2nd Gen Non-Engine/Transmission vibration

[salstrip]

hi guys,

once again i am asking you for assistance , i have a 96 4x4 2500 ram auto , it has a vibration at 100 km/h it is not bad but it is annoying . i have had the tail shafts balanced (front and rear), new tyres , balanced twice , and have checked the centre carrier , and all rear drive line angles and distances and everything lines up , as per the posts on this web site . could the front half shafts need balancing ? . it does it in or out of drive with or without overdrive on . any help would be most appreciated

regards conn

 

[Stranger]

Have you tried this?

Balancing the wheels/tires on the truck. It's rare but, you could have a drum or rotor that's out of balance.



Other choices would be, bad ball-joint/kingpin, bad tierod end or bad shock. Maybe a slightly out-of round tire that only shows at speed.



Have you had the rear checked also? If the rear is not lined up with the front is could "Skip" at speed, causing a vibration.

 

[illflem]

Motor or transmission mounting bolts could be loose or the mounts shot.

 

[salstrip]

hi ,

thanks for the replies i will check the mounts , and get the wheels balanced on the truck , i forgot to mention the truck has had a full 4 wheel alignment after new king pins and ball joints and a lukes link repair to the tie rod end .

anything else i should check ,the vehicle has done 100000kms (sorry for the metric ,but they dont teach us anyting else in australia )

thanks

regards conn

 

[salstrip]

hi,

i forgot new rancho shocks all round as well .

regards conn

 

[Dan_69GTX]

A slightly bent rim would cause this too. Check to see how much weight are on the rims. If there is a lot at one place, I'd suspect a bent rim or a bad/out of round tire.



Jack up the truck and see if you can get the vibration with the truck in the air - at least you could isolate the front or rear as the source. (make sure both wheels are up - not just one!!!!)



let us know what you find out.



Dan

 

[salstrip]

hi,

thanks guys for all your replies , i may have found the problem , i have had the wheels balanced for the third time ,and the last time the guy mentioned to me that the hammer on weights can sometimes fall off the chromed standard wheel . , well 100kms and the weights are off all the wheels on the outside of the wheel . i am going back tommorrow morning to get my fourth balance ,and insist thay use stick on weights , not the hammer on style . has anyone had this problem or do they have some different wheel balance system over there .

i will report back when they have rebalanced the wheel and i have been able to take the truck on some highway to see if the weights stay on and the vibration is gone .

thanks for your help ,

regards conn

 

[illflem]

Lots of folks here including myself have turned to new technology to avoid your very problem by using balance beads instead of the conventional weights. This is one the best tips I've learned from tdr, I'll never go back to the old way on any tire, and it's cheaper to boot.

Read more here https://www.turbodieselregister.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=63459

 

[Blakers]

Bill, do you still need to balance the tire with weights too? This stuff's new to me.



Thanks.

 

[illflem]

No balancing is required, just add the beads and drive. That's where the money savings comes in, a 4oz bag of Counteract beads per tire runs about $6/ea plus $1 for a filtered valve stem where as most shops change at least $10 per tire for balancing. Plus it's permanent, no weights to fall off or uneven tire wear to change your balance.

 

[salstrip]

hi guys ,

thanks for the posts on the counteract beads , i have contacted them to see if they can supply to australia , . also i have had the wheel balances done again old method ,and still have the vibration . as per the advice given i have jacked the truck and tested the rear at the 100km and no vibration is evident . i have taken the front up (both front and rear supported under the axles ) and put it into four wheel drive and driven up to 100km , the vibration was evident , so i guess this means it is in the front . i have driven with the front drive shaft off (not in 4wd) and the vibration is evident . does anyone have any thoughts on what could be out of balance in the front ?

your suggestions would be appreciated

regards conn

 

[Turbo Tim 1]

How about a bad front u-joint since they turn all the time and the age of the truck. Have you ensured the front axlw disconnect is work (disengaging), front driveshaft could be a culprit if it is turning.

 

[salstrip]

vibration found

hi guys,

well the vibration is gone , . never trust your wheel balances ,and never assume (it will make an ass out of you ) . in my last post i had jacked the truck and ran it to 60 mph in 4x4 and 2wd , the vibration was in the front end , this morning i swapped the both wheels from front to back , guess what , my vibration went from front to back . this is after my 4th wheel balance of all four wheels , took one of the rear wheels off and changed it with the front the vibration was in the front . took this wheel back to the tyre shop , and they rebalanced it with me looking on , first balance took 5 minutes , this one took over two hours , with them swapping tyre position on the rim several times , they even put the rim up without the tyre and it was perfect (standard chrome rim ) . now we have 170 grams ( about 7 ounces) on the front and 30 grams on the back :--) .

and no vibration on the truck .

thank you all for your help and tips especially dan for his jack it up idea , if you have a vibration , jack it up and run it , and dont trust your tyre shop balances

regards conn

 

[Dan_69GTX]

GREAT NEWS!



And thanks for the update!!! It is nice to hear what actually fixed the problem. So many people ask advice, and never say if the advice worked or not.



YUP, I never trust any mehcanic! I fix anything and everything - even if I have to do it twice.



I even went as far as getting 2 tire balancers - a computer type one, and one that spins the tire on the car.



No, it doesn't have to cost an arm and a leg - for the big stuff, get it at auction or when a shop is closing.



Dan

 

[MWBrooks]

Where are you guys getting your Counteract beads at? I called them today at their Toronto headquarters and was quoted $16US per each 6 oz. bag (35" tires). Bill (Illflem) said they should cost around $6 per 4 oz. It sounds like buying direct isn't the way to go! I plan on buying a new set of tires in the next two weeks so any help you guys can give is appreciated.





Mike

 

[illflem]

Find a dealer here http://counteractbalancing.com/mapus.htm

 

[MWBrooks]

Thanks Bill,

I'll be driving north to Eureka next month. Did they ever finish upgrading 93?





Mike

 

[illflem]

The Hwy 93 upgrade is going take five more years. Right now the only delay is pilot cars for eight miles just north of the Idaho border.

 

[MWBrooks]

I called a local distributor and ordered four 6 oz. bags for 8. 50 each. A whole lot better than the direct price.





Mike