Vibration between 50 & 70 mph

[speedfrk]

Well, they installed the new pinion flange and balanced the DS again and from the very short drive in heavy traffic, it might be fixed... I need to drive it again tonight on the smooth part of I-20 by my house and do the 5mph increment test. But it is definitely much better at 60 and I ran it up to 80 for a second and it seems good. More info after I get to drive it a bit more.

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[speedfrk]

So, the verdict is that it is about 80%. Not perfect, still some rumbling above 75 but it goes away above 80. The part that makes it livable is that the bad vibration at 60 is gone. Not perfect but the reality is that it's probably not going to get any better. The service manager said he was riding in the car with the engineer and holding the equipment and it was measuring .06 (g's?) The equipment senses vibration and matches the frequency to know causes like driveline, suspension, transmission, etc. He said at that low level, the device could not pick any specific cause. So, the pinion flange and DS balancing does help a lot. They balance the DS on the car by adding weighted washers under the bolts that bolt the DS to the flange. I need to climb under and look to see how many washers they had to add and where they are in relation to the weights on the DS.
Pretty sure the average dealership does not have the equipment or training to do this without the field service guy to help. But it's worth asking for if your car has the vibration issue.
And... the engineer said he looked at the national records that Ford keeps and only found 9 cases of this reported. Yet they know that 2 other cars on the lot right there do the same thing and the poll here shows over a hundred with the problem. Ford has a data problem.

 

[GT Pony]

And... the engineer said he looked at the national records that Ford keeps and only found 9 cases of this reported. Yet they know that 2 other cars on the lot right there do the same thing and the poll here shows over a hundred with the problem. Ford has a data problem.

LoL, sweep ... under ... the ... rug.

So if they did more balancing of the driveshaft while on the car then apparently the original driveshaft wasn't ever balanced that well.

 

[speedfrk]

LoL, sweep ... under ... the ... rug.

So if they did more balancing of the driveshaft while on the car then apparently the original driveshaft wasn't ever balanced that well.

Well, doing it on the car balances the DS and the pinion flange together. But they obviously have a problem. Not sure I'm going to keep this car, but if I do I might just spring for a 1 piece from somebody like the driveshaft shop. I'd rather spend that money on tuning but I'll drive it for a few more weeks and decide if I want to keep it.

 

[speedfrk]

After driving it more extensively on some really smooth sections of new pavement, I'm going to say that the car is fixed. There might be some speeds where there is a slight vibration, but all in all it is good. So, if you have the vibration problem, you might suggest that they use the same procedure on your car.

 

[GTP]

Curt, thanks for all your research and posts on this. It obviously has consumed a lot of your time.

Do you mind summarizing "the fix" for us? Would probably be best to edit the original post and put it there.

If after another week you are still convinced it is fixed, then I will approach my dealer.

 

[888mustang]

9 cases of drive line vibration nationwide, that's a joke...that F S E needs to get a new job..I had my drive shaft replaced in April and I was the 3rd at the dealership I went to. Ford needs to wake up this is a real problem and they need a T S B to fix it. speedfrk I would love to see a pic of the washers on the pinion flange,I may still have a very slight vibration at 60 not sure .. not always there..Thanks

 

[94and15]

After driving it more extensively on some really smooth sections of new pavement, I'm going to say that the car is fixed. There might be some speeds where there is a slight vibration, but all in all it is good. So, if you have the vibration problem, you might suggest that they use the same procedure on your car.

Congrats on getting it fixed. :cheers:

After mine was fixed, I thought the same thing about possibly having a vibration, but learned that it was in fact the roadway that I travelled everyday. I was out on some 1 or 2 day old pavement yesterday, and I took it from 30 to 90 a few times. No vibration. I know they said something about indexing with washers with mine as well, as I was called by the dealer today to ensure that my car was still operating fine.

3 Things to Do if you have the vibration (Correct me if yours was different)

1. Replace Driveshaft
2. Index / Balance said new Driveshaft
3. Replace Pinion Flange

Most dealerships will just replace the DS first, and then you'll have to take it back for the flange. Mine didn't release the car since they could still feel it and "ASAP" ordered the flange for the next day.

 

[GT Pony]

Most dealerships will just replace the DS first, and then you'll have to take it back for the flange. Mine didn't release the car since they could still feel it and "ASAP" ordered the flange for the next day.

I'm just wondering how many new drive shafts are actually balanced that good to start with. Seems like checking and re-balancing on the car if needed is the way to go, as they did with speedfrk's car.

 

[speedfrk]

Curt, thanks for all your research and posts on this. It obviously has consumed a lot of your time.

Do you mind summarizing "the fix" for us? Would probably be best to edit the original post and put it there.

If after another week you are still convinced it is fixed, then I will approach my dealer.

I'll write a new post with the steps that I think are needed to really fix the problem so everyone can "help" their dealer if needed
I'll also get pictures of the washers on the flange when it stops raining here. Been non stop rain for days and the garage floor is all wet!

 

[speedfrk]

Congrats on getting it fixed. :cheers:

After mine was fixed, I thought the same thing about possibly having a vibration, but learned that it was in fact the roadway that I travelled everyday. I was out on some 1 or 2 day old pavement yesterday, and I took it from 30 to 90 a few times. No vibration. I know they said something about indexing with washers with mine as well, as I was called by the dealer today to ensure that my car was still operating fine.

3 Things to Do if you have the vibration (Correct me if yours was different)

1. Replace Driveshaft
2. Index / Balance said new Driveshaft
3. Replace Pinion Flange

Most dealerships will just replace the DS first, and then you'll have to take it back for the flange. Mine didn't release the car since they could still feel it and "ASAP" ordered the flange for the next day.

Right, the road will trick you. I've driven it on 3 types of interstate- old rough asphalt that masked a lot of the vibration, smooth new pavement and smooth concrete. Even the new pavement tricks you sometimes since it can have ripples in it from the trucks. It was the smooth concrete that convinced me that the vibration was gone. They actually used some kind of grinding machine on I-285W to smooth out the concrete.

 

[Faris14]

I wonder if any of you guys live in Southern California. My dealership seems to be not concerned about fixing the problem and saying there's nothing to be worried about! I even printed out some of your helpful posts for them. I'm thinking about taking the car to another dealership. Any suggestions?

 

[GT Pony]

^^^ Find a new dealership that takes problem seriously.

 

[Jesse R]

I had a vibration felt through the steering wheel, shifter, and the seat at about 52mph through 65mph. Very slight vibration but noticeable. Had the tires rotated and balanced yesterday and now it's gone. Just a what's up from my situation on the problem :cheers:

 

[billq]

I had a vibration felt through the steering wheel, shifter, and the seat at about 52mph through 65mph. Very slight vibration but noticeable. Had the tires rotated and balanced yesterday and now it's gone. Just a what's up from my situation on the problem :cheers:

lucky, lucky, lucky

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