Random Vibration

[charsawbis]

Hi everyone.
Haven't posted up in a while since the truck has been running well. Recently have had some problem that have grounded my truck yet again. There is a weird vibration/shudder coming from the front left wheel. It occurs somewhat intermittently and under braking. It is worse when braking during a turn and can be felt heavily in the steering but not the brake pedal (hence i dont think its rotors). I have all new rotors and pads installed not more than 4 months ago. Tires are new and have been balanced about 2 months ago. I have the explorer express sways bars all around so new bushings with those and Bilstein shocks on all four corners. The ABS light came on a little while back and has remained on since. The shudder go tot the point where it shook so bad i thought the wheel was going to rip off.
There is also suspension noise when going over bumps and play in the steering. It sounds like grinding/squeaking and will make harsh clunking noises depending on the road. when going through a parking garage everything basically sounds awful.
Any ideas on what it could be? I have not replaced the ball joints or the hubs, but have taken the wheel off and did not feel any play in either direction.
On a separate note, the check engine light came on (flashing) and said there was a misfire on cylinder 4. It has all new wires and plugs. I think it may be a vacuum line which was not connected properly or maybe the DPFE. Anyone have a pic or diagram of the lines to connect? There are three i believe Red, green and white.

Thanks in advance...I need to get the truck up and running ASAP!!

 

[charsawbis]

I have checked various threads about vibrations relating to the usual suspects, ball joints, hubs, etc, however none seem to address the same issue I am having given the modifications I made.
Anyone have any ideas?

 

[jlsparky7]

Im thinking bad ABS sensor with the ABS light being on. Hows your brake fluid level?

The clunk im betting is not related to the shutter you are describing. I guessing they are 2 different problems.

When you checked the ball joints did you check the tie rod ends as well?

 

[jlsparky7]

Specs on the vehicle would help as well.

 

[charsawbis]

Update

Ok so the Truck is back and running, but now has some new problems...and some still there from before.
Turned out that the front right lower ball joint was bad and has been replaced. The Check engine light was coming on because of a bad wire on cylinder 5 causing the wire to arc. Got all new plugs and wires put in.
I got the X back on the road and there is still a shudder when braking/turning and a bad squeak coming from the driver side front wheel.
The ball joints were checked by my mechanic and they are fine.

It can't be the rotor cause they are new and the shudder does not happen consistently. It comes and goes which is really strange...
The suspension and steering noise was there before I had the work done, but now its way worse. It comes when going over bumps at any speed and when you turn the wheel when standing still. it is worse when moving tho.
Could it be the tie rods causing the shudder? Maybe the Torsion bar?
To make matters worse the X started to leak power steering fluid. I put in some lucas stop leak for PS and it seems to have helped a little...

Need help ASAP...please let me know what you guys think!

Specs: 96 4.0 Eddie Bauer 4WD 4 door
Explorer express sway bars front and rear with all new bushings. Bilstien shocks on all 4 corners.
Everything else is pretty much stock.

 

[charsawbis]

Im thinking bad ABS sensor with the ABS light being on. Hows your brake fluid level?

The clunk im betting is not related to the shutter you are describing. I guessing they are 2 different problems.

When you checked the ball joints did you check the tie rod ends as well?

How do i check the tie rods?
The brake fluid level was fine, but braking has felt a bit weak. The rear pads will need to be replaced at some point, and I will flush everything out when I swap em out.

 

[charsawbis]

Bump

Anyone?

Need to fix this vibration problem soon. I have been reading about radius arm bushings. Could those be the cause of the vibration?
How about the steering gear. Does any one have any pics on how to inspect the steering gear or radius arms bushings?


Thanks in advance

 

[alohamonte]

You could just have air in the power steering system.

If you have air in the system, the fluid might be bubbling up from the purge valve. Air in the system would give you all sorts of vibrations, soft/hard spots in steering, etc

 

[charsawbis]

I checked the steering column and the long connection that runs from the wheel to the rack in the engine bay. The connecting rod moves alot. There is a joint in the center of the two pieces which has play in it and the bottom of the rod where it connects to the rack has play too.
Could this be the cause of the vibration?

 

[charsawbis]

Ok so i think i have figured it out. The u-joints needs to be replaced. Most likely the driver side front. Can someone please let me know what the part number is?
I have seen different ones listed for front and rear, but cant seem to tell the difference. The part numbers are the same on some sites and different on others.
How hard is it to replace your self? Does the entire hub need to come off? I have a press and the other tools needed, but i have been reading the other threads and can't determine if the driveshaft needs to come down or not.
For now I need to know the part number so i can order the part ASAP.

Thanks!
Any help is appreciated.

 

[charsawbis]

Update: More Frustration

Ok so this has been going on for ever it seems and the front still vibrates
Most recent update. U-joints are fine.
Part of the vibration was from a rear rotor that was gone.
Have now replaced the following:
both rear rotors
pads
Rear & Front Caliper pins
Rear & Front Caliper bolts
Rear & Front Caliper boots with fresh synthetic grease
Front lower ball joints
Power steering cooler was leaking, has been replaced and has new fluid.

