Attention: TDR Forum Junkies Hey Guys,
Over the past month or two, I've noticed a slight vibe while driving at highway speeds about 65mph and higher. The truck has 62k miles on it. It got worse when I had rotated my tires, so I wrote it off as a tire slightly out of balance. After all, when I got the PJ's, the front ones took 1. 5oz and 2oz to balance and the rear took 11. 5oz and 13oz. After swapping them, I probably should have only expected it to get a little worse. This is strictly background information and I have a feeling it isn't related to the problem that I now have.
I was driving home tonight @ about 75-78mph on the Interstate for about 20 miles. I got off my exit and as I stopped at the end of the ramp, it felt like I had run on to some rumble strips -- or maybe the cut "noise" grooves on the edges of the ramp that are supposed to wake people up when they start to snooze. I didn't think I had gone over that far, but I thought that I must have. I waited for a couple cars to go by and then pulled out. Again, the same feeling as if I was on rumble strips. It happens under any driving condition now -- acceleration, deceleration, coasting in neutral, etc. The vibe is so bad between 5 and 10 mph that I'm afraid to drive the truck. Unfortunately, I'm supposed to drive it about 175 miles tomorrow.
So after reading some posts here, I get the truck home and decide to try to isolate it to the front end or the rear driveline. I jacked up the rear and put it on stands. I had the wife put it in 2nd gear and run it about 8mph. Sure enough, the truck was up there on the stands shaking away. I was closely watching the driveline. The (I think it's called) yoke that comes out the rear of the carrier bearing where it meets the u-joint at the front of the rear drive shaft was bouncing around quite a bit. I didn't see any out of the ordinary movement in the front shaft or in the rear of the rear shaft. The shaking is enough to bounce the transfer case and transmission around a lot. I had the wife run it slower, about 4mph, and there was no vibration -- I carefully watched the shafts turn at that speed and didn't see anything that looked bent either. I'm also sure that I didn't hit the shaft on anything today that would have suddenly caused this.
I had the wife shut off the truck and I crawled under. I pryed every way I could think of on the u-joints and cannot find any slack at all in any of them. If I grab the front and rear shaft near the carrier, I can move it around in the bracket, but I read here that that is normal.
So, I'm afraid to take my truck to the dealer because of my mods. I don't want my warranty voided over something like this. Hey -- I am my own warranty station! (unless it's something like brakes or a power steering pumpt, etc... )
Anyhow, please help me get back on the road! Thanks!!!!
Over the past month or two, I've noticed a slight vibe while driving at highway speeds about 65mph and higher. The truck has 62k miles on it. It got worse when I had rotated my tires, so I wrote it off as a tire slightly out of balance. After all, when I got the PJ's, the front ones took 1. 5oz and 2oz to balance and the rear took 11. 5oz and 13oz. After swapping them, I probably should have only expected it to get a little worse. This is strictly background information and I have a feeling it isn't related to the problem that I now have.
I was driving home tonight @ about 75-78mph on the Interstate for about 20 miles. I got off my exit and as I stopped at the end of the ramp, it felt like I had run on to some rumble strips -- or maybe the cut "noise" grooves on the edges of the ramp that are supposed to wake people up when they start to snooze. I didn't think I had gone over that far, but I thought that I must have. I waited for a couple cars to go by and then pulled out. Again, the same feeling as if I was on rumble strips. It happens under any driving condition now -- acceleration, deceleration, coasting in neutral, etc. The vibe is so bad between 5 and 10 mph that I'm afraid to drive the truck. Unfortunately, I'm supposed to drive it about 175 miles tomorrow.
So after reading some posts here, I get the truck home and decide to try to isolate it to the front end or the rear driveline. I jacked up the rear and put it on stands. I had the wife put it in 2nd gear and run it about 8mph. Sure enough, the truck was up there on the stands shaking away. I was closely watching the driveline. The (I think it's called) yoke that comes out the rear of the carrier bearing where it meets the u-joint at the front of the rear drive shaft was bouncing around quite a bit. I didn't see any out of the ordinary movement in the front shaft or in the rear of the rear shaft. The shaking is enough to bounce the transfer case and transmission around a lot. I had the wife run it slower, about 4mph, and there was no vibration -- I carefully watched the shafts turn at that speed and didn't see anything that looked bent either. I'm also sure that I didn't hit the shaft on anything today that would have suddenly caused this.
I had the wife shut off the truck and I crawled under. I pryed every way I could think of on the u-joints and cannot find any slack at all in any of them. If I grab the front and rear shaft near the carrier, I can move it around in the bracket, but I read here that that is normal.
So, I'm afraid to take my truck to the dealer because of my mods. I don't want my warranty voided over something like this. Hey -- I am my own warranty station! (unless it's something like brakes or a power steering pumpt, etc... )
Anyhow, please help me get back on the road! Thanks!!!!
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DS, take it too the shop first thing, I wouldn't take a chance , seeing how quick they got worse.
