Transmission vibrations 2004 F-150 Lariat

[johan3848]

Hi, I have a problem with vibrations from the transmission. My F-150 Lariat is a few months old only (imported new from Canada to Sweden, no factory warranty). At speeds between 30-50 mph the truck often starts to shake, it feels like a wheel is not tightened, this is substantial vibrations and seem to come from the transmission, not the engine, and not from the wheels. There are no metallic sounds, only substantial vibrations. Shifting to neutral does not help, the vibrations are still there. If I shift to "2" the vibrations frequency increases. It does not matter if I use the 2WD Hi or 4WD Hi position. So I beleive the vibrations has someting to do with the rear axle or something in the gearbox that is connected to the drive shaft. If I stop for a few seconds, and start to drive again, the vibrations are often completely gone, and the transmission works like normal again. Anyone know what this can be caused by? I have only driven on highways, not offroad. All tips are appreciated. The F-150 is a beautiful truck, but unfortunately it is not official exported to Europe by Ford, so the Ford dealer network have no know-how on this model here. Thank you in advance, // Johan Sundstrom, worried F-150 owner in Sweden.

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[zapster]

the only thing i can think of is ...if its fine one time and really bad the next...look at the crossmember and tranny mounts and make sure everything is good and tight and give the engine mounts a once over too..let us know what you find out...zap!

and by the way welcome to the site! theres all sorts of charactors here and some really good info...so hang on to your hat and go for the ride!

[crimson shrew]

you might try getting the wheels and tires balanced, i've seen times when unbalanced wheels and or tires will give you shaking at just one speed.

[F150Europe]

Hello Johan,

A couple of guys in the 2004/2005 forum reported a problem with the emergency/park brake causing a similar problem.
Search for that in the 2004 forum.

A member of my ford truck club has probably exactely the same problem as you are experiencing.
If he pulls over and stops for a few seconds/minute the vibration is gone.
No more problems.
I will let you know if a solution to the problem has been found.
Please post also if you have found the problem.

Too bad Ford Motor Company does not support the F-150 in Europe.
We don't have factory warranty here also. Sucks.

[arkie150]

Johan,
You are experiencing torque converter lock-up. Feels like your driving over train tracks between 30-50 mph doesn't it. Common problem. go to www.usatransdoctor.com for more info.
Regards,
Arkie

[F150Europe]

"Shifting to neutral does not help, the vibrations are still there."


Does this still mean, he could have a TC problem?

[arkie150]

probably so if the tc is locked up. Most TC's disengage around the 30-50 mph range to prevent lugging the engine down, so if it's locked up he's probably feeling the vibration even in neutral. Make sense?

[masterd]

That doesnt make much sense. He says that if he stops, it goes away and goes back to normal....doesnt sound like TC to me....but then again I dont know what could even cause this.

[F150Europe]

Johan,

If the vibration occurs again, pull over and check if your rear rims/rotors are extremely hot. (Watch out, could be real hot I understand)
If that's the case, you have the emergency/park brake problem.
The truck we have here had a real hot rim also.

Search for emergency brake or park brake in the 2004 forums and see if your problems are the same.

Good luck.

[dirtyd0g]

Nest tie it is doing it tap the brake just enough to get the brake lights on but not enough to actually slow down. This will disengage lockup. If the problem goes away when you do that it is a bad lockup clutch.
Alan