Vibration between 50 & 70 mph

[barrykaye1001]

I just got the car home 2 days ago so hopefully this weekend get it on the hoist and have a look and try a few simple things and see what i can see. I may take it to the stealership if i cant resolve it or i find something that warranty will cover. I do have a friend that works there in parts and we deal with them regularly so that may make this a little smoother. Thanks for the update , it gives me hope. Also i suspect there are many who forgo the internet and have gone to the dealer and successfully had their cars repaired so it is possible that the poll is skewed somewhat.

NHTSA ID: 10091423
TSB ID: SSM 45938

SSM 45938 - 2015-2017 Mustang Driveline Vibration At Highway Speeds
Some 2015-2017 Mustang vehicles may experience a driveline vibration directly related to a vehicle speed of 70-100Kmh (50-70Mph) and is perceived as a tremor in the floor pan, seat track, or steering wheel and may be heard as a rumble, hum, or boom. Before replacement of any parts be sure to verify the concern with a road test and visually inspect the driveshaft for damage, undercoating, incorrectly seated universal joints, rotate the driveshaft by hand to feel for any binding or end play in the universal joints. If no concern is found check and correctany tire balance issues using Loaded Hunter Road Force® Method. If a concern isstill present balance the driveshaft using the Mastertech® Series MTS 4000 Driveline Balance and NVH Analyzer. Refer to Workshop Manual Sections 100-04,200-04Aand 205-01. Use labor operation 1007D and any appropriate combinations.

APPLICABLE VEHICLES
2015 - 2017 CAR: ZG MUSTANG (S550)

I'm not a mechanic but here's what it took for the dealer to fix mine:

Step 1 - Check for out of round tires. If tires ok, proceed to step 2.
Step 2 - Road force balance the wheels. Index tires to rims if necessary. Road test. If vibration still present proceed to step 3.
Step 3 - Check for excessive play in driveshaft center support bearing and differential flange bearing. Repair if necessary. Road test. If vibration still present, proceed to step 4.
Step 4 - Index the driveshaft 180 degrees. Road test. If vibration still present, proceed to step 5.
Step 5 - Remove driveshaft and bring to a driveline shop for balancing. If driveline shop doesn't have the fittings to mount on their balancer, proceed to step 6.
Step 6 - Balance the driveshaft on the car using hose clamp method. Road test. If vibration still present, proceed to step 7.
Step 7 - Replace driveshaft with new redesigned part.

Or you could skip from step 3 directly to step 7. Also, somewhere in there you might want to neutralize the transmission, d/s center support bearing and rear axle assembly to correct for any driveline geometry issues.

This work was all done at the dealer (Mullinax Ford, West Palm Beach, FL). Not to scare you but it took me 6 months of back and forth to get it fixed or at least fixed to the point where it's tolerable. There's still a vibration between 80 - 85 mph but I can live with that.

Good luck!

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[GTP]

<snip>
Having seen this, if I still had a 15 / 17 car in the family I'd get the right rear differential bolt and that dampener if it's available. I m going to try to post a pic.
Lester

I reached out to Benny at Levittown Ford, and, together with your photo, his research identified the damper and bolt. Seems cheap enough for someone to try this as an experiment on their 15-17.

 

[hlh1]

I reached out to Benny at Levittown Ford, and, together with your photo, his research identified the damper and bolt. Seems cheap enough for someone to try this as an experiment on their 15-17.

I notice on Amazon that they have the BR3Z-4A263-B damper and bolt included. I wonder how much different this part is compared to the JR3Z? Where is this installed on the differential? I'll give this a try.

 

[GTP]

I notice on Amazon that they have the BR3Z-4A263-B damper and bolt included. I wonder how much different this part is compared to the JR3Z? Where is this installed on the differential? I'll give this a try.

See the photos in post# 3446. It is the right rear bolt that is longer to accommodate the damper.

In case I missed it, please post the Amazon link to which you referred.

 

[hlh1]

See the photos in post# 3446. It is the right rear bolt that is longer to accommodate the damper.

In case I missed it, please post the Amazon link to which you referred.

Sorry, here's the Amazon link:


https://www.amazon.com/Genuine-Ford-BR3Z-4A263-B-Differential-Assembly/dp/B0031AVOX8

Looks like this BR part is totally different.

 

[hlh1]

I went ahead and purchased the JR3Z-4A263-B damper and bolt. I'll give it a try.