The vibration diminished a little when i fixed the front caliper bolts. The ABS light is still on, but I pulled the fuse and the the vibration still happens - so no ABS related?
The front rotors and pads were also replaced not long ago and there is no consistent shudder indicating any rotor warping.
The front wheels spin freely and the hubs work as they should.
There is no indication of bearing wear, no noise and everything moves smoothly

The problem - the vibration does not always happen. Just sometimes and varies when turning or going down or uphill. Sometimes the cars stops perfectly and other time the front Left wheel feels like its bouncing up and down violently and the steering shakes the same way.

Another weird symptom is that the steering sometime feels like it get loose before the vibration and then it tightens up. Its like the wheel is wandering and then gets pulled back inline and shakes. The brake pedal also sometimes feels like it clicks (best i can describe it). I am going to try to reset the ABS light but as i mentioned even after pulling the fuse there was no change.

This is seriously driving me nuts. My mechanic who has worked on many explorers cant figure it out. All tie rods are tight and wheels have been balanced.

Could it be the axle weights? I dont know where to look for them. I have checked for air in the power steering, went lock to lock numerous times and nothing....

Tires are new...alignment seems perfect, the car never pulls in any direction and the tires are not wearing unevenly

Please anyone with an idea please help!! I need to fix this problem!!

 

[charsawbis]

Bump...
Anyone? I know there are a lot of threads on vibrations and I have read all of them.
None get to the specific type of problem I have. It has been almost 2 years with this weird vibration and it has been showing up differently after all the repairs.
If anyone knows a shop in the North Jersey (near NYC) area that is good at front end Explorer problems, please let me know. Maybe they can help?

 

[eXcali]

There was a lot of text and I gave up on reading it all, did you check your wheel hub bearings? Your ABS sensor is part of the wheel hub assembly and if your bearings in it are shot it very well could be overheating the entire unit and fried the abs sensor on it.

Just a thought....

 

[charsawbis]

Thanks for the reply!
The bearings show no audible signs of wear, nor can I feel any vibration from them while turning. This problem is only when braking.
Is there a specific way to check the bearings?

 

[eXcali]

Thanks for the reply!
The bearings show no audible signs of wear, nor can I feel any vibration from them while turning. This problem is only when braking.
Is there a specific way to check the bearings?

Honestly the only real way to tell with the turning/noise test is if your wheel is about to fall off. Mine went bad and I had it looked at when I got some tires mounted. They told me it was the passenger front, I replaced it and the old one felt perfectly fine.

The noise kept up so I did all the tests on the driver side. All the tests checked out perfectly fine, so a week later I got annoyed with it and finally pulled off the drivers front to check it by hand because my dad told me feeling the bearings in your hand is the only real way to tell.
When I pulled it off it was clear there was an issue as the knuckle between the CV and wheel hub bearing was full of rust and grime. A ring also fell off the inside of it when I tried to turn it by hand. I immediately noticed the siezing and grinding feeling with it apart and in my hand.

Once it was replaced all my problems were solved, no more vibration or grinding. This may not be your problem, but it is only about 30 mins work to rule it out. And if it's not the problem atleast you can move on to the next possible issue.

You may also check the inside ends of your steering rods where it connects to your steering box, although when these go bad there is sometimes a popping sound added to the vibrations.

 

[charsawbis]

You might be right. Ill check them out by hand as soon as I can. Is there a link to a how to for taking apart your bearings? The rotors aren't seized on so I'm not worried about pulling things apart, but I would like to know how to pull everything open.
30 min...sounds like something I wont mind at all.
I just spent more than a day taking off one rear rotor...so this will be a breeze i hope.

As far as the steering rods are concerned, would those cause a random vibration? There is a slight clicking when coming to a complete stop. It could be a "pop" noise. But it, just like the vibration, is not consistent.
How do you check the inner connection by the steering box?

Thanks again for the help!!

 

[eXcali]

http://www.explorerforum.com/forums//showthread.php?t=165429 Front hub for 4x4/awd models.

As for the steering rods ends, they are acctually tie rod ends. I was having a brain fart and couldn't think of the name. There should be a couple of threads about checking out both inner and outter tie rod ends.

 

[RangRayy]

you cant take them apart they are a sealed unit. i had the same problem with vibration and sure enough it was a bearing gone bad. there were no warning signs until it fell apart as i pulled into the driveway and and locked up. after reading this post first thought was bearing gone bad. if so its an easy fix to do and takes roughly an hour to do. good luck.

 

[eXcali]

You can pull the whole assembly off and feel for smooth operation of the bearing.

 

[charsawbis]

Would a bad bearing cause a wandering feeling in the steering when the brakes are applied? It feel like sometimes the wheels aren't tracking straight when the vibration occurs with the brakes applied.
After road testing for the bearing (sharp left right turns at speed, did it in a parking lot...love the explorer express sway bars btw) I hear a clunking noise from the front left but NO grinding. The clunk/vibration can be felt through the floor. The brake pedal also will send a sharp click like pulse when the vibration occurs when coming to a stop. This doesnt always send any vibration to the steering tho...
I lifted the truck and spun the front wheel by hand...there is no grinding or resistance at all. I tried applying pressure at different points...still smooth.
Shouldn't the bearings be fine then?
This is killing me...anyone with ideas I will reward the right response with beer!!