around 40 mph i get a pretty good shake/vibration in the front end. ive been told it was the stableizer bar but when the trans. shifts into 3 gear[auto] it stops. any ideas? could i have a broken gear in the tranny that only affects it at this speed?

 

Could the tires be out of balance? This will cause a shake at certain speeds. maybe when the tranny shifts into 3rd it is past the speed where it has a problem?

-Jon

 

I had the EXACT problem as well as many other people on these boards. The problem is your tires are out of balance. Go to your Ford dealer and have them balance them for you. This will make everything better

 

Thanks for the replies, I've had so many rebalances that my wallet needs rebalanced [lol] I have the 17 inch factory wheels and the weights just wont stay on. I went this morning and had a new set of wheels and tires put on. I will let you know how it goes. thanks again

 

Could be slipped belts in your tires. New tires would solve that problem. let us know.

 

i finally got a 3 inch lift on my truck. also got new rims and tires,so far no problems. you may be right about the tires. thanks

 

It is possible they used the wrong kind of weights. I had that problem when I got my new tires put on my truck last March. Since I have the facotry chromed steel rims they just saw silver rims and assumed they were aluminum......WRONG. The contours of the rim where you mount the weights is different between Aluminum and steel. You can get the weights to mount on the wrong kind of wheel but they won't fit well at all and you can throw them real easy. A good way to tell the difference between the 2 is the ones for aluminum rims the side that touches the rims is flat, whereas for steel rims that side is curved.

 

"I've had so many rebalances that my wallet needs rebalanced"
what you do is, if your a member at costco, you go and pay for the lifetime balance and rotation. it costs $36.00 and you can have it done ever 5000 miles. its part of being a member. you dont even have to have bought the tires there.

 

well the new tire install didnt help. still got the shakes around 40 mph. is it possible to have a bad gear in the auto trans that only affects it . it seems to shutter right before it shifts into 3rd.

 

I hope they checked for bent wheels when the new tires went on.

 

I don't see why it would have anything to do with your 2nd gear, if you have a 4x4 run in low range and let it shift to 2nd and see if it has any problems. But being that the problem is in the front I don't see why it would be the tranny. A few of my friends trucks had the "death wobble", which was cause by MANY bolts on the suspenion loosining, I would check all your you nuts and bolts on your front end, if all of your tires are balanced, consider having them load tested, you can balance an egg but you can't make it ride smooth. Just my $.02, hope it helps.
-Kelly

 

Have you had your transmission serviced lately? If you have, did they completely drain your torque convertor? Draining the torque convertor during transmission service is extremely important to avoid shudder in the drivetrain when the transmission fluid ages.

I had a evil shudder at about 30-35 mph until the transmission shifted. After servicing my transmission and draining the torque convertor; the problem disappeared.

 

Better check to make sure your drive shaft is okay..

I had a similar problem after speeds of 55mph in my mustang. My U-joints were all tore up.

 

i too have this death wabble. ive had front end checked numerous times with nothing wrong found..in fact a lot of people were suprised to see everything so tight.
finally someone suggested putting dual stabilizer bars on. because i have 35's the tires seem to want to go where they want. the bars are on the way. ill post again when they go on.
i hope this works...

 

Explain what you mean by "stabalized bars", are you refering to traction bars which support you rear axle? Because of everything is tight that won't help your cause. What maybe help is either adding more shocks, or getting your tires trued if they are out of round, that can sometimes cause an osilation to occur. With only 35's and a death wobble sounds like your problem may be a bigger problem that won't be solved by traction bars, email me or post with a reply if you want, I'll be glad to help you out. BTW, what tires are you running, brand a type wise.

-Kelly