already noted. Sometimes re-indexing the driveshaft 180* helps. Make sure the driveshaft is hung straight and the pinion angle is correct. Make sure the transmission tail mount and driveshaft hanger bearing/mount are in good shape. If it’s a V-6 car I’ve heard some had issues with the mass balance on the drive shaft. If none of that helps, try a one piece drive shaft. If you can’t do this, don’t take it to Ford…they’re a dry well in the desert. Take it to an independent shop that understands performance cars and can/will take the time to properly diagnose issues and correct them. Expect to pay accordingly for their time.
John
John
I've been in crappy cars that have shook less with more things wrong with them.
My next move is to go to Drivelines Inc. and have them build me a one piece drive shaft. I know the shop and they built me a one piece to replace a two piece shaft on an Isuzu Trooper so I know their work.
Two piece shaft is a weak point in the Mustang design so I'll fix that next. Eventually I'll lower the car and get into springs, shocks and other components as needed.
I'm keeping this car and will invest the time to eliminate this issue. Appreciate the feedback and keep the thoughts and your experiences dealing with this issue coming as I'm here to learn from all-a-yous!
Thank you.
8/18/16, 12:00 PM
#4
Here is the old two piece Isuzu shaft the was cut out and replaced
and the new unit
This is what I had before the Mustang... A good Off-Roader!!
SuperTrooper!
Last edited by SVS; 8/18/16 at 12:04 PM.
8/18/16, 10:59 PM
#5
Have the tires/wheels road-force balanced. Make sure all four are round and running true. Make sure there are no bent axle flanges/hubs. No brake run-out as you already noted. Sometimes re-indexing the driveshaft 180* helps. Make sure the driveshaft is hung straight and the pinion angle is correct. Make sure the transmission tail mount and driveshaft hanger bearing/mount are in good shape. If it’s a V-6 car I’ve heard some had issues with the mass balance on the drive shaft. If none of that helps, try a one piece drive shaft. If you can’t do this, don’t take it to Ford…they’re a dry well in the desert. Take it to an independent shop that understands performance cars and can/will take the time to properly diagnose issues and correct them. Expect to pay accordingly for their time.
John
John
8/18/16, 11:46 PM
#6
A Man Just Needs Some....
Ok there's a few things that need to be looked at. It's speed sensitive which can only point to wheels and tires and driveline.
Not sure if you're running factory wheels. Need to know that.
There's more than one way to balance tires. The best is always with weights on the inside and outside lip of the rim. I know the weights are ugly but it's the best balance. Other option is to tape weights as close to the outside edge as possible which is ok and better than just a static balance(weights only on the inside lip).
Next is to make sure the washers that hold the rotors to the hub from the factory are removed. You can just grab them with a pair of snips usually and pop them off.
A few years back we were having issues with torquing. Torque the wheels with a torque wrench in a star pattern to specifications.
If one wheels takes excessive weight to balance, the tire may have to be broken down off the rim and rotated 180 on the wheel. That helps sometimes. Either way you will have to use a shop that knows what the hell they are doing. Dealerships usually have no clue about tires.
Next trick you can try yourself is to pull the driveshaft off the rear end and spin it 180 and bolt it back up. I've had this help with driveline vibration quite a few times. While you're down there, check out those u-joints well for play or binding. If it's a two piece shaft, check out the hanger bearing too.
The toyo tires like to develop flat spots from sitting and they take forever to warm up and smooth out. I ran toyo for years and love them but that's what they do.
Most mechanics aren't gonna give a crap about your problems because this type of diagnosis and repair doesn't pay squat. Some of these things you can try yourself and some you need to pay for. Hope this helps and good luck.
Not sure if you're running factory wheels. Need to know that.
There's more than one way to balance tires. The best is always with weights on the inside and outside lip of the rim. I know the weights are ugly but it's the best balance. Other option is to tape weights as close to the outside edge as possible which is ok and better than just a static balance(weights only on the inside lip).
Next is to make sure the washers that hold the rotors to the hub from the factory are removed. You can just grab them with a pair of snips usually and pop them off.
A few years back we were having issues with torquing. Torque the wheels with a torque wrench in a star pattern to specifications.
If one wheels takes excessive weight to balance, the tire may have to be broken down off the rim and rotated 180 on the wheel. That helps sometimes. Either way you will have to use a shop that knows what the hell they are doing. Dealerships usually have no clue about tires.
Next trick you can try yourself is to pull the driveshaft off the rear end and spin it 180 and bolt it back up. I've had this help with driveline vibration quite a few times. While you're down there, check out those u-joints well for play or binding. If it's a two piece shaft, check out the hanger bearing too.
The toyo tires like to develop flat spots from sitting and they take forever to warm up and smooth out. I ran toyo for years and love them but that's what they do.
Most mechanics aren't gonna give a crap about your problems because this type of diagnosis and repair doesn't pay squat. Some of these things you can try yourself and some you need to pay for. Hope this helps and good luck.
8/24/16, 01:24 PM
#7
What a mess. Just now at Lunch I had the rear tires flipped side-to-side thinking I was feeling the shake coming from the back of the car, Went to different tire store in the chain that I got my Toyo's from. I asked him to check the balance on them prior to switching them, manager said the rears were out of balance. The prior store re-balanced them on August 5th and said their machine was just re-calibrated -- Which store is right God only knows.
So I drove to the store with no steering wheel shake and when I left the steering wheel was shaking. Called the store and he said come back and we'll check the fronts.
This is insane.
So I drove to the store with no steering wheel shake and when I left the steering wheel was shaking. Called the store and he said come back and we'll check the fronts.
This is insane.
8/31/16, 09:38 AM
#8
What a mess. Just now at Lunch I had the rear tires flipped side-to-side thinking I was feeling the shake coming from the back of the car, Went to different tire store in the chain that I got my Toyo's from. I asked him to check the balance on them prior to switching them, manager said the rears were out of balance. The prior store re-balanced them on August 5th and said their machine was just re-calibrated -- Which store is right God only knows.
So I drove to the store with no steering wheel shake and when I left the steering wheel was shaking. Called the store and he said come back and we'll check the fronts.
This is insane.
So I drove to the store with no steering wheel shake and when I left the steering wheel was shaking. Called the store and he said come back and we'll check the fronts.
This is insane.
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