Wierd shifter vibration and hesitation, help!

[Big-T]

I've done a search and I mostly see instances with vibration occuring at high speeds and RPM. Unfortunaly my problem doesn't seem to resemble that. No matter what gear I am in, I can get my shifter to shake horribly. It seems to be connected to how much gas I'm giving it.

As long as I have a heavy foot, there is no vibration! But, say I'm leaving my parking lot in 1st, and I'm just barely giving it gas (maintaining about 10mph), the shifter will shake from side to side until I give give it some more gas. This can happen doing 20mph in 2nd, or 45mph in 5th. I'm totally confused and open to any insight here.

It's a '99 5-spd, 50k mi, K&N drop-in and GT Rims.

Any and all help is appreciated.
Thanks!
-T

 

[GREENBIOCH]

Has it always done this...or just noticed recently?? I found mine shook more then I was used to a car doing when I first got my stang....I found my short throw shifter stopped that, but it may be a bigger problem, if it is just a recent occurance??

 

[Big-T]

Has it always done this...or just noticed recently?? I found mine shook more then I was used to a car doing when I first got my stang....I found my short throw shifter stopped that, but it may be a bigger problem, if it is just a recent occurance??

It'd didn't do this when I first got the car, about a year ago. It could very well be my driving as this is my first manual since I learned how to drive at 16!

It's been getting progressively worse over the past month or two.


-T

 

[Ernad]

How many miles on the clutch?

 

[Big-T]

How many miles on the clutch?

It's the original clutch, and the car is pushin 51k mi.

-T

 

[Ernad]

It could be that (not that I am a huge transmission expert) the clutch needs replacement. If you have the money, buy a new clutch, since you'll need one sooner or later. While downthere you, or whoever is installing it, can see what's going on and maybe identify the problem, if it's not the clutch.

 

[GREENBIOCH]

Check to see if your DS has a balancer on it, and see if it has come loose that could be a problem as well. If it was the clutch you would have different problems like revving without the clutch grabbing or barely moving. It sounds like a balance problem of somesort?? but it may not be your tranny even. I would get a local shop to take a look, its hard to diagnose something over the net. it could even be the rough idling that some experience on our cars due to a dirty MAF or something. Cleaning the MAF with a non-contact electrocal cleaner may be something to try as well?? those are a few suggestions, but the best idea is to get a pro to look at it.

 

[Big-T]

Check to see if your DS has a balancer on it, and see if it has come loose that could be a problem as well. If it was the clutch you would have different problems like revving without the clutch grabbing or barely moving. It sounds like a balance problem of somesort?? but it may not be your tranny even. I would get a local shop to take a look, its hard to diagnose something over the net. it could even be the rough idling that some experience on our cars due to a dirty MAF or something. Cleaning the MAF with a non-contact electrocal cleaner may be something to try as well?? those are a few suggestions, but the best idea is to get a pro to look at it.

Thanks for the suggestions, they're definitlely are more informed then what I was able to come up with. About the DS balancer, where exactly is that?

Thanks again.
-T

 

[GREENBIOCH]

The balancer came off on me and started to clunk and bounce around, it was kinda scary at 110MPH...basically it is a donut shaped piece on the Driveshaft right at the tail end of the tranny...it is right on the DS itself.

 

[Big-T]

In case you're interested

Thanks again for all your advice GREENBIOCH, I was able to get someone much more experienced then I to diagnose it this afternoon, and we found out something pretty interesting.

I had a SES light on so we checked the code and it was reading 2 different ones, p0401 and p0402. EGR insufficient flow(401) and EGR excessive flow(402) I had cleaned the EGR valve a few weeks earlier, when I had a p0401 pop up before, so I had discounted the EGR!

So that lead us to the EGR assembly, since *something* was definitly wrong. We simply pulled the vacuum line off of the EGR valve and drove it around the neighbor for a few minutes and bingo, no more shaking!!

We think the problem is that the Vacuum line is sucking even at idle. Unless we're mistaken it should only be when the throttle is between idle and WOT, but NOT at those points. I'm thinking of replaceing the DPFE and/or the EGR vacuum regulator. I think that the EGR valve itself is fine. But then I don't even know how expensive these parts are. I might be able to do it all!

Anyway, just thought you, and anybody else might like to know what I've come up with so far. I'm still open to other opinions!!

 

[GREENBIOCH]

Well it does sound like you figured it out, good job, glad to hear you got someone take a look at it and figured out the problem!