Here are the symptons and then I'll list what we've tried:

-When I first got the truck I had the exhaust shake that was solved with exhaust dampeners.
-There still seemed to be a mild vibration at about 65 mph. Thought it might be the factory tonneau - removed it - vibration still there.
-Was installing a Magnaflow muffler and everybody said it would eliminate any further exhaust shake. Installed 14568 and had the pies all mandrel bent and built in place. ie no stress on the exhaust side of things. Vibration still remained.

Vibration is very extreme at times now and can range from 50 to 75 mph, always peaking at 65 mph. Sometimes, it doesn't exist. Worst when it is very warm out.

What my Ford dealer and I have tried:

-Put on '00 chrome rims and balanced them. Typical balance job. Vibration still remained.
-Dealer installed bumper vibration dampener. Still shook.
-All four wheels and tires balanced on Hunter 9700 Road Force Balancer. Two tires seemed really bad.
-Ford replaced two tires and they were balanced on the Hunter 9700. Final road force came in at 2 lb and 9 lb respectively. No problems with rims or tires.

Vibration remains and can be very bad or not bad at all. Took truck back to dealer and said not to give it back 'till fixed. They have had it for 4 days and can't find anything wrong. Are even willing to say it's normal. Well it feels like the wheels are coming off at times.

Sorry about the long post, but does anybody have any slight insight into what this could be? If I take the truck up to 75 mph and throw it in neutral and coast until the truck stops (which by the way is a very long time) the truck shakes it's way through 65 mph but then settles into a constant background vibration that isn't irritating but almost feels like the truck is missing. This does not change as the truck slows down.

Somebody please help. This is killing me.

 

I have the same vibration on my 01, as does pretty much every 01 owner. However, everyone else (including myself) says it happens around 85, with it being worst at 90mph. Now, comparing my 99 to my 01, the driveshaft is different, the gears are different, the shocks are different, and the exhuast is different. I don't think it's the driveshaft, because 99-00 owners who have upgraded to it don't complain about it. If it's the gears, then we have bigger problems :-). I doubt it's the shocks. And that leaves the exhaust. I was told the exhaust was different on the 01s, so I compared the 99 to the 00 system. The cat back is the same, but the cat pipes are different. So I don't see how changing the cat back would solve it. Now, the one thing that I DID notice, was that on the drivers side cat pipe, there is a bracket welded on that sits in a silicone isolator mounted to the transmission mount. On the 01, this bracket is twisted to the side and doesn't sit right in the silicone mount. The metal part of the bracket hits the metal trans mount plate. I have not tried to fix it yet, so maybe you should check yours to see if this is what is causing your viberation.

 

I also have this vibe.
When I had it dyno'd at Pauls HP, he really thought it to be the driveshaft. I have not had it in to have it checked yet, but will soon.


Didn't the 2000's have a vibe prob. with the trans. early on??

 

I would vote driveshaft, if you have been launching hard, if not ????? Those aluminum driveshafts do hit and after a few launches look pretty beat up at the u-joints.

 

Sal,

I had my exhaust to transmission mount cut off as part the initial exhaust vibration fix. That will help you.

PFA, glad to hear I'm not alone.

Anybody else?

 

I had a problem with vibrations real bad on my Honda, I got everything replaced, right down to shocks and even had the CV axles reseated. It turned out to be that the cat cover was breaking off on the bolt seams. I put it on the lift and removed the cat cover(heat sheild) and I haven't heard the sound since. I don't know if it is the same situation you are having with your L, but it does sound like an exhaust problem to me. CHECK THOSE CATS

 

If this is an exhaust problem I'll eat my hat. This is much more severe than that. The floor shakes, the mirrors shake, it really feels like wheels out of balance. But the original wheels aren't on it anymore and two tires are replaced.

I think it's my torque converter or tranny. The glide test felt like shuddering. (What happened to your transmission Sal?)

I'm so confused.

 

How often does your vehicle have this vibration, what I mean is the dealership's tech able to duplicate it regularly? If so then they have a tool (or should be able to borrow one from the Ford Field Service Engineer or another dealer) called an EVA which measures vibrations in HZ and G's that should be able to help them pinpoint your vehicles problem. Also if they contact the Ford Technical Service Hotline, they can find out about a website available that has lots of information to aid in diagnosing vibration concerns. Call your service writer, or better yet the service manager and suggest they try getting/using the EVA and contacting the Hotline. hope this helps... good luck.

later,
chris haynie

P.S. when you are driving the vehicle and experience this problem, does it change when you depress or let off of the accelerator pedal? does it change, worsen, or go away if you drop the trans into neutral? in other words, is it RPM related or is it road SPEED related? Has the dealership tried to duplicate the problem with the vehicle in the air on a lift??? just curious. vibration concerns can be a real pain in the ***.

 

Tim

I don't know what to say, the exhaust work my dealer did, and the Magnaflow got rid of 99% of my vibration. I still get a very minor shake but I can live with it.

I hope you or your dealer can figure out what is going on.

Good luck
Don

 

I have the same problem.
(2000 L) It starts at about 65 and gets really bad at 82...then disappears at 90.
I also noticed that it is worse when the A/C is on....go figure????? I just assumed that it was the steel driveshaft....now, I don't have a clue.

 

WHAT 04.....you are not alone. I noticed the vibration from about 60 to 90 mph.....SO much as to shake the passenger seat.

I have installed exhaust dampeners - No change
Installed a magnflow muffler - No Change
Removed bed cover - No change
Checked the wheels for proper runout - In Specs
Speed balanced the tires - no change

The only thing left for me to check is the driveshaft runout with a dial indicator.....or possibly the pinion angle itself is the culprit.
It doesnt feel like exhaust but rather like the tires are out of balance.

I called the dealer for an appointment and stated the problem. The service manager laughed and stated i shouldn't be driving at 90 mph anyway. I declined to leave the truck as i felt none of their tech's were knowledgable enough to exactly pinpoint the problem....let alone spend hours with a truck for a slight vibration as they see it.

I was kind of hoping someone on here would open a new discussion on the problem as i did three months ago. I guess back then nobody really noticed it till people had more 01 l's.

I'm open to try something new....any ideas?

Anthony

 

i had a pretty bad driveshaft vibration on my 2-pc shaft on my dodge at 110mph and up. i used a driveshaft balance ring from Calif Car Cover and it works as advertised. same thing as the bb shot wheel balancers

 

Hey guys, here is a thought.

Bent rear axle.

I have a friend who had this on a brand new Toyota Tundra. It caused terrible vibrations. Took them six months to figure it out, almost to the point of a buy back. Then, when the heat was really on, they started changing everything out, and finally they found it.

 

Check the ujoints, driveshaft balance and driveline angle. My guess is that it's a combo of all three.

Spike

 

Here is a thought. Have you at any time used fix-a-flat or a similar product in any of your tires? This definatley sounds like a tire that is out of round or one that has a fix-a-flat product in it.Especially when you said it gets worst when it warms up.Just a thought.