Speed dependant high frequency vibration

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the ocho
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Speed dependant high frequency vibration

Postby the ocho » Mon Nov 06, 2017 7:42 am

Hello all. New owner of a 2005 LE 4x4.

Bought the car used, knew it needed a wheel bearing and have already replaced that. It had a slight vibration that was 100% speed dependant so i was hoping the wheel bearing would fix it. It starts in a about 35mph, and gets heavier till about 50mph and its constant at that speed. It totally goes away when you turn right (take the vehicle load off the right wheels).

After the wheel bearing replacement it's still there so I'll be dropping in a new front CV half shaft today and possibly u-joints in the front driveshaft.

Wheel bearing had a ton of play, which is why it was replaced with a new Timken unit. The CV felt a little sloppy when i did the wheel bearing. Wasn't sure if anyone else had had the issue but i thought i would post it up along with whatever fixes it for future owners.

The path has 153k miles, it's due for a lots of parts (suspension parts, new cats, possible new exhaust) but i like doing that kind of work so I'll be getting my hands dirty. Already did the rad bypass, and drained/filled about 4qts of mattic S in the transmission. Great ride, body on frame but also independent suspension makes for a very well mannered daily that i can also tow and have fun with.

Brad.


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disallow
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Postby disallow » Mon Nov 06, 2017 8:53 am

This is almost definitely U-joints on either you front prop shaft (if you have 4wd) or the u-joint at the differential on the rear propeller shaft.

There are numerous threads on the forum on how to fix this. The u-joint becomes seized over time, and causes this humming noise at certain speeds.

The u-joints can be had for about $20, but the job to replace them can be a bit challenging for a first timer.

the ocho
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Postby the ocho » Mon Nov 06, 2017 1:38 pm

I suspected as much. Just got the new front CV axle installed and it's fixed the clunking in high angle turns. I think the previous owner hated potholes or something because that wheel bearing and CV joint were not happy. With both of those fixed and a couple hours banging out the U-joints the new car should be right as rain.


b.

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disallow
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Postby disallow » Mon Nov 06, 2017 1:46 pm

Good to hear!

How are the ball joints on the front if the CV joint and hub took such a beating?

Rockauto has Mevotech Balljoints for $20.

the ocho
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Postby the ocho » Mon Nov 06, 2017 2:01 pm

Had to pop the top ball joint out of the knuckle to get the CV out, it was still tight and seemed to be happy. Everything feels tight up front with suspension/steering components. Letting the Path cool down now after the CV test drive before I crawl back under to pull the front drive shaft and start on the U-Joints.

the ocho
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Postby the ocho » Mon Nov 06, 2017 2:11 pm

Pro-tip - If you can't get the CV to set into the final drive, look at the circlip. The circlip that was on my brand new CV axle was distorted and wouldn't slip in. I had to remove the circlip from the old (OEM) axle and put it on the new one.

here is a picture that shows the difference, the OEM is on the left, and the misshapen one on the right is the one on the new CV axle.

Image
Last edited by the ocho on Thu Nov 09, 2017 9:29 am, edited 2 times in total.

the ocho
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Postby the ocho » Wed Nov 08, 2017 8:57 pm

spent some more time trying to figure out the vibration. I pulled the front prop shaft, went for a test drive and the vibration is still there. After that, I pulled all 4 tires and looks at all CV axles and wheel bearings, they all look good.

Decided to look at the rear prop shaft/rear final drive and I think that's where it coming from. I lowered the spare tire and found this weirdness:

Image

It looks like someone has done some work on that rear final drive. I'll probably pull that rear prop-shaft and take a look. While I had it up on jack stands I did do a diff case oil change, glad I did as the oil in there looks well used.

the ocho
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Postby the ocho » Fri Nov 10, 2017 7:40 am

more crawling around under the car last night, noticed one of the bolts that hold the passenger rear CV axle at the final drive flange was loose. It was about 1/16" off from being fully tightened down. I went to snug it up and it wouldn't budge.

sprayed with PB blaster last night and again this AM before I left for work, and will try later tonight. I read that those bolts are supposed to be changed whenever you un-torque them (like to swap out a CV). I'm hoping that I can snug it up, go for test drive and if that fixes the vibration I'll order a new set and swap them out.

