rubencumm3

I have a 2006 DRW with the 6spd manual transmission. I did read other threads but could not find any help because I have replaced almost all parts that are described in the threads. I have had this vibration for about 2 years now. It occurs at about 50-55 then gets better and then at about 62-68. It almost feels like if you are going down a dirt road with ribs in it. Like the washboard effect. I first thought it was the wheels that were causing the vibration, because my local shop could not keep the weights on. Kept spinning them off. Went back to the stock wheels and vibration was still there. I could feel the entire truck hop, so i thought the vibration was coming from the rear, I could not feel it in the steering wheel. I looked at the ujoints and ended up replacing all and the center bearing because it made some noise and had to much play, IMO. Vibration was getting better, but still there. I then removed the front drive shaft, and the vibration was still there. Ended up replacing the front ujoints since it was already off. All are new. I noticed some play in the left inner axle shaft, ended up buying a new axle shaft and replaced both ujoints. Vibration is still there but getting better. The entire front suspension was done in December, so i doubt its one of the new parts. I could notice the vibration less when there is weight back there. I have had the rear end lifted and couldnt notice the excessive vibration from the rear driveshaft. I have not checked the shocks, but any suggestions are welcome because I am lost . Forgot to mention, tires are back to stock and are new.

Steve-l

Is the vibration related to truck speed or engine speed? If truck speed, I would be looking at wheels and tires. If engine speed related, I would be looking at clutch being out of balance.

rubencumm3

I believe it is truck speed Steve-l. I am saying this because, when I sit in the truck not moving and rev the engine to about 2100 rpms, I dont feel the vibration. I only feel it while in motion. If there is another method of testing to see if its the tires/wheels, please let me know. Its frustrating. This morning it was smooth as silk.

Steve-l

In that case, I'll bet dollars to donuts that it is a tire issue. Remember, a tire can be in balance, but not be round. Bring your truck to a first class truck tire shop and have them test the wheels and tires. It is a small investment for a great deal of peace of mind. You can also put the truck up on jack stands and drive the truck at those speeds while someone is underneath watching what's bouncing around. You'll soon discover the problem.

rubencumm3

I have a question, if its the wheels/tires, wont it be present all the time at the same speeds? This morning the vibration was not there, but yesterday after work, it was there. Could it be a shock? I had my brother drive next to me after work yesterday and he could not see a tire bouncing around.

Steve-l

It does not take much of an imbalance to create this issue. It could be something bouncing around inside an inflated tire. It wouldn't be the first time this has happened. placing a bag of powder inside a truck tire is a common way to balance truck wheels. Having a set of big Alcoa's for my truck, I have lots of experience with this issue and it can really have you chasing your tail. It is much more of an issue as the weight and mass of the wheel increases. Be very careful of large tires on stock wheels, they can be impossible to balance.

rubencumm3

I know the headache of having bigger tires on stock wheels. I bought some new ultra wheels but the weights would not stay on, went back to stock size and stock wheels. I will take to tires to a different shop to have them balanced and see if it goes away. How do I test if its a clutch shutter?

Steve-l

I did not say it is a clutch shutter. I said that if the engine was vibrating, it is a good bet that it is a clutch pressure plate that is out of balance. These are large stampings and being out of balance is not unusual. If you suspect that, you would have to go to a balancing shop to test it, but be prepared, changing to a new one is no guarantee that the new one will be in balance either.

rubencumm3

Thanks for all your advice Steve-l. I will start with the wheels and tires, since that is the cheaper and most likely the culprit. If after that, vibration continues, I will look at the clutch/pressure plate.

Chip

rubencumm3,
Have you ran your truck with a heavy load on the hitch or a good amount of weight in the bed? If it still vibrates with the load/weight on it, I would look at replacing the driveshaft with a one piece shaft. That center bearing even if new could be your problem. I had a very similar issue and went with a one piece shaft and cleared it up. Just my .02 !!

rubencumm3

It seems to get smoother with a load back there. Back in March, we hauled the fifth wheel about 240 miles and getting there smooth as silk, the return was a vibration

rockcrawler304

I have heard of some people putting spacers in to lower the carrier bearing a 1/2 inch and this stops vibration.
I was about to do that when I had a vibration when slowing down but it ended up being a bad U-joint.

If you had different tires and wheels and put new ones on and still have the vibration I doubt that is your issue.

rubencumm3

Hey Max, I had heard of that. So the first thing I did to verify or eliminate that possibility is that I put the rear of truck on jackstands and had someone go through all the gears. I did notice sorta like a bind in the rear of shaft and a vibration. I ended up replacing two ujoints, since I had done the other about a year and a half ago and the center carrier bearing. Put it back on the stands and no more vibration from the shaft. I will be having tires balanced this weekend see if that takes care of it. If not I am going to look at the wheel bearings in the rear to see what is going on.

Steve-l

I just noticed that you have spacers installed both front and back. You need to know that the 4x4 DRW already has a driveshaft angle that is at the very edge of the operational envelope of the driveshaft U joint angle and that is stock original from the factory. I used up 3 U joints before 50k miles. It was the U joint just behind the center bearing. To solve this problem, I had to lower the center bearing mount by 1 inch. It made a huge difference. I have less vibration and no more u joint failures. By adding spacers you have positioned the body significantly higher than original, which will seriously endanger the life of that u joint. You should understand that U joints suffer from velocity modulation as they deflect off straight. That is, the driven part of the joint will alternately accelerate and decelerate 4 times per revolution. The greater the deflection angle, the greater the rate of modulation. By jacking up the truck, you have made that modulation and the vibration from it very severe and it might just be your problem. It is the same thing you feel in the steering wheel when going around a corner slowly in 4 wheel drive. This is why all front wheel drive only cars use CV joints (Constant Velocity) instead of U joints. If you insist on driving the truck jacked up like that, I suggest you will need at least a 2" spacer on that center driveshaft bearing.

m-o-p-a-r

I agree with Steve-l

Also, vibrations (or harmonics) are funny critters. And can occur at varying frequencies.
Just as you described in the beginning: 50-55 and again 62-68.

And, stating that a decent amount of tongue weight (or load) pretty much eliminates your vibration, confirms that you have a drive-shaft angle issue.