steering wheel shakes at 60 mpg and higher...

Hello Girls and Boys,
I'm new here I hope this is the right place to post this. My 2006 Explorer Limited, 4 liter bone stock machine, 75,500 miles on the clock.

Steering and front end starts to vibrate at 60 mpg and is shaking at 80 mpg. What do I have? I feel all the shake in the steering wheel, Passengers can't feel it. Even when I'm a passenger I can't feel it.

Thanks
Ghost

AKA Tom

Try getting your wheels rebalanced. It could just be a bit off causing the vibration to occur more pronounced in high speeds.

That's possible. I got 4 new tires recently at pep boys, sometimes they are good and sometimes they get chimpazees from the zoo to fill in when someone calls in sick. I'll take a sac of bananas and get them to check the balancing.

You don't think it's a suspension bushing, ball joint, control arm etc etc problem? I have never kept an Explorer this long this is our 5th one... Loves me some Fords!. But, it's paid for and I think its better built than previous versions. So I'd like to keep it for at least another 5 years.

I just changed the trans fluid and oil today. the car is like new otherwise.

I took it back to pep boys. They rebalanced to tires, and found that the ball joints shot. So, I had them replaced and it drives like a new car.

Bummer, "ball joints shot" at 76K miles. Is this common on 4th gens?

hmm.. now I need to check my ball joints.. I'm at 110,000. I have noticed a little of shake on the freeway myself.

granadojl said:

hmm.. now I need to check my ball joints.. I'm at 110,000. I have noticed a little of shake on the freeway myself.

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Yep, The service guy said they see a lot of these explorers with worn out ball joints at around 75,000 to 80,000 miles. I can't say weather he is right or wrong. But, mine were shot that was 5 years so, for me not too bad.. The steering feels solid again, like when it was new. My cost was $447 at Pep Boys for both sides.

EX-SV said:

Bummer, "ball joints shot" at 76K miles. Is this common on 4th gens?

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The service guy said yes. I have had about 20 Fords over 40 years, other than a few german cars and 1 chevy van and 1 toyota and 1 subaru, always had Fords. From focuses, Fiesta, Econolines, Torino, merc cougar, crown vics, Merc Marquis, 3 or 4 pickups, 4 or 5 windstars, an aerostar, Taurus an a bunch of explorers and ball joints were always something that failed PA State Inspection. This is the first time that I can remember being able to feel it before it was discovered by a mechanic.
I'm more **** maybe than some people, once I know a car needs something, I can't sleep until it's fixed. I could have driven it for sure until my next state inspection but, I would be bugged by it. Others might just go ahead and drive til the wheels fall off

I wanna know two things. 1 how are you getting 60 MPG and higher? 2 what's your MPG have to do with steering wheel shake?

I don't want to hijack the thread, but I have the same symptoms (starts vibrating at about 65mph and steadily increase to ungodly shake at 75mph). However, I also feel a mild cyclical "clunk" at very low speed (5-10mph), more pronounced when I turn (left). Am I looking at the same ball joint problem as Ghost-Flame, or something else? Wheel bearings maybe? Trying to get some idea of what I'm facing before I take it my local mech (not dealer!)... 2007 Explorer EB, 76K miles, V8.

weh87 said:

I wanna know two things. 1 how are you getting 60 MPG and higher? 2 what's your MPG have to do with steering wheel shake?

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Well you see, the pantabular codistributor chip in the CPU has a setting that most people don't know about, can be adjusted to reach extaordinarily high mpg. One of the side effects however disbiliation of and distoriation of the dedicular steerastrator, which causes the steering to shake. I think, possibly, this is why most people don't bother with the chip in the first place.

............... Oh yeah I meant MPH.

Divemaster191307 said:

I don't want to hijack the thread, but I have the same symptoms (starts vibrating at about 65mph and steadily increase to ungodly shake at 75mph). However, I also feel a mild cyclical "clunk" at very low speed (5-10mph), more pronounced when I turn (left). Am I looking at the same ball joint problem as Ghost-Flame, or something else? Wheel bearings maybe? Trying to get some idea of what I'm facing before I take it my local mech (not dealer!)... 2007 Explorer EB, 76K miles, V8.

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I doubt it's your bearings, that's not to say it couldn't be. Bearings usually have an unmistakable sqeal at slower speeds. I'm pretty sure you are looking at ball joints because that is the exact same symptoms and mileage I had.

You could take it and just ask the mechanic to put it on the lift to inspect the suspension to be sure if that is what you have. In any case shaking is not good or safe; so, whatever it is, you are going to need to fix it, sorry about that.

PS mine had a clunk at slow speeds as well... that's gone as well after the fix.

I knew there was a trick somewhere. I'll. Stick wit 13-15 MPG

ghost-flame said:

... I'm pretty sure you are looking at ball joints because that is the exact same symptoms and mileage I had.

...

PS mine had a clunk at slow speeds as well... that's gone as well after the fix.

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Thanks for the reply. I'm taking it to the shop tomorrow morning, so I'll find out.