Really Bad vibration!!! UPDATE!!

[MarcosLopez77]

Not sure if i posted this in the wrong area but im looking for any suggestions on a really bad vibration on my truck

1991 Ford Ranger
Extended Cab
4.0L
4x4
maual transmission

Ive owned this truck almost 30 years now and has developed a really bad vibration at speeds in excess of 65mph. Ive done the following in the last few years or so but the vibration still remains

-new tires
-new shocks
-new bearings (front)
-new ball joints
-new u-joints
-balance all tires
-new tie rods
-new sway bar bushings & links
-new radius arm bushings
-new clutch
-new slave cylinder
-new carrier bearing
-new steering gear
-replaced steering shaft (used)
-alignment
-new pads and rotors

im not really sure what else to check

-front axle ujoints?
-out of balance drive shaft?

*also i noticed if i put the truck in neutral while travelling at 65mph or higher the vibration remains. This leads me to think the vibration is not coming from the driveline but i may be wrong


any suggestions are greatly appreciated

 

[rusty ol ranger]

Were the tires replaced before or after this started?

 

[Josh B]

Has your drive shaft been removed recently?

 

[RonD]

I assume you have Auto or manual hubs on the front
If they are unlocked and transfer case is in 2WD then front driveshaft and front axles are not turning at any speed, so not front axle u-joints or front drive shaft issue

Rule of thumb
If you feel vibration in steering wheel then its from the front
If you feel it in your butt/seat then its from the rear

I had a bad tire once, broken belt, it balanced OK, but on the vehicle it vibrated, it was on the left rear
I rotated tires front to back and immediately had the vibration move from seat to steering wheel, so knew it was one of the tires(or wheels)
Load balance showed which tire was bad, aka "road force balancing"

Broken internal belt doesn't change the weight, so tire spin balances just fine, but when there is a 1,000+ pound load on it, the vehicle, it will be noticed, lol


Inspect rear drive shaft look for "clean spot" where a balance weight may have come off
Google: how to balance a driveshaft yourself

You can use hose clamps to first "see" if drive shaft is out of balance and then use them to re-balance it

More extreme, remove rear drive shaft, put in 4high drive at 65+MPH using just the front wheels and see if vibration is gone

 

[gaz]

@MarcosLopez77 ,
I've only ever experienced 2 failures that cause severe vibrations but I suppose this depends on whether you are feeling a side to side shimmy shake or an up/down jostle.
• driveline U joint failure
• wheel bearing failure

Driveline vib will let off a bit without load but not necessarily completely. Wheel bearing will get worse with more speed and time. I read that you did the wheel bearings but I would lk there after verifying that you have not lost a wheel balancing weight.

 

[MarcosLopez77]

Were the tires replaced before or after this started?

after

 

[MarcosLopez77]

Has your drive shaft been removed recently?

not recently only when i chaged ujoints and carrier bearing last year

 

[MarcosLopez77]

I assume you have Auto or manual hubs on the front
If they are unlocked and transfer case is in 2WD then front driveshaft and front axles are not turning at any speed, so not front axle u-joints or front drive shaft issue

Rule of thumb
If you feel vibration in steering wheel then its from the front
If you feel it in your butt/seat then its from the rear

I had a bad tire once, broken belt, it balanced OK, but on the vehicle it vibrated, it was on the left rear
I rotated tires front to back and immediately had the vibration move from seat to steering wheel, so knew it was one of the tires(or wheels)
Load balance showed which tire was bad, aka "road force balancing"

Broken internal belt doesn't change the weight, so tire spin balances just fine, but when there is a 1,000+ pound load on it, the vehicle, it will be noticed, lol


Inspect rear drive shaft look for "clean spot" where a balance weight may have come off
Google: how to balance a driveshaft yourself

You can use hose clamps to first "see" if drive shaft is out of balance and then use them to re-balance it

More extreme, remove rear drive shaft, put in 4high drive at 65+MPH using just the front wheels and see if vibration is gone

auto hubs were replaced with manual hubs

*ill try rotaing tires and see if i notice any change, could very well be a tire. ill also inspect driveshaft

 

[rusty ol ranger]

Pull the front driveshaft and leave the hubs unlocked...if the vibration goes away you know its in the front drivetrain.

 

[pjtoledo]

get the axles up on stands and spin the wheels, look for bent or out of round.
feel the force needed to rotate a wheel, is it steady?
run your hand over the tread area, is it smooth? in all directions?

it's not too common, but rear drums can be out of balance., ever see how big some of their weights are?

 

[MarcosLopez77]

So been reading several posts and forums from people with similar issues and just learned about driveshaft or ujoint phasing. I crawled underneath my truck and checked out my rear driveshaft. The rear side and the yoke side near the carrier bearing are definitely not lined up with each other. Appears to be 180 degrees off. Might be an easy fix or I’m hoping at least. Question tho does the phasing need to follow the same sequence all the way thru past the carrier bearing and into the transfer case? If that’s the case I need to adjust that piece as well.

 

[Josh B]

I recently had to re-do mine for some reason, I think it had two marks on it instead of one and I had gotten them crisscrossed, BAD vibration, was certainly glad a minor repair fixed it.
I think they come factory with a white paint dot on each joint, although I am not positive of this?
If you can find the factory dots those are what you need

Unless you separated it at the center bearing your only concerns will be at front and rear

 

[MarcosLopez77]

well my driveshaft was definately phased incorrectly. I removed, phased and re-installed. Unfortunately didnt fix the vibration. tires got rebalanced this morning.

Gonna look into the rear drums next

 

[Josh B]

Does yours have the center bearing? If so did you inspect it?

 

[MarcosLopez77]

Does yours have the center bearing? If so did you inspect it?

mine does have the center bearing, replaced it about a year ago. Inspected while I had driveshaft off to reprase. Bearing and u joints all seem good