Still chasing a vibration!! Help me!!

[drolls]

I have a bad vibration that gets worse at highway speeds. Rubbing/humming sound going 65+ and when getting out of the throttle. Here's what I've done so far. Checked wheels for play, no noticeable play. New tie rods, balanced tires and alignment. Changed fluid in front and rear diff, transfer case and tranny. Fluid was a little dark but didn't smell and no metal shards. I'm now getting a high pitched whine that started only when accelerating but I now hear it when idling in park. Idle moves around a bit between 600-1000 rpms. What do I do next? Check pulleys, iac? Can the iac cause vibrations at speed? Sorry guys, I'm learning as I go, any help would be greatly appreciated. Forgot to mention. I also changed the u joints on the rear drive shaft, they were in rough shape and binding a little but that didn't solve it.

 

[fast_dave]

I have a bad vibration that gets worse at highway speeds. Rubbing/humming sound going 65+ and when getting out of the throttle. Here's what I've done so far. Checked wheels for play, no noticeable play. New tie rods, balanced tires and alignment. Changed fluid in front and rear diff, transfer case and tranny. Fluid was a little dark but didn't smell and no metal shards. I'm now getting a high pitched whine that started only when accelerating but I now hear it when idling in park. Idle moves around a bit between 600-1000 rpms. What do I do next? Check pulleys, iac? Can the iac cause vibrations at speed? Sorry guys, I'm learning as I go, any help would be greatly appreciated.

I don't see this mentioned in your post, so I'll ask; Have you parked your Ex on flat level ground, slid underneath, grabbed the front and rear drive shafts, and checked for universal joint (u-joint) wear?

BELOW = Not my video - presented for ease of understanding

PS - Help us help you - please clarify your engine.
Perhaps update it into your vehicle profile by your screen name.

 

[drolls]

Sorry about that, it's an 01 5.0 awd, and I replaced the rear drive shaft u joints last night. Still doing it.

 

[fast_dave]

Sorry about that, it's an 01 5.0 awd, and I replaced the rear drive shaft u joints last night. Still doing it.

No problem

Replace the joints and get back to us with the results.

Good luck!

PS - while you're under there - just for giggles - grab the front half shafts, and check the CV joints for wear. Google it / You Tube it for the procedure

 

[drolls]

Should the front drive shaft have any up and down play where it goes into the propeller/cv joint that mates to the transfer case?

 

[fast_dave]

Should the front drive shaft have any up and down play where it goes into the propeller/cv joint that mates to the transfer case?

I believe that the front drive shaft should only go in and out (compress and decompress) to compensate for going over terrain.

If I remember correctly, the front driveshaft joint (directly in front of the transfer case) it is not your "usual" joint, it's more like a CV joint.

HTH!

 

[drolls]

You are correct. It is a cv joint on the transfer case side. Although the rear shaft joints were in pretty bad shape, that did not resolve the problem. Guess I gotta pull the front shaft and see what's up, it has some play in it and when I rotate it I can hear bearing noise coming from the cv joint.

 

[fast_dave]

BTW - in short - the only two components that control engine idle is your Ex's computer, and the IAC Valve.

Lots of info re: IAC valves

Try cleaning first as it's the cheapest option

If after cleaning the IAC, and you're still hearing a "whine" combined with the engine "hunting" for it's idle speed, check the serpentine belt Idler Pulley as well as the Automatic Belt Tension Pulley.

Remove the serpentine belt, and turn these two pulleys by hand. They should spin freely.

If they don't spin freely, the bearing is on it's way out. The resistance is what's messing with your idle speed.

In my humble opinion, I look at these two pulleys as general maintenance parts, and change both of them every 70,000 miles maximum.

For all they do, it's cheap insurance. When one seizes up, the aftermath is never pretty, and can cause a LOT of damage.

HTH!

 

[fast_dave]

You are correct. It is a cv joint on the transfer case side. Although the rear shaft joints were in pretty bad shape, that did not resolve the problem. Guess I gotta pull the front shaft and see what's up, it has some play in it and when I rotate it I can hear bearing noise coming from the cv joint.

If I remember correctly, from what I've read on this list over the years, it's pretty complicated inside that joint.

I think with that component, most (if not all) just swap out the entire unit for a new (or rebuilt) one.

At this point in time, I imagine that the price has really come down.

