vibration

1wildpony

New Member
Apr 19, 2004
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hey guys i just bought an 88 LX 5.0 like 3 days ago. i have a question since i have never driven a stang before. just shifting normal the car is fine but if i punch it to the floor the shifter vibrates, not like alot but it vibrates enough to make me wonder. i can feel it in the rear end too, is there a problem with the car or no? even when its in neutral and i rev it i can feel the vibration, but normal driving conditions its fine, i guess i was expecting like a smooth feeling on the shifter and the car excelerating with a smoother ride. is there a problem? yes no? or is it possible that somethin is wrong with my clutch?
 
couple of ideas come to mind, but more info is needed, if you know it.

is there an aftermarket shifter (if you pull the boot off, do you see a rubber damper on the shift handle?) rubber = stock. aftermarket shifters do vib a little since they dont have that stupid thing.

one might think it is driveshaft vibs, especially if you have gears, but since you can make it vibrate while stationary, that rules that out.

i would take a look at the harmonic damper and see if you see it wobbling. also look at the elastomer (rubber O-ring) in the middle of the damper. if it is cracked anywhere, get a new one.

that is what comes to mind. congrats on the new stang and good luck.
 
My guess is that the vibration you feel when revving the engine in neutral is much less than when in gear and driving? Please be a bit more specific; does the shifter shake worse at higher rpm in low gears, or at higher speeds in like 4th or 5th?
 
A common problem with these cars once they get some mileage on them (and some abuse) the driveshaft becomes twisted/out of balance. You can check by putting the rear up on jackstands, chocking the front wheels, and putting the car in gear and visually inspecting the shaft as it turns. If it's pretty bad, you can usually tell, but not always. Lots of guys just purchase the aluminum DS made by ford racing for like $160 (has gone up a little in price recently) because it's cheaper than having the old DS fixed, and the new one comes with brand new u-joints; already assembled and ready to bolt in. Good luck.
 
thanx for the reply man i'm gonna check that out but the thing is the vibration is very very close the same as it is when the car is in neutral and reved yup, i'm probly leaning towards some kind of mount mabe? correct me if i'm wrong. or mabe its as a big vibration as i think this is the first standard car i've have and its the only v8 i've driven mabe its just cause of the bigger motor?
 
If the vibration is the same with the car in neutral, it's not your rear end or driveshaft in all likelihood. Could very possibly be a motor or trans mount; those are pretty simple to check, just check the rubber in the mounts for cracks or tearing. As HISSIN50 said, also check out the harmonic balancer on the front of your engine. Could also be a clutch/flywheel issue, but that would be least likely in my mind. Let us know what you find.
 
1wildpony said:
is the balancer attatched to the fan or crank?
it is on the end of the crank. if you want, do a search on them. there are about a 100 threads on it (i recently read some before doing mine).

good luck.