OK here's what's going on. I have had a vibration since day one. Took the truck to Discount right after I got it and had them balance the "gray" wheels preferring not to go to Ford. Still there, switched out to chrome wheels and still there. Put on new shocks, still there. Now I put on new F1's and it got worse. Discount "force balances" 6 yes 6 they thought 2 were bad and still there. Cut the bracket ahead of the mufflers and still there. Now here's where it get interesting. I go to the driveline place and tell them the same story, I had been there before but they said the drive shaft did not need balancing and sent me on my way. Test drive only, old tires. He jacks up the back and lets em spin, pass side looks great, drivers side rim and of coarse tire are moving around. Take off tire and run it without and can't see anything. Put the front to the rear and it's moving around too. Now we're thinking bent axle. This is crazy! Got one coming Mon. Here's a question, is everyone that's having these problems got bad axles? Did Ford get a bad bunch? The only thing that's got me worried is on the way home I got steering wheel shake at around 45mph. I don't think a bad axle causes this. Maybe I have two bad rims, but the "force balance" did not pick up on this. I'm fn going nuts here! If anyone is having the same kind of trouble [and I know a lot of you are] maybe you could jack up the rear and put a couple of jack stands under her spin it up a little. Mine shook the truck with ease. Any ideas before Mon. when I shell out a few hundred bucks is appreciated, or should I plead my case to Ford? Sorry for the long post.

 

Sounds like a bent axle to me.If you bought the truck new then it should be under warrantee.That is one for the books, though.

 

you said when u left u had steering wheel shake at 45mph, it didnt shake b4 u went there? what im getting at is, they put back tire/wheel combo in front, and front tire/wheel combo in back so now the suspected bad one is in the front where they left it and you are getting steering wheel shake. maybe one or more of your wheels is slightly bent and the wheel balancer doesnt show it and just calls for weights here and there and considers it balanced? just my .02 cause u say u got steering wheel shake at 45mph after u left there, not b4 u went there. steering wheel shake comes from 1 or both front tires being out of balance, or bent wheel, or bad (out of round) tire. keep us all updated, this is interesting. Mike

 

Update: Just got off the phone with my boy at Discount. He says he will check the left front again but adds the balance machine should pick up bent wheels. SLP... both wheels looked bad on the drivers rear. Maybe I'll take the "good looking" one from the pass side and see what it looks like on the drivers side, just for fun. Why didn't I think of that at the drive line shop? Duh

 

good idea, let us know how you make out. Mike

 

Hope this works out for you, don't know if it's the same thing, but I have had a "vibration" since day one. Re-balance wheels twice, but that did not help...Installed new Bassani exhaust (cat back) vibration gone. Something in the factory muffler is screwy. Hope yours is as easy to solve

 

OK...after putting two different tires on the divers rear [spare and pass rear] I don't think it's the axle anymore. Visual is much different that the 44oz Big Gulp cup test. With tires spinning and the cup placed all around the tire and rim nothing was more than a 1/6 off. WTF Now I think I'll have the tires "trued" and see what happens. I just love seeing rubber being shaved off my brand new tires. At least I didn't buy a axle, would have liked to see them tell me why I should pay them and the wheel is still doing the same thing. This is so stupid. Let you know what happens.

 

kgm
i really dont think its the wheels
ive had 3 sets on and it does it with all of them.
i sold my 20s because of it,they amplified the vibration
i even threw on a set of wheels i had from my expedition
which were perfectly balanced and had no probs on the expy,
still has the vibration,not to mention i had my 20s balanced
4 different times at $80 a shot.good luck and please keep
us updated.

 

I tried so hard to figure the problem out but to no avail. The exhaust issue was easily solved but as most know, this isn't the cause of the 60-65 mph problem.

I had the original wheels dynamic balanced. Two new rear tires were installed and dynamic balanced. Then the rims were replaced with '00 chromies and dynamic balanced. Still the same. The drive shaft was replaced my JDM, but unfortunately, we ran out of time to install 2 degree shims. JDM had this problem with his '01 and the shims helped, but it only brought the vibration down to about what mine was. He also offered to drive any other Lightning at his shop, stating that they were all at least the same or worse than mine.

I tried my truck with different tires even and that didn't help. Believe me, I spent a lot of money out of pocket to try and lick this puppy, but it didn't happen.

Other things that we tried were a chassis dampener - essentially a 100 pound bar sandwiched between the frame rail ends and the rear bumper. No help.

The most difficult part to come to grips was that this vibration wasn't constant. Mine only occured when the temperature was warm. Below 50 degrees and there was no issue. The only thing that I will say is that in one of my service visits, my loaner was an '01 F150 Supercrew with a 4.6 L engine, and you guessed it, it too had the same vibration. Not quite as bad, but still there. Coincidence? I think not. But very different vehicles to be experiencing the same problem.

Factory engineers supposedly test drove the truck and finally stated that my aftermarket muffler was the cuplrit. As if. That cured there other problem.

Very frustrating. Hope you can figure this out KGM before you pull the plug. My best guess is that your truck will go the same route as many others.

 

i was thinking of trading mine in on a 03
sonic blue,im gonna make sure i test drive
that sucka to 75 first
also i have a aftermarket exhaust with an exhaust
dampner on it,so people saying change the factory
exhaust and itll go away,have a different vibration.

one more thing could our rear brake rotors be warped?

 

when your driving on the highway WITHOUT touching the brake, and getting a vibration, its not the brakes. Mike

 

My does it at high speed with my F1's and '00 chromed wheels. My '01 wheels did not do this to my recollection. No shake with my 17" Expy winter wheels with Michelin Arctics.

 

do you have a hard/soft tonuea cover on the bed? there has been vibration issues with these?

 

KGM. My vibration was eliminated only after the 2000 Steel Driveshaft was replaced with the 2001 unit. In addition to this I had the Ford counterweight fix mounted to the exhaust. Vibration eliminated. Try it, you might like it.