uh oh - I'm gettin some bad vibrations
Posted: Sun May 23, 2010 7:46 am
Hey Guys,
Last night while driving home, my wife and I heard a 'thump'. It happened while we were slowed down from highway speed driving through a small town. We both thought it was one of our kids dropping their bottle or juice cup in the back seat. However, it wasn't that, as they both still had their drinks in hand.
We were also carrying bikes using a hitch receiver bike rack. The bikes were still secure and hadn't moved at all.
After the 'thump', I seemed to notice a vibration which seemed to be synchronized with tire revolution, though I'm not 100% sure. I could actually see the bikes bouncing up and down as though we were going over an uneven road surface. Got worse as I picked up speed, so I pulled over.
This is what I checked:
1. Tires - no visible damage, all inflated to correct pressure.
2. Lug nuts - all present and accounted for and tight.
3. Suspension/Steering - both Tie Rods were nice and tight. Upper ball joints secure, stabilizers appeared to be tight. Steering wheel to full lock both ways, didn't notice anything unusual.
4. Visual inspection of driveshafts - no issues apparent.
5. Airlift 1000 - at 12psi, didn't blow out.
6. Rear Suspension check - no issues apparent.
So I drove the rest of the way home, about another 50 miles.
Now I was hypersensitive to all bumps and anomalies, but the vibration seemed to be less apparent. Occasionally I thought I felt pulsating or something in the steering column, and the odd vibration throughout the vehicle, but we made it home. Maybe a little worse than normal with the bump steer.
I was thinking about crawling underneath again today, check for the following:
1. U-Joints - my U-joint at the rear diff is new, but the other rear is not. It also appears my front driveshaft has been replaced in the past 3-4 years, but I will check them for play as well. I actually have all of the u-joints (1 rear and 2 front) so i can change them if needed.
2. More thorough inspection of suspension/steering components.
3. Check tires off the vehicle for slipped belt/cupping/roundness issues - I have Cooper Discoverer ATRs on the truck, never been super happy with them. They appear to be wearing 'funny' even though there are no apparent alignment issues and I've resolved the rear end sag with the airlift bags. At least one of them makes a 'whump-whump-whump' noise on smooth pavement which in my experience is a roundness or cupping issue. The tires have about 50k km on them.
So.... anything else I should check? Any input would be appreciated. I'm heading out of town this week and my wife is nervous...
t
Last night while driving home, my wife and I heard a 'thump'. It happened while we were slowed down from highway speed driving through a small town. We both thought it was one of our kids dropping their bottle or juice cup in the back seat. However, it wasn't that, as they both still had their drinks in hand.
We were also carrying bikes using a hitch receiver bike rack. The bikes were still secure and hadn't moved at all.
After the 'thump', I seemed to notice a vibration which seemed to be synchronized with tire revolution, though I'm not 100% sure. I could actually see the bikes bouncing up and down as though we were going over an uneven road surface. Got worse as I picked up speed, so I pulled over.
This is what I checked:
1. Tires - no visible damage, all inflated to correct pressure.
2. Lug nuts - all present and accounted for and tight.
3. Suspension/Steering - both Tie Rods were nice and tight. Upper ball joints secure, stabilizers appeared to be tight. Steering wheel to full lock both ways, didn't notice anything unusual.
4. Visual inspection of driveshafts - no issues apparent.
5. Airlift 1000 - at 12psi, didn't blow out.
6. Rear Suspension check - no issues apparent.
So I drove the rest of the way home, about another 50 miles.
Now I was hypersensitive to all bumps and anomalies, but the vibration seemed to be less apparent. Occasionally I thought I felt pulsating or something in the steering column, and the odd vibration throughout the vehicle, but we made it home. Maybe a little worse than normal with the bump steer.
I was thinking about crawling underneath again today, check for the following:
1. U-Joints - my U-joint at the rear diff is new, but the other rear is not. It also appears my front driveshaft has been replaced in the past 3-4 years, but I will check them for play as well. I actually have all of the u-joints (1 rear and 2 front) so i can change them if needed.
2. More thorough inspection of suspension/steering components.
3. Check tires off the vehicle for slipped belt/cupping/roundness issues - I have Cooper Discoverer ATRs on the truck, never been super happy with them. They appear to be wearing 'funny' even though there are no apparent alignment issues and I've resolved the rear end sag with the airlift bags. At least one of them makes a 'whump-whump-whump' noise on smooth pavement which in my experience is a roundness or cupping issue. The tires have about 50k km on them.
So.... anything else I should check? Any input would be appreciated. I'm heading out of town this week and my wife is nervous...
t