acceleration vibration

[TarHeel085]

when i accelerate hard, or even remotely hard the front end vibrates like crazy. especially the steering wheel, and i know for a fact that its not the tires cause they were very recently balanced, and the truck was aligned. any thoughts?

 

[TPLYNCH]

First guess would be bad motor mount. Second, could the Auto 4x4 be kicking in?

 

[99Black4x4]

I have the same problem. I had my wheels balanced and it helped the problem a little, but I still get a bad vibration. Any other thoughts on what it could be besides a bad motor or tranny mount. Thanks

 

[TarHeel085]

99Black4x4 welcome to the site! i have no idea, mine still does it. just not as bad anymore, but then again i have brand new wheel bearings. so that MAY have helped a little.

 

[leenjen]

i had the same problem. it started back in October. i was really busy so i never got a chance to drop it off at a mechanic. surprisingly it went away about a week before christmas. i was getting wooried for a while sine the vibrating kept getting worse. then all of a sudden it just stopped . i was happy. i guess it was a christmas present from my explorer

 

[Gonzo]

I have a '98 sport with the same problem. It feels like the auto 4wd kicking in. I am pretty sure that is what is making the vibration, but I don't have a clue how to fix it. It seems like maybe the auto 4wd is set too sensitive? Is there any way to adjust it?

 

[TPLYNCH]

Gonzo, for the Auto 4x4 to be causing it, you either have a bad speed sensor, or you need to have your GEM reprogrammed.

 

[Gonzo]

What is a GEM? and how much would it cost to get it reprogrammed? How much would the speed sensor be?

 

[TarHeel085]

there is a post on the 15 most recent about turning auto 4wd off. im gonna try that an see if it stops.

 

[prerunexp]

i had the same problem and it was the tranny mount

check that out

 

[Jason_25]

Arg I have had this problem since the truck had about 60K miles on it, maybe less than that. It's so annoying.

 

[TPLYNCH]

GEM = General Electronic Module. It controls just about everything electrical in your Ex., and they do go bad (Search Phantom Wipers). Reprogram shouldn't be too much, maybe $50. Replace =$300+. Not sure about the cost of a speed sensor.

 

[Jason_25]

TPLYNCH, would that only apply to the 97+ explorers with the auto 4x4?

It feels almost like my 4x4 is kicking in, even in 2WD mode.

 

[TPLYNCH]

It applies if you are running in Auto, '95 up. If you have that feeling in 2wd on "95, then it's probably a bad u-joint up front.

 

[Jason_25]

Thanks Tom, I am getting ready to have my U-joints changed. Maybe that will solve my problems.

 

[xwhaler]

Hi,
I had that same problem in my 92 XLT. The steering wheel and front end would shake significantly while accelerating. We resaoned that this was directly related to power that I gave the car. It turned out to be the u-joint located on the drive shaft. It was loose when we looked at it making a lot of ratting and shaking. Got a new one installed and no problem since.
good luck

 

[stoncold_26]

Front End Vibration During Exceleration

Noticed this was an old post, but what the heck.... Okay, looking through these threads, this one is about as close as I could find to my problem. I've got (what sounds like the infamous and forever problematic) 4405 transfer case. I have the same vibration in the front end during exceleration, but it only happens around 15-20mph. Vibration goes away after that. Shortly before the vibration, it would feel like the 4wd was kicking in. After searching through some of the threads, I noticed some that talked about the 4wd high, and low lights blinking 6 times. Had that problem also. I recently replaced the front and rear hall effect speed sensors (since they were relatively cheap - FYI: $80 for both), which appear to have taken care of the 4wd kicking in problem, and the 4wd lights blinking so far. Unfortunately, the front end still vibrates at 15-20mph. I've checked the u-joints, and they are in good shape. Tires are balanced, and only have 10k on them (Michellin LTX). If I disconnect the harness to the transfer case, the vibration goes away. So I'm guessing it could be in the transfer case, or would the GEM still come into play? Anyone out there with ideas? I could definitely use your help!! --'97 EB with 110k on it (and waiting on the next thing to break.....)

 

[Billabong02]

http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=110412&highlight=accell+shudder

I guess that will get you to my post. I had this same problem and i got it fixed. Maybe this is whats wrong with your explorer

 

[bmacd]

i had the same problem...turns out i had a very slow leak and not too long after, it escalated into a flat tire. I put a new tire on and it was like new

-=bmacd=-