Bad Shudder Around 75mph

[kicker0]

Hi, I just recently bought a 93 LX Hatch 5.0 5spd w/ 110,000mi. I just took the stang out last night and ran it up to 80ish on a flat stretch of road. It pulls really strong to 70 then right after there is a horrid vibration/shudder that comes from what seems like either the transmission or the rearend. The shudder is so bad it transmits to the shifter and center console making it difficult to hold onto the shifter. At that point I let out of the Throttle and coasted down to a cruise. Any thoughts? Possible bad Ujoints?

 

[Jaswir]

more then likely your tires are out of alignment (steering wheel shake?) or might be rear tries

does it vibrate more the faster you go?

might be the driveshaft... maybe bolts are loose or you have u joints on the drive shaft shot

usally balljoints will make a clunking noise when turning not a vibration

 

[kicker0]

Thanks for the reply Jaswir. I don't believe its the alignment because the previous owner said he had the alignment done a few months ago and he kept the receipt to prove it. The steering wheel doesn't shake. The vibrations really come on strong at 70mph and when it hits 80 the vibrations are too severe to continue any faster. Seems like the vibrations stem from the shifter area. If the Ujoints are worn then how loose should they be to be considered excessive?

 

[GTOreturns]

Does it have gears? stock drive shaft? If so you mite wanna buy an aluminum drive shaft. Seems to be the norm with 5.0's after installing gears. Mine got the same bad vibration after 70mph

 

[Glaze]

Well what your experiencing sounds like a drivetrain problem such as ujoints or trans mount. Hightly doubt such severe vibrations from tires would travel to shifter without noticing a chassis vibration.

Check trans mount play and make sure bolts are secure.
Check for play in ujoints at driveshaft, and check 4 bolts into rear which are 12point 12MM(i think).

 

[kicker0]

I can't say for sure if different gears were installed or not. Ill get it up on jackstands tomorrow and check the trans mount, driveshaft bolts, and ujoints. As for the gears question I would like to know myself.... I'll turn the tire and see about how many times it turns in relation to the driveshaft. I hope the problem turns out to be obvious, Ill let you all know.

 

[Jaswir]

Thanks for the reply Jaswir. I don't believe its the alignment

ahhh... i ment your tires might be out of balance! oops sorry not alignment..


i had a simular problem... turned out to be u joints.. at around 50-60 miles a hour my car had a bad vibration and the faster i went the worse i got... i mean really bad around 70+...

best way to check u joints is jack up car put car in "N" so u can move the drive shaft... move it back and forth and if you have ANY PLAY AT ALL they need to be replaced... mine was the u joint closes to the tranny... and could be driveshaft bolts loose... if that is the problem i would change the tranny mount tooo while ur under there

 

[kicker0]

Ill be checking the UJoints tonight for play in them and post what I find. Thanks!

 

[Nova]

while youve got it up on jack stands, un bolt the drive shaft from the rear, and drop the rear, leaving the front in the tranny so you dont lose any fluid, and grab the pinion and turn it to see how much play is in it. I have the same problem as you do because of my ring and pinion gears. but yes, check everything your going to check, drive shaft bolts, tranny mount, u joints, but check the pinion too. i put mine back together with a shot pinion because i need it, but im looking for a ready to bolt in 3.73 housing.

 

[kicker0]

Alright, I checked under the car last night and found the Ujoint at the slip yoke has noticable play in it. Also the Ujoint at the rear end has less play in it but not as must as the front. To add to the madness I also found the transmission is leaking in the middle where its bolted together and there is an engine oil leak coming from around the clutch housing (rear main seal maybe?). Looks like I bought a winner... but I kinda figured there would be problems like these given its got 110K mi. I wanted to get the transmission rebuilt or a new one anyway and eventually a new motor.
What do you guys recommend on getting a transmission rebuilt vs buying a already rebuilt unit or new? I'm not sure about the local places here in town. Anyone in Central or S. Florida know of any good shops that does good transmission work? Thanks!

