2006 F150 Lariat, 2WD

I have a moderate vibration in my steering wheel at freeway speeds. I have aftermarket wheels and have had them balanced and rebalanced and balanced again. I also have a rear end clunk when I start my truck and begin to accelerate. It only happens on the initial shift from 1st to 2nd then is fine after that. The clunk seems to only occur when the engine is cool or cold when I initially start my truck.
I read a TSB for similar symptoms on the 2005 model. What do you think? The vehicle is out of warranty, so the TSB will be out of my pocket right?

 

IMO, the vibration can come from many things, even the E-brake. If you are running low profile tires, it might be a factor as the fully boxed frames on these trucks are stiff with noise transmission easy. It might be a long shot but many people overlook the possibility of a bent rim. Tires that don't balance(esp a good name tire) make me think of a bent rim or defect. I've heard some c/o of faulty rack and pinion components.
As far as the clunk, truck cans and will do it esp the older they get. If it occurs as you are going from a stop and speeding up as you describe, I would see if the stealership can reflash your PCM. I had a GMC truck that did the same thing. Reflashed the PCM and it shifted like a new truck.
The clunk many hear as they slow down, say for a stoplight, to then speed up again causing the tranny to downshift, this clunk can be caused by the slackness(actually the tolerances allowed) in the driveline. Some get good but temporary results by lubing the slip yoke found b/n the tranny and the driveshaft.
Hope this helps a little.

 

Definitely helps...I was thinking the same about possibly having a bent rim. The tires are not low profile, but they are Pirelli Scorpions. Do you know if there is a way for the tire shops to check for a bent or defective wheel?
I'll try your recommendation about having the dealership reflash the PCM to see if that helps with the rear end clunk.

 

here is a link to a thread I started on the "clunk" not sure if they are the same, but you can check it out. I am still working on a solution for mine.

https://www.f150online.com/forums/ot...ous-clunk.html

good luck

 

I've read good and bad things about the Pirelli Scorpions, esp the low profile tires. Heard they were great tires as far as wear and performance however I've heard many complain that they develope flat spots easy when truck is parked. Make sure whoever is balancing your tires knows what the hell they are doing. Incompetence in this areas makes for a very shaky problem.

 

Here in the shop, we will NEVER put Pirelli on any Mercedes, unless the customer really insists, and we still try and talk em out of it. Crap tires IMO. My pops just bought an older SEL420, (87) with new Pirelli's on it. The tires are "out of round" and pulls HARD to the left. Put tires on opposite sides, pulls HARD to the right. Will be changing those shortly.

 

The driveline clunk was a common issue for Tahoe and Suburban owners back when I had my '95 Tahoe. The "fix" was teflon lube at the slip yoke like you referenced in your previous thread (which I missed). My cuz'n was a tranny specialist at Fremont Ford and said many full size Ford trucks/vans had similar clunks and gave me the Ford goop to use. The fix worked and I re-lubed it around every year and a half. I'll post the Ford part# for others when I get ahold of him.

Finally, a lot of the Sub/Tahoe guys on my forum back then replaced the t-case fluid with synthetic and reported that this fixed their issue, but I never tried it myself. I wouldn't mind hearing feedback from those who've done this.

 

I used Ford's teflon grease specific for this,

it fixes the problem, but for only a couple months. The more towing or heavy use I put it through, the short the life of the grease. When I take the slip yoke back off, most of the grease is not there, meaning its getting washed away by the hot t-case oil.

I have not tried synthetic t-case oil, may have to give it a go round. Thanks for the tips. I have been trying everything and anything for some time, thats my second thread on the same subject.

 

Did anyone have the part # for the teflon lube or is that something I can pickup at the auto parts store? How difficult is it to apply? What brand of tires do you recommend that are reasonably priced? I'm due for new tires shortly and could use some suggestions.

 

Teflon lube # D2AZ-19590-A

That what they gave me. You can use any high heat grease, preferrably one with teflon in it. A teflon spray is not the same thing.

To apply, undo bolt holding driveshaft to rear-end. Lower driveshaft, slide out the slip yoke from rear of transmission (2wd) or the T-case (4wd). Once its out, CLEAN the slip yoke up, then apply a generous amount of the grease to the splines, re-install and your golden, for about 3-4 months of hard driving.

** also know, when you remove the slip yoke, some fluid may drain from transmission/t-case. You can stop this by parking on a slight incline, so the the rear is higher then the front, you can jack the rear up a little bit, or you can just buy some extra fluid and fill as needed. We are talking a small drop or two coming out, not quarts.

as for tires, where you drive and what you drive on would matter. You tow a lot ? Heavy loads ? Haul a lot ? heavy loads ? Off roading ? ice ? (seeing your down south, I doubt ice/hail have you concerned too much, unless you travel to ski/board). You want a quite smooth ride going down the highway ? or... ????

 

Thanks for the part #. How difficult is it to disconnect driveshaft? What you described doesn't sound too hard, but I've never done it before.

As for the tires, I'm looking for the most smooth and quite ride. I don't tow or drive in the snow or haul anything. Most of my driving is highway. Thanks for your help!

 

Usually its real easy. They use a odd 12 poiunt torx bolt (male) on them. Some can be a real PITA to loosen up, but generally come right off. Its a few bolts. Start un-doing them. If you run into any troubles, you can come back here and ask. Worse comes to worse, you bolt it back up and take it to someone who can help. Give it a try, its pretty easy.

As for tires, I would suggest Michelin's. They make great all around street tires. We put them and suggest them for all our customers here. Never seen/ridden on em in a truck, but I am sure they are great.

 

What size rims?

For a rugged look the a/t 2 are one of my favorites

LTX M/S is a VERY good tire that has been around a long time. Rides nice and lasts forever

michelins have a soft sidewall but hard thread. This is why the ride so smooth/nice