Wow..."noise" doesn't begin to describe this.

[criticman]

So my car is once again making the noise it made several months ago - in summary of previous issue:
Vibrating noise right below console, underneath car. Took to mechanic, had it on lift, no signs of driveshaft rubbing/hitting anything. Got new clutch setup installed at Ford dealer, they installed heavy duty u-joints on driveshaft at my request and didn't see any other problems.

Well, yesterday noise came back, and WOW! Entire car vibrated, but still coming from right under e-brake/console. It isn't in tranny, as I don't feel it in shifter. Did it at any RPM, any gear. Even somewhat when out of gear just coasting along, but not as bad as when clutch was engaged. Still seems like is something to do with driveshaft of connecting item.

Ideas? Please help - people are giving my car odd looks now

 

[stang22]

Maybe the driveshaft is out of balance? When in nuetral, the driveshaft is still turning. Just a thought...

Tim

 

[criticman]

Yeah, the out of gear/still turning driveshaft was brought up last time, so aware of that.

Can it really get THAT out of balance? Stock gears/rear end with 100k miles on it - maybe time for a rebuild? (not to mention time to install my 3.55's I have had since August)

And if the driveshaft is out of balance, how hard is it to replace one? Any special tools? I had been thinking of switching to an aluminum model for quite some time now.

 

[stang22]

I have heard of them becoming unbalanced (bent? problaby not), but not sure how bad of a shake you would get from it. I suppose it would be like losing a weight on a tire.

Pretty easy to replace them. Breaking the bolts loose on the rearend can be a pain, but it you have air tools or a good breaker bar, that will help. If you buy the aluminum one from Summit, I believe it comes with new U-joints. Drain (or plug) and refill you tranny and you will be set.

Tim

 

[mustang120plus]

I had the same problem. It would get worse at higher speeds...I am in the process of changing to new tranny, driveshaft, clutch and pressure plate...this better fix it!!

 

[HISSIN50]

if the DS was not indexed when the U-joints were done and/or when the clutch was done, that can lead to imbalance.

It takes very little imbalance to create vibration (think of a wheel and tire - how much does it weigh? A good amount. If one little 2 oz weight flies off, vibration city).

DS's do bend, like Tim said. one can have the DS checked for run out.

It could also be a clutch issue though. variables suck, huh?
good luck.

 

[srothfuss]

How are the Tranny / Motor mounts?

 

[XBLCanterX]

how did your transmission mount look?? does it make a clucking noise when you start from a stop, or is it more of a vibration/rattle? I would lean towards imbalance if it gets worse with RPM's.

 

[mjbtv]

Transmission mount or maybe loose trans cross member. If drive shaft is out of balance some speed would be required to feel it. As far as Ford replacing U-Joints are they indexed? Grease fittings should point the same way on both.

 

[sunil6784]

cracked flywheel ?

 

[silverstripes]

Vibration is usually a balance issue. Tires have rubber along with suspension to absorb alot if they are out of balance. A driveshaft however, need only have a small dent to cause severe vibration.

I would first look to the motor/clutch area. Many 5.0s have been known for bad balancers. The rubber insert on harmonic balancers deterioates with time and allows the outer ring to slip. This is fairly common and easy to check. Just mark the balancer all the way down, then take her for a good drive. Check your marks when you get back. Also, the flywheels have been known to crack in the center around the bolts similar to how Ford flexplates do. You could even have a bad outer bearing on an axle. Vibration will travel as does noise.

If you have a chance, pull the driveshaft then run the car normally. Hit all the gears as you normally would. This will tell you if it's motor/clutch/trans or driveshaft/rearend/axle problem. Hope this helps.

 

[HISSIN50]

Going along with SS's thoughts above, do we know if it vibrates while the car is stationary? if it is fine while stationary, that can be a sign that the balancer is alright.

good luck.

 

[Aliate X]

how did your transmission mount look?? does it make a clucking noise when you start from a stop, or is it more of a vibration/rattle? I would lean towards imbalance if it gets worse with RPM's.

What causes that, b/c I hear that in a lot of cars, manuals that is.

 

[criticman]

Sorry for the long delay in a response....

I would hope Ford indexed the u-joints, but maybe not? This noise existed before they replaced them though. It was also there before they did the clutch.

So, I would guess it wasn't the flywheel or the driveshaft u-joints not being indexed, since it existed prior to the work Ford did - not to mention they like getting your money, so if they could've charged me for a new flywheel, they would likely have done so.

As for the axle bearings...not a bad thing to check - easiest way to do so?

I will also check out the harmonic balancer as suggested.

As for the imbalance or "bent" drive shaft...any way to check it?

Tranny mount is brand new, as are crossmember bushings....once again, noise/vibration was there prior to them being replaced.

No, it does not seem to ever do it while just sitting still.

Noise/vibration gets worse as the amount of weight on right/passenger side increases. I had two friends (combined weight of 450lbs) on the way to the gym, it was terrible - no silence from it the entire ride (other than sitting still)

 

[HISSIN50]

another thing you can do is to lightly paint the DS. Then drive it, esp with your heavy friends in the car. now get under and see if/where the paint is worn off - that is where the DS is rubbing. Mine rubs occasionally on the pass side.

If you can narrow it down a little (to know for sure the balancer is ok, etc), people can help more.

a driveline shop can check the DS for 'run out' - this catches things like it being bent.
Good luck.

 

[70lightning]

Broke a belt in your tire?

 

[criticman]

It does seem to be more of a rubbing sound, but I have had it up on a lift, we found no signs of rubbing on the DS or the car itself...no cuts, scrapes, grooves, etc. Plus we had me get in while on lift, lifted rear and i "drove", mechanic saw no signs of rubbing then either.

I'll have to check the balancer this weekend when I find time, see how it goes. Thanks and I'll post the results to narrow down where to look.

 

[cooter_11]

I once saw a bad pilot bearing along with a improperly balanced flywheel cause a condition like this. Did you have a new pilot bearing installed when you did the clutch? Also have you check out your rear at all? I know this might sound kind of out there but maybe a bent axle or a hub too out of round. just a thought. Good luck buddy.

 

[pagz]

FONT=Times New Roman]Hello everyone. I'm interested in this tread because as of last week my stang is doing the same thing. There's some type of noise, vibration coming from somewhere underneath the ebrake area. It seems to get louder as the vehicle accelerates. What baffles me is that yesterday I dropped of a friend of mine at his house, when he closed my passenger side door and I took off the noise was gone. The noise was back this morning when I drove to work. I will check later on this evening to try and figure out what it is. Maybe we can find a cure to the NOISE![/FONT]