 

[GTP]

Do you mean the one Benny and I found, and not from Amazon?

 

[hlh1]

Do you mean the one Benny and I found, and not from Amazon?

Correct.

 

[Lo Pony]

Sorry, here's the Amazon link:


https://www.amazon.com/Genuine-Ford-BR3Z-4A263-B-Differential-Assembly/dp/B0031AVOX8

Looks this BR part is totally different.

The weight and maybe the height (length) of the damper assembly are all that matter, not the shape. It definitely will not make it worse, and can only improve things. Stick it on there and try it and let us know how it does.

 

[Lo Pony]

Anyone who is suffering from vibrations should get the damper kit that Ford is using on the 2018’s. It will help. It is notable that they replaced the pinion flange and reportedly the driveshaft on the 2018s, so if I were you, I would get a new D.S. and matching flange set in addition to the damper. Do not (repeat - DON'T) try to solve the problem with an aftermarket driveshaft paired with your existing pinion flange. Odds are high that it will make the vibration worse - flanges and D.S's are (or should be) a matched set, and balances/runouts are supposed to cancel to make the thing smooth when it spins!

The damper in the pics above is mounted in a strange location, but I guess as long as it's connected to the pumpkin it works. The replacement of the driveshaft hanger bearing support is also interesting. Remember in my previous posts where I was talking about “there must be some soft part causing the problem”? Wear/shift o the hangar bearing assembly and support may have been one of the culprits.

If anyone is intrigued by a little history, what you're currently seeing from Ford is precisely the approach the NVH team took to address the vibration problem in the 99-03 Cobras with IRS...those cars were highly prone to this problem. The exception, however, was that back then Ford rapidly addressed the problem when it was reported - in 1999! The '99-03 TSB kit included a vibration damper, a rear diff mount that changed the pinion angle a couple of degrees, a low runout driveshaft that had an improved "interference fit" with a balance/runout-matched pinion flange. I'm guessing the fit of the new D.S. and flange on the 18-19 cars is more snug, and the runouts and balance matching of the parts in the rotating assembly is more controlled.

Possibly the lesson learned from the 99-03 Cobra fiasco of 15 years earlier was forgotten, or at least ignored. Some good drivetrain and NVH people were lost through attrition and were not adequately replaced. So, Team Mustang, if you're reading, please take this "object lesson" to heart, because 3 years to address this issue is far too long.

 

[dmann]

FYI
At 800 miles on my car I got a nail/flat and had to replace the rear tire. Since then I have had the vibration.
I had them redo the balance several times but no luck getting it out.

 

[Lo Pony]

FYI
At 800 miles on my car I got a nail/flat and had to replace the rear tire. Since then I have had the vibration.
I had them redo the balance several times but no luck getting it out.

Sorry to hear that! A tire vibration, however, is nothing like the drivetrain vibration we are discussing. A tire is a shake/bounce. The drivetrain vibe is a hum/roar that is similar to the sound a turboprop airplane makes when flying.

 

[DANA44]

I reached out to Benny at Levittown Ford, and, together with your photo, his research identified the damper and bolt. Seems cheap enough for someone to try this as an experiment on their 15-17.

I wonder what is the difference between the jr3z-4a263-b used on the 18,s
the the https://parts.levittownfordparts.com/oem-parts/ford-damper-fr3z4a263a
used on 15-17

 

[GT Pony]

I wonder what is the difference between the jr3z-4a263-b used on the 18,s
the the https://parts.levittownfordparts.com/oem-parts/ford-damper-fr3z4a263a
used on 15-17

Yep, those are two different part numbers. The FR3Z is for the 15-17 models - but it would be interesting to see if the JR3Z works better on the 15-17 models. Did the subframe damper even come on all 15-17s? The talk in this post makes it sound like there was no damper piece on @CNCLester's 2017 S550 that he was comparing to his 2018.

https://www.mustang6g.com/forums/threads/vibration-between-50-70-mph.15990/page-173#post-2261173

Update - I just looked under my 2015 GT and it does not have any damper bolted to the subframe. Looks like the big metal damper piece would nest into the inside of the differential's big rubber insert used on the big subframe bolt.

So when did Ford start adding this piece to the 2015-2017 model years?

 

[hlh1]

My 17 GT doesn't have the damper either, of course, that's why I ordered one to give it a try.

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