Drive Line Vibration July 23, 2019, 11:12:01 pm As some may recall, the question of tire balance causing noticeable vibration was discussed previously. I have suffered vibration (audible and felt in seat but not steering wheel) between 55 and 60 mph. At first, I thought that it might have been a poor wheel balancing job as I had Borg dually valve stems installed the day after we took delivery of our 27MB and the technician balanced the wheels without the rubber grommet Borg supplies to stabilize the stem. I recently had the rear wheels re-balanced. And, when the vibration was still present, I had the same quality tire shop do the fronts. Unfortunately, the vibration continues. While this supports Larry Wade's point that an ounce or so of imbalance will not likely cause excessive wheel vibration, I have what seems to be a bigger problem (drive shaft out of balance, chassis issue, etc...).I spoke with Vince and Todd at Lazy Daze and they of course advised me to work with a Ford Truck Center. Todd kindly arranged for me to speak with the senior folks at the FTC that supplies E-450s to Lazy Daze. So, while I'll have to move our coach from Pismo Beach area (where we have it garaged) to LA Metro, I have some confidence that the issue will be properly diagnosed. In the interim, I am curious if there might be anything else at fault, perhaps even something simple, from others' experience? Warren
Re: Drive Line Vibration Reply #1 – July 24, 2019, 12:48:39 am Please post when the cause of the vibration is diagnosed; thanks. I hope the issue will be resolved quickly; good luck.
Re: Drive Line Vibration Reply #2 – July 24, 2019, 06:23:58 am In trucks that I have owned, almost always vibration in the seat has been rear wheels or drive line. Steering wheel vibration is something in the front end. It might be that there is a bad tire in the mix. Jon
Re: Drive Line Vibration Reply #3 – July 24, 2019, 11:42:41 am Hi Warren. I'll side with Jon that the back wheels and driveline are more suspect. First I would remove the wheel simulators, you would want to know how anyway, you might have to help a 'tire' responder some day. Check the lug nut positions on the studs to see if everything looks good. I have seen wheels remounted incorrectly; duals not quite seated right and then nuts tightened even though the wheels weren't on right. My situation was due to a 'pin' on a Dodge wheel meant to line up one dual to another. I don't think Ford does this. Four screws attach the drive line to the universal joint at the differential. These are the ones that have to be removed for being towed rear wheels down. Check that they are tight. As new as your rig is, I suspect that you haven't been towed (yet). But I would still check them. I would mark mine to ensure the flange was lined up when re-connected. I asked my tow truck driver (one time with fuel pump problem) to mark it, and he had a 'soapstone' marker handy, so that might be a standard thing. I don't remember if your chassis (MB) has a center drive-shaft bearing. Other things I would check is spring mounts, leaf springs and shackles. Especially anything mounted after market. I heard once of a stone wedged between the two duals on one side, that probably would have resulted in a blowout, but the driver caught it quickly. Shocks and bent rims, but you've had those looked at. A bent rim can still be balanced. (ask me how I know). I didn't see how many miles you've accumulated. RonB 1 Likes
Re: Drive Line Vibration Reply #4 – July 24, 2019, 06:11:51 pm What about driveshaft universal joint Cross bearing or drive shaft bearings???
Re: Drive Line Vibration Reply #5 – July 24, 2019, 06:41:27 pm Thanks for all the good input. I’m fairly confident in the tire/wheel/wheel cover mount & balance as I have experience there and I watched the mechanic work through the entire process. I’ll keep a list of the possible drive-line fault areas for my conversation with the Ford service manager (Lazy daze connected me with the GM and Service Mgr), and post an update when I have more data.
Re: Drive Line Vibration Reply #6 – July 25, 2019, 06:05:31 pm We had a severe vibration in the passenger seat of our ‘06 TK that drove my wife crazy. When I replaced the Ford seat mounting with a swivel mount the vibration was gone. If you’re only feeling the vibration in the seat and not the steering wheel, you might investigate the seat hardware. — Jon
Re: Drive Line Vibration Reply #7 – August 10, 2019, 01:21:38 am Much to my relief, the source of our 2019 MB vibration (significant between 52 and 62 mph, felt in seat/floor and heard), has been identified and corrected. As some forum members speculated (earlier in this string) and as documented in the Companion, the issue was a bad drive shaft. Ford measured the shaft to be out of round and, after two unsuccessful attempts to repair it, replaced the whole drive line. No more vibration and a big relief to be sure! 3 Likes
Re: Drive Line Vibration Reply #8 – August 10, 2019, 06:49:43 am Warren,Good to learn the problem was found and corrected. And thanks for posting about the solution. So many folks ask for help with problems and never follow up with how the issues are resolved.Happy trails,Steve K.
Re: Drive Line Vibration Reply #9 – August 10, 2019, 09:18:59 am Warren, I also thank you for posting the solution to the vibration! As Steve K. says, many post problems or issues, receive suggestions and/or advice, but, for whatever reasons, neglect to follow up with the solution, so we never hear "the rest of the story". Posting the resolutions to issues adds to the data base/knowledge bank and benefits all of us, so thanks again for the report. Glad that the driveshaft was replaced and the vibration gone!
Topic: Drive Line Vibration (Read 336 times)
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Topic: Drive Line Vibration (Read 336 times)
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