Help me with Driveline Vibrations

[Mat R]

Ok so I just got my truck regeared to 4.56 about two weeks ago. I have a 2" body lift, and a 2.5" JD suspension lift.

Ever since my truck came out of the shop, it makes all sorts of interesting noises that it never used to make before. I'll list them to make it easy.

1. When I slow down the driveline whines, and the faster I stop the more likely it is to happen and the louder it is.
2. When I am cruising at about 40-50 and release the gas a little bit, but not completely, it growls, by this I mean it actuallys sounds like a grrrrrr.
3. At higher speeds on the freeway, atsay 65 and up it growls, and much louder than at the lower speeds.

I'm really confused by this as, I though I didn't have enough lift to cause vibration. Also, I never ad the problem before... The guy at the shop said that the gaer oils take a week or two to settle, when I called about it the first day, and he said to bring it by, but I before I did that I wanted to ask anyone if they new what was wrong. Maybe the grease just go wiped off an it needs more.?
Thanks for any help.

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1992 Ford Explorer XLT
Interested in trucks..?
Me too. Check out my web page.
MatnChad.com
www.matnchad.com

 

[CHH777]

Perhaps you already had vibration problems and the re-gearing has made them apparent. What I mean is you may have had vibrations at say 85mph that you never really noticed but now that you've re-geared the problems occurs at ~65mph.

Just a thought...

 

[NightHawk]

It sounds to me like the person who set it up may have set it up wrong. The gears may not be meshing just right. I would have him look at it as soon as possible. You could do some serious damage if it is not set up right and you keep driving it.

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Happy Trails!
'93 XLT
Many Mod's

 

[Barnstormer]

I agree with NightHawk. Also, if the drive shaft was not handled correctly, it could be out of tune. The dive shaft has to be right. Sometimes just 180 degree change on the yoke can cause a vibration in the shaft.

Isolate the soud to the differential, get them to fix it. If they say it is suppose to make some noise -- oops! They don't know how to set the unit up right.

If the vibration is in the driveshaft, drop one end and swap the joint in one yoke 180 degrees, test and try the other end. If that don't work, change the first one back to it's original position. Finally, take it to a good driveshaft shop. Ask tire shops and mechanics who they send their work out to.

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Barnstormer
'91 stock 4X4

 

[DOGMAN]

Mat R,

Sounds like your gear guy is giving you the fast one. Don't quite know what he meant when he said the gear oil takes a week or two to settle.

One tip when driving on fresh gears. Drive it a short distance, then park and let everything cool off. Do this a few times and your gears will break in better, and ensure a good long life.

I agree with Nighthawk. Take it back as soon as possible. The gears SHOULD NOT be making any noise. This won't go away. Setting gears is an art, and some are better than others. Did your shop test drive your rig? Evidently not. Always try before you buy. Take the shop guy with you on a test drive.

Do you know what brand of gear they used? This can make a difference also. Stay away from the cheap gears, they tend to be noisy.

I don't think your problems are being caused by your lift at all. It sounds like the guy who set your gears isn't looking for repeat business. I would DEMAND that the shop redo the gears. Don't they have any type of guarantee? If they say, "Well, the noise should go away after a while", you know you're being taken.

Also, have you checked the front gears yet? Chances are they are screwed up too.

Let us know how everything comes out.



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DOGMAN
91 4dr 5sp
5.5" Superlift
"Downhill is just uphill in the opposite direction"

 

[Big Blue Oval]

Get your explorer back to the the place you had the ring and pinion installed. If you don`t have the pinion shimmed correctly the sounds you are hearing are probably caused
by the ring gear not properly aligned with the pinion! Major damage will occour if you
keep driving it.

Big Blue Oval.



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[Mat R]

I took my truck back to the place of install(the local 4by shop) and they fixed it. Sounds like the pinion didn't go perfectly the first time. This problem really made me glad that I went to a good shop becuase everything was covered under warranty. Anyway my explorer is very quiet now, and I love it!
Mat

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1992 Ford Explorer XLT
Interested in trucks..?
Me too. Check out my web page.
MatnChad.com
www.matnchad.com