I did see either on this board or ford-trucks.com where someone listed the new drive shaft part number. Try the "vibration = ford losing customers" thread first.

 

Sorry about not posting the new part number. It is 5L3Z-4R602-TA. The second special order driveshaft I got was 4L3Z-4R602-TB.

 

PAlongbow,

Did your new rearend fix it?

 

Well, it appears I am an addition to the long list of folks with a vibration problem in their 04 F150. I just found out about this site the other day from a friend and am glad I did.
My truck has been in the shop for nearly a week this time. The first time it was in with less than 1500 miles on it and they replaced the torque converter. Now I just found out this past Thursday that they ordered a driveshaft and dampener for it. As of Fri. the 9th only one of the parts had arrived. The truck still has less than 3500 miles on it. The dealer service advisor did not mention the fact that Ford has this problem on the 04's but you can bet I am about to let him know that I am aware of it when he calls me Monday with an update.
I have been dealing with these folks since 1976 and am on my 3rd F150. No problems up until this point. Yes, I love my truck but this vibration thing is definitely frustrating. Hope this solves my problem but after reading of all this I still have doubts.
Nice to find out that I don't have the only truck with a problem. I thought I had a unique thing going. Good site and lots of good info. I'll be a frequent visitor.

 

Hey benb, thanks so much for posting those part numbers for the driveshafts. I spent about an hour yesterday combing these forums as well as the one on ford-trucks.com to no avail.

I bought my '04 F150 XLT 4x4 SuperCrew (3.55 rear, 5.4L engine) about 2 weeks ago, drove it from Vancouver, WA to Brigham City, UT and noticed right away the rearend vibe/shimmy/shudder at about 56-62 MPH. I don't know about the rest of you, but I can really see the entire bed of my truck dancing and it was pretty easy to detect because of the lines in my rear window for the defrost and how it is usually parallel to the top of my tailgate. Not sure if that makes sense - heh.

Anyway, I brought the truck into the local dealer here in Utah and they did the standard tire balance followed by the driveshaft turn - no love. He called and told me that the next step according to the TSB was - surprise - a driveshaft replacement. I'll probably take care of that when I get home to Washington but I'm a little grumpy about the whole thing because I don't feel like it's going to fix it.

Hang in there you guys; this seems like a problem that Ford will have to acknowledge and it'll get fixed. Even with the vibration, it still is superior to any half-ton out there.

AaronJ
nitzer@comcast.net

 

It sucks reading this thread about all of you guys having this vibration problem. I got about 9,400 miles on my F150 and the only vibration I’ve had was caused by one bad tire. My dealership put a new tire on and everything has been as smooth as silk since. It must be frustrating as hell to have this problem and not have it corrected by Ford in one visit, maybe two. The majority of the 2004 F150’s don’t have this vibration, so why are the dealerships unable to fix the ones that do have it, immediately and without incident. I just don’t understand. There has to be a common link to these problems somewhere, build date, production plant, something. Well Good Luck with your local Ford dealer and I hope to see this thread end soon on a positive note.

 

Hmm...

another question or 3

is this only happening on 4X4's? regular/scab/screws? 3.55/L/S?3.73? build dates ect?

I have a 4X2 screw with a build date of 05/04 and have not noticed any undo vibrations....course have yet to tow anything with it...and it IS a truck ...so maybe what some are discribing as a problem ....I'm excepting as normal for a truck...just a few points to ponder this early Sunday morning

 

I think firewiz's noticing that it is linked to temperature to his truck is a big clue. I think, specifically, it has more to do with the fact that after it's been sitting in the heat for awhile the tire pressure is a little higher. And Im starting to notice these trucks seem especially sensitive to tire pressures, especially in the front. Could it be that more of these problems are due to overinflated or defective tires than people realize? Could it be that an overinflated tire transmits more negative feedback through the steering wheel, whether it's from the road or from bad spots on the tire itself? I think alot of times these dealerships are starting with the more complicated fix like replacing hte rear end when they should be looking at wheels and tires and going from there.

 

eharri3 has a good point. Most cars/trucks when you buy them come with the tires inflated to the maximum, and often they are 3-10 psi above the recommendations. I think I'll head out now with my trusty tire gauge and make sure all four tires are set properly and take it for a spin. I'd love for that to be the fix! :-)

 

There shouldn’t be any vibration at any speed in these trucks. My truck is smooth from zero to 99 mph. (that’s all it will do with the speed limiter) with absolutely no vibration. These trucks have a smoother, quieter ride than most cars, luxury cars included, and no other truck (GMC, Dodge, Toyota, Nissan) even come close to the comfortable ride the 2004 F150 delivers.

Well I’m done stumping for um now, but you shouldn’t have to settle for less than a perfect, vibration free, ride in the 2004 F150.

 

Jpdadeo,

Thanks for understanding our fustration, most of us can tell a an abnormal vibration from a normal truck ride or different road surfaces.

As i posted before I have had all the TSB stuff done to mine ( except new rear end ). I have noticed that shifting out of overdrive at 58 MPH ( peak vibration ) which will change my RPM's, does not change my vibration. That would make you think it was the tires but I have rotated them from front to back, road force balance, ect. and the vibration is still the same. I dont' have a clue of what it could be.

Could the rear end, leaf springs or shock set up cause a vibration?

 

I've got a slight intermittent steering wheel shimmy in mine at around 60-65. It's not something I'm terribly concerned about at this moment, although next service I'm gonna road force balance my tires and check the alignment just 'cause I don't have anything better to do.

Our Ford dealers in town are getting beat up by shakey '04s, from what I've heard. We don't usually see many of them. For what it's worth, the driveshaft can be balanced without any specialized gear or a lathe. It's a lot more time consuming than using the right gear to balance it, but it can be done.

 

I do believe that Ford will come up with a fix for it. My father-in-law retired from Ford and is talking to the people at the plant where my truck was built about it. I have looked at other trucks since this happened but none compare to the style and features of this truck. It is just frustrating waiting for a fix. I had thought that temperature had something to do with it but if that was the case why aren't all of them doing it. I expect to be a satisfied F150 owner soon or maybe I can get more money for it listing it as the optional vibrating feature and trade it on a 2005.

 

Benb

Maybe your father in law can answer this question.

When problems like this occur do they make corrections to the current trucks being built?

How does that process work? When they have identified a problem with the trucks do they take the proper steps to ensure that no more trucks are built this way?

Only reason I ask is my truck has been on order for 3 weeks. I was hoping any problems wont be passed on to my newly built f150.

Tom

 

I don’t know what the earliest build date is, but my trucks build date was 9-03 at the Kansas City plant. I got about 9,400 miles now, and trouble free.