Vibes after spring creek

[DETN8R]

It appears that I my jeep is Vibrating since running spring creek. I noticed it after heading home. It feels like my tire tread when I'm driving but goes away when I press the clutch in. any ideas?

[Chris]

Best Guess: Driveshaft, check that it's tight, check u-joints.

[Warrlord]

Have you checked out your driveshaft and/or u-joints? This is what happened to mine at Spring Creek in the rock garden a few years ago. Every time I went downhill on the way home, I'd press the clutch in & the vibration almost went away for that time.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v320/Warrlord/Damage/d1.jpg

[DETN8R]

Drive shaft looks fine. I did scrape it a bit but nothing that should be causing vibrations.

[Funrover]

Drive shaft looks fine. I did scrape it a bit but nothing that should be causing vibrations.

It's doesn't take much to throw a driveshaft out of balance. Trust me.

[DETN8R]

Maybe its time to install that SYE thats been sitting in the closet for a year.

[DETN8R]

The jeep doesnt shake at all just feels like rough tire tread.

[white collar redneck dad]

Drive shaft looks fine. I did scrape it a bit but nothing that should be causing vibrations.

Grab front drive shaft close to knuckle---shake it,,,hard---Grab rear shaft at tcase ujoints shake hard --- grab rear shaft by diff ---shake hard..if clunks while shaking --- replace ujoints...u joints dont show vibration unless its TOTALLY disconnected from front, middle or rear..dangling down drive shafts..

[DETN8R]

Thanks, I'll give them a good shaking tomorrow.

[Brody]

Have you checked out your driveshaft and/or u-joints? This is what happened to mine at Spring Creek in the rock garden a few years ago. Every time I went downhill on the way home, I'd press the clutch in & the vibration almost went away for that time.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v320/Warrlord/Damage/d1.jpg

Nice, Larry! Spring Creek got one of mine, too, a rear gear on my rig, a rear gear set on a friends, a front drive shaft, a T case main shaft..two different runs...it is just not an east trail....

Fred..did you check your wheel weights? Is there mud packed in your wheels?

My guess is loose motor mounts or U joints. Could be spring bolts are loose, tie rod/drag link nuts are loose, etc. What I would do (and do on my heap every two weeks) is start at one end underneath and tighten everything I can get a wrench or socket on. May as well grab an oiler and grease gun and tag everything that even looks like it moves.

I did this on mine last year sometime when I noticed a weirdness in my steering. My main spring eye bolts were loose, as well as the shackle bolts. Straightened everything out...

White Lightning-what are you doing (and driving where) that you are in 4WD at 60mph? Just curious...

[Jimmy]

Driveshafts usually have a weight welded to it for balancing - just like adding a weight to your wheels. Occasionally, if you rub the 'shaft on a rock, they get knocked off.

I've lost a shaft to rocks before... the real kicker was that I packed the wrong spare shaft. :(

[Whitey Jr]

Bingo. You have some lift, and that stock t-case output shaft with the slip yoke hates a lift. You look at that setup wrong and it will vibrate. Install the SYE.

I was on a run years ago in my old XJ in stock form in Virginia, and we got stuck on the north side of the "mountain" in rain soaked snow, and I ended up with nice vibes and a bent output shaft. Discovering the cause and having it fixed is what got me into modding my XJ...the rest is history.

That stock setup is awfully close to a design defect - fix it before you start chasing gremlins from a run that didn't even include the rock garden.

your going to have to explain the xj issue a little better. it kinda confused me more than helped

[DETN8R]

I just need the money to buy the new driveshaft when I install it.

I'm going to ask my mechanic friend to look at my jeep and see if he can see anything I cant.

If he doesnt see anything I'll break down and ask the boss for a cash advance to install the SYE and pay for the drive shaft.

From what I'm told it will cost about $300


Who's up for a SYE Install sometime soon?

[Screweder]

I'm down!

[DETN8R]

Well I've inspected everything normal. I think I'm going to install the other transfercase skid plate I have because I'm thinking maybe I bent the hell out of the one on my jeep a little to much and it's shifting the transfercase. I'll see about getting my wheels re-balanced as well.

[Funrover]

Did you bend the belly pan enough to change your driveshaft angles? Pinon angle?

[Patrolman]

Why don't you pull the rear driveshaft and run it at highway speed in fwd? That's free and you'll know for sure.

If it has a slip yoke, you can't. Nice thing about not having them!

[DETN8R]

Did you bend the belly pan enough to change your driveshaft angles? Pinon angle?

Possibly.

Wheel balance won't be affected by throttle (coasting).

You can't see a slightly fubar'd output shaft 'cause most of it is in the housing.

Why don't you pull the rear driveshaft and run it at highway speed in fwd? That's free and you'll know for sure.
I'll give that a try this Saturday.

[DETN8R]

Got the transfercase skid changed out today. Seems to have actually fixed the problem. Although I'm worried that it could possibly be the fact that I now have a full gas tank. I was at half a tank upon leaving Spring Creek and just went empty yesterday. I'm thinking that maybe its the fact that I now have more weight in the jeep. We'll see how it goes throughout the week.

[Jimmy]

If it has a slip yoke, you can't. Nice thing about not having them!

I'm trying to remember exactly what I've seen used in the past to get around this... I think it was a plastic soda bottle and some duct tape. Good as a temporary measure. :thunb:

[DETN8R]

Yeah, the old skid had a nice little arc on the inside of it. I feel pretty sure that was the problem.