Well took it out on freeway this am,, could not feel vibration at 58mph,, or other speeds,, thought i felt something very slight but nothing to take care of unless it gets worse,,that was after balancing the tires/rotating same,, after damaging my 4 cover caps rotating tires the service manager ordered me 4 new ones for my truck,,MORON who changed my tires cost them $92 in parts plus labor to touch up wheel paint,, also showed the service rep the tsb on rear window vibration,, he was impressed that the information was on the web and not in his computer,, ordered the repair part for mine and caps and window will all be repaired next week when parts come in,,somtimes it helps to complain a little,, going to wash truck,, thanks forum !

ps... asked if i could "meet" the MORON who damaged my caps with screwdriver but service rep said he would take care of it.

 

jpmpd,
Do you think rotating the driveshaft had any effect on the vibration or was it just the tires?

John

 

The tsb (technical service bulletins) says to do either one to get rid of the vibration,, dealer did them both ,, i think it was a combination of both though i felt it mostly when accelerating slowly from 58 mph which would lead me to the driveshaft,, which would be put under a slight torque at that high rpm's

 

I've got an 'o4 flareside and have not felt any vibration yet. Have about 3700 miles on it.

 

O.K. like you guys I’ve got the sometimes it does and sometimes it doesn’t vibe and shimmy at 55-60 and 70-73. Does anyone have access to a dyno or rollers? I was wondering if the vibe would show up if the truck didn’t have to deal with the irregularities of a road. Getting the truck on four rollers at once would be even better since that might also tell us more about the steering wheel shimmy problem. All the rollers would have to spin in order for this to work. I live in a small rural town and nobody around here has a dyno or rollers. Has anybody tried this or have access?

 

My '04 crew FX4 is at the dealership as I write. She is brand new with only 400 miles on her.

I notice a very slight vibe from 40 mph and up, actually one of those borderline do you take it to the dealer decisions. At least I am glad to see it isn't an isolated challenge.

My gut feeling was a driveshaft vibration, but it appears the tire/gear solution might be the answer. I am running with the 373 rear. Should be interesting to see my dealers response.

I must say even with the slight "vibe" this being my fourth Ford truck, I am very happen with it!

Dan



open road:

have a dyno in my area, but not a dual to cover both front and rear. On Oct. 23 I will dyno for a predator tune, but I am confident I will have the problem solved by then.

 

at 800 miles and still not a VT member (yet)...

but there MUST be a common denominator. we should put our coconuts together and create an online database where every VT member fills in all details of their truck....

in theory, the database will at least reveal which are the most commonly occuring variables, if not a smoking gun single common denominator....

have tried reading all the posts on the various vibe threads but the only commond denominator i can find is FORD....

 

STILL HAVE THE VIBE AFTER REAR END REPLACEMENT YESTERDAY, ONLY NOT AS BAD. TALKED TO INDEPEDENT MECHANIC TODAY....EXPLAINED THE ORDEAL TO HIM. HE SAID HE WOULD CONCENTRATE ON THE DRIVESHAFT. WHILE I'M WAITING FOR MY DSB PAPERS TO COME IN, I'M GOING TO FIND A DRIVESHAFT SHOP AND GO THAT ROUTE.

 

A brand new balanced driveshaft, Michelin 265 tires road force balanced 4 times, realignment and the vibration suppression kit did not help the driveline vibration between 45 & 65 mph. The rebalanced tires helped but did not stop the steering wheel nibble. The only fix was the DSB.

 

I too have the vibe but it only does so when applying gas (not enough to downshift) in the 50-70 mph region. When just coasting at this speed there is absolutely now vibration which makes me wonder how it could be any component after the torque converter (drivshaft, tires etc) which all turn at a speed dictated by the vehicle speed independent of the throttle position.

 

Tjass, i've come to the conclusion that some
element of the shocks and their new position
bolted to the frame make these trucks extremely
sensitive to any vibrations. This make the truck
frame stronger and more sturdy, but vibrations are a
problem. Any small vibration is magnified instead of
consumed as in the older model trucks.

04 F-150 Lariat Screw

 

I had the vibe...took it to the dealer and they road force balanced all tires and actually replaced one tire. No more vibrations!

 

Just back my truck back today with a new rearend. All the vide was gone until I drove it for about 30 min. It seems like the vibe is worse after it gets warm. I'm going to drive it for a day or two just to see if it gets worse. After that comes the DSB!

 

I had the 265-60r-18 BFG's on Lariat wheels RF balanced and that eliminated the nibble at 68-72. than I swappped on some FX4 wheels and tires 275-65-18 with less than 100 miles on them and the nibble was back worse than ever. Got that set RF balanced and that cured the nibble again. Doesn't seem like Ford is getting these tires balanced well enough for the extra ridgid 04 frame which transmits the slightest vibration back to the steering wheel.

 

My truck has spent 9 days at the dealer's now for the vibe at 55-58mph. I'll post what happens if they ever do anything for it.

Jansen