 

[88Stang331]

if i was you i'd try fixing the ujoints for now to fix the shudder (if in deed that is the problem) however that fix is alot cheaper than a trans rebuild/new trans. After that, go to a junk yard and see if you can't find a transmission.

 

[kicker0]

Yea, I'm definately gonna get the UJoints replaced and hopefully that solves the shudder problem.

 

[iwashmycar]

i had that prob. i went to get a balance and they said the inner tie-rod was loose, so i replaced the rack. now it seems much better ( tires are worn uneven and they still make some noise and stuff)

 

[Glaze]

Lots of T5's leak even the new WC units brand new! Check fluid in the tranny first and fill if needed. Wipe down tranny and drive for a week and than get back under and see how much is leaking. Kinda give you a good indication how much is leaking. If it shifts and operates fine why not get the life out of it and fill when needed?

Id be more inclined to get a reman tranny from reputable place with warranty if its not gonna see more than 300 horses. Check D n D. There is a good trans shop in Orlando on Coloniel near library and downtown.

 

[niklid05]

Alright, I checked under the car last night and found the Ujoint at the slip yoke has noticable play in it. Also the Ujoint at the rear end has less play in it but not as must as the front. To add to the madness I also found the transmission is leaking in the middle where its bolted together and there is an engine oil leak coming from around the clutch housing (rear main seal maybe?).yup, dont worry happens to everyone. Looks like I bought a winner... but I kinda figured there would be problems like these given its got 110K mi. I wanted to get the transmission rebuilt or a new one anyway and eventually a new motor.
What do you guys recommend on getting a transmission rebuilt vs buying a already rebuilt unit or new? I'm not sure about the local places here in town. Anyone in Central or S. Florida know of any good shops that does good transmission work? Thanks!

Id try an aluminum drive shaft. I dont know what it costs to get new u-joints and have them welded on, but I had a vibration around 70-75 and I bought an aluminum driveshaft and the problem disappeared. As for the tranny you can find t-5s that have low miles or are rebuilt from some pretty reputable people on corral. I would check out corral for both the aluminum drive shaft and rebuilt tranny before I went and bought a new tranny. Thats just me though.

 

[stangjunkie]

hmm... i dont think its the driveshaft, to me it seems like it could be a bearing or u joint...

everyone has a leaking rear main, i used to tell people that as soon as they put a new rear main in, ill se them in 6 months for another....

also to see if you have gears...
put the car in neutral and block it to stop from rolling. jack up the rear. marka spot on the driveshaft so you are able to see it. (i usually just clean a spot of dirt off) then rotate the tires and count how many rotations it takes the wheel to turn while the driveshaft mnakes one rotation. example driveshaft makes one full rotation and wheel turns 3 and a half times = 3.55 gears just under three times is probably stock 2.73

 

[bvav22]

So what is everything that should be checked to identify this problem, becuase i have the same EXACT problem, even the leak. i have tried checking the u joints, but dont really know what is right and what is wrong.

 

[DMAN302]

My vote would be a driveshaft that needs to be rebalanced or replaced...do the easy stuff first, drop the shaft and have a shop check it for run out.

 

[kicker0]

Thank you all again for the replys. I finally got around to removing the drive shaft and got both U-Joints replaced with greaseable units. The guy who pressed the new ones in for me said that both U-Joints were definately shot and some of the needle bearings fell out of one while pressing it out... eeeek! While I was at it I also changed the tranny fluid. I also found two of the four bolts holding the shifter assembly down were pretty loose which may have contributed to the problem as well. Well bottom line is the vibration/shudder is GONE and non existant even past 80mph. Wow this thing hauls A$$ up into the higher revs. Thanks again for all your advice. Now on to the next thing....

:SNSign:

 

[iwashmycar]

thanks for the follow-up!