You could probably even drive around without it until you replace it (i.e. Order from Vendor Rock Auto - 5% Discount Code: F4091862835D8D Expires: 7/15/2015)

 

[fast_dave]

Oh hey - there's a "sticky" on this at the top of the page:
http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=406880

 

[94ExploderSport]

just cause your hubs have no play doesnt mean a bearing isnt making noise.
have you tried putting it in neutral at hwy speeds??

 

[drolls]

Pulled the front shaft, everything is good up there. Ford dealer told me the rear drive shaft is bad and they have one for $2000 lol it's funny cause I'm not joking, they referred me to a drive shaft shop in town. Can I fix the slip joint on the rear shaft myself(under the rubber boot) or do I need to bite the bullet and take it to a shop?

 

[fast_dave]

Pulled the front shaft, everything is good up there. Ford dealer told me the rear drive shaft is bad and they have one for $2000 lol it's funny cause I'm not joking, they referred me to a drive shaft shop in town. Can I fix the slip joint on the rear shaft myself(under the rubber boot) or do I need to bite the bullet and take it to a shop?

I can't believe he held a straight face when he quoted you $2,000

There's nothing to fix per say on a slip joint - it's either in spec or it's bad.

So, I imagine to start with, they will just cut off the bad front and rear slip joint sections, and weld on new ones

Then they'll replace the front and rear u-joints, and finish off by balancing the driveshaft.

I'd guess you're looking at $500 easily.

I don't know where you are but I use a place called Drive Line Service up here in Nor Cal. Most major cities have one of these. They'll set you up right.

Of course, there's always a junk yard search, but that has it's own set of issues...

All this reminds me to lube my rear drive shaft slip joint - it's been a few years

If I remember correctly, Ford does not provide a zerk fitting to lube the slip joint on the Ex's rear drive shaft.

I had to use a pair of snips to cut off the front steel band on the slip joint rubber bellows, pull back/to the rear the rubber bellows, and use a grease gun to lube it up.

After greasing the joint splines, I utilized two heavy duty zip ties, with their locks 180 degrees apart, to put everything back together.

 

[drolls]

I already replaced the u joints on the shaft, I suppose I could peel back the boot and pack some grease in there and see what happens? Might just be dried up in there and it's binding?

 

[fast_dave]

I already replaced the u joints on the shaft, I suppose I could peel back the boot and pack some grease in there and see what happens?

Can't hurt.

Say, now that you said that you've replaced the u-joints, I have to ask.

Before you removed and disassembled the drive shaft, did you ensure that you marked up everything so as to keep the drive shaft "timing" correct?

If you did ensure that the timing wasn't changed, perhaps what you're dealing with (in addition to needing to lube the slip joint) is simply a drive shaft re-balancing issue?

Changing U-Joints can, in certain circumstances, can cause the driveshaft to need to be re-balanced.

Your mileage may vary

 

[drolls]

I indexed the shaft with my daughter's sidewalk chalk lol. Went back in the way it came out, I think I'll grease it up tomorrow and go from there. I still can't believe 2k for a driveshaft, the transfer case is less than that I think.

 

[drolls]

My favorite part of this saga was my wife laying under the truck while I bumped the starter to line up the torque converter drain plug. She was supposed to be bumping but she kept turning the key and starting it up. The whole time she was saying I'm scared, I'm scared lol. This is why I keep her out of the garage.

 

[fast_dave]

I indexed the shaft with my daughter's sidewalk chalk lol. Went back in the way it came out, I think I'll grease it up tomorrow and go from there. I still can't believe 2k for a driveshaft, the transfer case is less than that I think.

OK - LOL! Whatever works to keep each individual yoke in line with the drive shaft, as assembled from the factory

Good luck and report back to close the loop!

 

[fast_dave]

My favorite part of this saga was my wife laying under the truck while I bumped the starter to line up the torque converter drain plug. She was supposed to be bumping but she kept turning the key and starting it up. The whole time she was saying I'm scared, I'm scared lol. This is why I keep her out of the garage.

Priceless story - I hope your daughter witnessed it!
Those are stories for Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners

 

[2TimingTom]

You should be able to get a brand new rear driveshaft from a driveshaft shop for less than $300 using all new parts. If you take in your old shaft, they can use some parts off it that are still good and save you money. If you drop it off in the morning, it'll be done that day.

$2000?!?!?