If that doesn't fix it, I'll start with the rear prop shaft by rotating it on the rear final drive flange 90 degrees... Other than this one issue, the car really is a great drive. the engine has some punch, the ride is nice, the interior is very comfortable.

the ocho
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Postby the ocho » Sat Nov 11, 2017 10:08 pm

This is getting frustrating. Found some issues on the rear prop shaft - both U-Joints were missing their zerk fittings:

Image

So I decided to swap them out while I was tightening up the CV flange bolt. Dropped the shaft, removed the transfer case side first. U joint was OK, but I had a new one to replace anyway.

Went to remove the final drive side u joint and noticed one of the caps was totally different than the other 3 on the u joint:

(this was quite rusty and that's what caught my eye)
Image

vs.

(this had a retaining clip, I had already removed it.)
Image

One of these things is not like the others....

Image


My guess is some lazy car owner or mechanic didn't want to mess with that cap and left it in. Anyway, replaced them all with new u joints and bolted the rear prop shaft back up and went for a test drive. Vibration is still there. Begins at 35mph, and holds steady up to about 70. It's not horrible, I can feel it in the floor and there is a background hum.

the strange parts are it totally goes away when you turn right. You really have to move the weight of the car to the left side, but it goes dead quiet. I'm beginning to think it's just going have to be that way, I can't see anything else that might be worn that could be causing it.

If anyone has any thoughts, i would love to hear them.

the ocho
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Postby the ocho » Mon Nov 13, 2017 7:53 pm

FINALLY FIXED!!

in order of replaced parts =

passenger front wheel bearing
passenger front CV axle
front prop shaft u joints
rear prop shaft u joints
driver front wheel bearing



It was the driver front wheel bearing causing the noise. The passenger front was totally shot - and really loose. The passenger front CV axle was banging in tight turns. In trying to fix the vibration, I replaced the front U joints which were both rusted but didn't cure the vibration. Replaced the rear and found out they were missing their zerk fittings and one had a mismatched bearing cap.

Finally decided to dive into the driver's side front and pulled the wheel, brake, rotor, pulled the bearing and when I had it in my hand, it would free spin forever. Zero grease. Ran down and picked up another bearing from the store and put everything back together - butter smooth test drive. I'm actually excited for the drive into work tomorrow :D

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palmerwmd
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Postby palmerwmd » Wed Nov 15, 2017 7:43 pm

Thank you so much for laying it all out for us. This will almost certainly prove valuable to members in the future! :)

the ocho
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Postby the ocho » Fri Nov 17, 2017 2:51 pm

I was just glad to find it!

It just goes to show - if it's a noise thats almost always associated with wheel bearings (vibration/noise that goes away when turning) you should probably check ALL the bearings :lol:


I'll be doing a suspension refresh in the spring, and probably some bodywork. I'll do my best to document those.

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Postby eieio » Fri Nov 17, 2017 4:42 pm

the ocho wrote:This is getting frustrating. Found some issues on the rear prop shaft - both U-Joints were missing their zerk fittings:
................they didn't have zerk fittings.

the ocho
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Postby the ocho » Fri Nov 17, 2017 5:24 pm

eieio wrote:
the ocho wrote:This is getting frustrating. Found some issues on the rear prop shaft - both U-Joints were missing their zerk fittings:
................they didn't have zerk fittings.
If you see the picture above (you can click to make it bigger) - they were supposed to have zerks - there is a threaded hole into the center of the joint. I can't think of a manufacturer that has drilled holes into the grease passages but no fittings to keep water and dirt out.


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