Shakes at 45-55 MPH

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Kyle Cogar

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Jun 8, 2011
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Location
annapolis, MD
My vehicles shakes at 45-55 mph. I took it to the shop and we took a look underneath. They said a weight had fallen off my drive shaft and that is why it is shaking. you can clearly see where the weight was. They said i should either get a whole new drive shaft or try finding the right weight to put on. Anyone know if there is a weight kit. Or should i just strap weights to it ounce by ounce till it feels right. Or should i bite the bullet and get a new drive shaft. I am getting married in September so as of now, i am poor. Please tell me there is an inexpensive fix. I also have to drive 36 miles to work everyday, so i want to get this done ASAP.
 
According to your profile, you have a 2003. in 03 they got rid of the steel shaft and went with an aluminum one. That said,,,, many of the 03's still had the steel shaft.



If you have the steel shaft get rid of it and buy the late 03 up to the 2nd Generation Aluminum shaft.



The steel were defective the day they were put on. Ford did a TSP on them and replaced them for free if you were within the coverage period.
 
hmmm i have had the car for almost 5 years and it is almost paid off. i drove it about 70,000 since i bought it. I'm now up to 98,000 ill see if my warranty still covers it. Thanks for the help
 
Its soooo easy to remove the rear shaft and have it ballanced..... Can all be done in an hour if the shop is close....



IF your a 2wd just be aware of the fluid that will leak from the tranny !!



Todd Z
 
Cogar,

The aluminum drive shaft that Coastiejoe is talking about only applied to 4WD Sport Tracd....You never mentioned if you have a 2WD or 4WD, but if you are out of warranty I doubt that Ford will cover it now.



Since you have already confirmed that you lost a balance weight off the driveshaft, the simplest solution is to get it balanced. As previously stated, it is possible to balance a driveshaft using stainless steel hose clamp bands...however the is pretty much a trial and error technique requiring you to keep adjusting the hose clamp and test driving until you eliminate the vibration. The clamps can move or slip over time espectially if you drive off road through brush, etc.



I would agree with Todd's recommendation that you simpy remove the driveshaft and take it to a shop to get it balanced....and yes, the transmission tailshaft will leak fluid when the driveshaft is removed. Also, while the driveshaft is out it's a great time to check the universal joints. With nearly 100K miles, you might consider relacing both front and rear universal joins now, especially if you plan on keeping the truck for few more years.



...Rich
 
I actually found a shop that said they will replace the u joints and recondition and balance the drive shaft for $85. Not too shabby. Ford is selling the drive shaft for over $700. I think i will get it balanced
 
That's a great deal man, glad to hear you found someone. Ask them if the new u-joints are greasable so you can maintain them.



I went out and looked at my steel driveshaft and I don't have any band around it like yours did. i'll eventually find an aluminum driveshaft to replace this one and it'll help out with weight loss on my drivetrain too.
 
Cogar,

$85 for replacing 2 U-joints and balancing the driveshaft sounds like great deal to me. Just the U-Joints alone cost probably about $50. Let us know if that solved your problem.



...Rich
 
That clean banded area you thought was for a weight was only a band the held a sticker/ tag onto the driveshaft.



I took my driveshaft out tonight so I can install new u-joints tomorrow morning and noticed this on mine, I don't have the band on there anymore but have a partial tag/ sticker still on the shaft.
 
Jerry,

You are correct that you probably had a band hold a label to the driveshaft...

Driveshaft balancing weights are tack-welded on and do leave a noticable spot when they break off. Cogar never said the balance weight was held on by a band. He only asked there was a kit avaiale that used bands to hold the weights on?



...Rich
 
Last edited by a moderator:
There is no marks from a weight that used to be on the driveshaft. The only mark is the one you say is the label. And it does look like it was a label. I never even remeber seeing anything on the driveshaft at all. Should i still get it balanced? or should i change the u joints first?, then see what happens?
 
Should i still get it balanced? or should i change the u joints first?, then see what happens?
Click to expand...



I personally believe your joints are bad and there is no need to get the shaft balanced. I climbed under my Explorer to check the joints. They felt tight, that was until I pulled the shaft from the axle. Only then, could I feel the slop in it.



If you have never changed U-Joints before, I suggest you check out You Tube to watch that guy changed them out. It is really simple! Once I got the feel of it, it only took minutes to remove and replace the joint.





Tom
 
Since the conclusion that the driveshaft was unbalanced because you could "clearly see where the weight was" has become suspect, I would also check the most common culprit - wheel balance.



I would still go for the $85 deal. The new U-joints are worth it.



2cts



 
I have two weights on mine, one in front and one in the rear, they look like round metal caps.



I just replaced my u-joints this morning and found the rear was rusted solid from moisture getting inside one of the rubber grommets and seizing the needle bearings solid.



I bought the Ball joint/ u-joint tool kit and an electric imact gun from harbor freight and let me tell ya it's was so much easier than trying to do it in a vise or any other way I've tried doing them in the past. Best tools so far for the money since I don't have air tools.



:banana::banana::banana:
 
Since the conclusion that the driveshaft was unbalanced because you could "clearly see where the weight was" has become suspect,
Click to expand...



That would be suspect if that was where driveshaft weights were placed or if they even looked like that.



This follows the whole "If it walks like a duck, quacks like a duck..." This does not look like a weight or even located where the weight should be. I still feel the issue is U-Joints and nothing more.





Tom
 

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