[ejbirnerjr42]

hello,

i have a 2003 ford escape with about 106,000 miles on it and i recently have been having a rash of problems. I first had the entire drive shaft replaced due to a worn carrier bearing, including new U-joints. Tie rod ends, both front lower control arms, new moog sway bar links, new front springs, new kyb struts up front, new strut mounts, new rear monroe shocks. I have been having an annoying vibration typically appear from about 20mph up. I also have new tires and i have had them rebalanced three times with no luck. I dont know what either could possibly be??

 

[martin-csr]

Just a guess... Perhaps it could be that the driveshaft isn't balanced. My only frame of reference is that I had it happen on a Ranger. After the u-joints were replaced, the driveshaft was not put back in the original position or something, causing a vibration. But I really don't know what your problem is.

 

[SUVord]

The cheapest and least frustrating method to follow myself is:
Have the whole driveshaft taken off and drive for a while without it.If the vibration is gone then you will know that the problem is either shaft balancing related as martin-csr said or U-joints related despite the fact they are new.
When the vibration occurs do you sense any up and down feeling on your body or a sideways one?If any of these feelings is evident then your front half shafts need some attendance.
Please let us know of your findings.

PS.lease, forgive me for mentioning this, but is there enough oil in the engine?

 

[ejbirnerjr42]

thanks for the quick responses!! I am going to take the car into the shop that put the new driveshaft in and see if they can find anything wrong with the balance of the driveshaft or U-Joints. I havent really noticed any up and down or side to side vibration but ill be sure to pay attention next time. I also have a newer half shaft on the front passenger side forgot to mention that as well. Engine oil is perfect just changed the oil about 2 weeks ago and check periodically.

 

[Four_Eyes]

Interesting. I was researching engine and driveline vibrations when I came across a piece of info that made me think of this post.

I'm not versed in transmissions at all. I'm just passing on some info.

A torque converter that's out of balance can feel like an out of balance driveline. And it may not be noticeable a low speed but gets worse as the vehicle speeds up.

Like I said, I don't know transmissions. But it wouldn't hurt to have a transmission mechanic take it out for a test drive.

 

[SUVord]

That is very true.
That is why one of the first questions in these situations isoes the vibration persists even when coasting at the same speed in neutral?
If no difference in vibration the culprit is somewhere in the drive line or rims and tires.
If the vibration goes away the engine or the transmission need some tending to, with the corresponding mounts.

 

[ejbirnerjr42]

ok so i took it back to the place that put the driveshaft in and asked them to test drive it and look it over. They did and then wanted to see if the wheels were balanced even though i had them rebalanced 3X over the past few weeks. They showed me one of the tires on the balancer and it seemed the tire was bouncing? and they said it was due to being unbalanced. So i had them rebalance all the wheels and do an alignment while it was in and then i drove it and there was no change at all in the harsh ride and vibration. The next day i decided to rotate the tires thinking it may help but it seems that it only made it worse..I also tried your guys suggestions with the coasting in neutral and the vibrations were still present..idk what it could possibly be at this point. thanks for the help so far!

 

[Four_Eyes]

The shop test drove it then rebalanced the wheels and did an alignment. Did they test drive it after? Did they notice a difference or no difference?

After you rotated the tires, you felt it was worse, then that's a key piece of clue. If that's the only thing you did and it felt worse, the problem is tire related.

Rotate 2 tires only and see if it feels different. Then rotate the other 2 and see how it feels.

Check for tire flat spot(s).

 

[SUVord]

I'm really :cuss: at places like that.
If the wheel was obviously bouncing on the machine then, the rim is at fault and not the wheel balancing. I don't know how old the rims are but all it takes for them aluminum wheels to get strembled is one single pot hole at high speed.

 

[Leviathan]

ok so i took it back to the place that put the driveshaft in and asked them to test drive it and look it over. They did and then wanted to see if the wheels were balanced even though i had them rebalanced 3X over the past few weeks. They showed me one of the tires on the balancer and it seemed the tire was bouncing? and they said it was due to being unbalanced. So i had them rebalance all the wheels and do an alignment while it was in and then i drove it and there was no change at all in the harsh ride and vibration. The next day i decided to rotate the tires thinking it may help but it seems that it only made it worse..I also tried your guys suggestions with the coasting in neutral and the vibrations were still present..idk what it could possibly be at this point. thanks for the help so far!

It could be that tire (or tires) is defective and will never be balanced. You said that they're new, what are they?

 

[ejbirnerjr42]

the shop in fact did not test drive it afterwards...prob my fault i should have asked them too..it also feels no different after driving it for a bit with the tires rotated and i saw no flat spots on the tires when i rotated them. the rims are the factory 16" alloys so at this point they are over 7 years old so they could be ever so slightly bent but i didn't notice anything again when i rotated them. the tires only have 4,000 miles on them and they are Kumho Sat Kl61 tires.

 

[skibender]

To me, it still sounds like it's something to do with the tires/rims. While it is vibrating, do you feel it in the steering wheel or by your butt in the seat?