Mystery Vibration

[Streetwise]

OK guys here it is.
2002 Silv. 4x4 4.8 v-8. long bed, reg cab. 180,000 miles.

I have a vibration at 40 MPH and around 55-65 MPH.
I bought new tires and had them rotated and rebalanced.
I rebuilt the rear brakes and the front look good.
I replaced the rear diff cover and fluid.
I replaced the U-joints on the rear drive shaft.

The vibration doesn't change if I turn or go around corners. It does get worse as I let off the gas at the fore mentioned speeds and lightens up when I give it gas. It's not really in the pedals or the steering wheel, but the whole truck shakes. I lifted the front end and the wheels seem snug, as a possible bearing. Any ideas?

[j cAT]

Originally Posted by Streetwise

OK guys here it is.
2002 Silv. 4x4 4.8 v-8. long bed, reg cab. 180,000 miles.

I have a vibration at 40 MPH and around 55-65 MPH.
I bought new tires and had them rotated and rebalanced.
I rebuilt the rear brakes and the front look good.
I replaced the rear diff cover and fluid.
I replaced the U-joints on the rear drive shaft.

The vibration doesn't change if I turn or go around corners. It does get worse as I let off the gas at the fore mentioned speeds and lightens up when I give it gas. It's not really in the pedals or the steering wheel, but the whole truck shakes. I lifted the front end and the wheels seem snug, as a possible bearing. Any ideas?

so you developed a vibration ,,,,,,then you did this listed work above ?

check the drive shafts balancing weights .

when you check for a bad bearing you rotate the tire with your palms on the side wall, you should not feel any vibs/ruffness..

[Streetwise]

Originally Posted by j cAT

so you developed a vibration ,,,,,,then you did this listed work above ?

check the drive shafts balancing weights .

when you check for a bad bearing you rotate the tire with your palms on the side wall, you should not feel any vibs/ruffness..

Yeah, I'm stumped. I thought maybe it would be a CV joint because it vibrates at highway speeds, it doesn't howl, it just vibrates at those speeds. When I got new tires, it vibrated like it did with the old tires, but has recently gotten worse. I noticed weights on the drive shaft when I changed the U-joints, but the vibration was there before and after the U-joint change. I didn't consider the weights being an issue and will look into it. However, the 10,000 miles I put on the truck, shows that the vibration was there before, and more importantly, got worse, so I thought it was the front CV. Seems like something wore out. This sort of thing is a bit over my head.

[j cAT]

Originally Posted by Streetwise

Yeah, I'm stumped. I thought maybe it would be a CV joint because it vibrates at highway speeds, it doesn't howl, it just vibrates at those speeds. When I got new tires, it vibrated like it did with the old tires, but has recently gotten worse. I noticed weights on the drive shaft when I changed the U-joints, but the vibration was there before and after the U-joint change. I didn't consider the weights being an issue and will look into it. However, the 10,000 miles I put on the truck, shows that the vibration was there before, and more importantly, got worse, so I thought it was the front CV. Seems like something wore out. This sort of thing is a bit over my head.

even the pro's have great trouble repairing this type of problem.

since it is getting worse , recheck the bearings, and the drive shaft's ...

[ColoradoSilverado]

I have the same problem and I suspect the driveshaft support bearing because the rubber that holds the bearing looks pretty worn.

Bert

[Streetwise]

The rear drive shaft appears to be fine. The vibration was from when I got the truck, 170,000, to now at 180,000 only now it's much worse at 60 mph. I was told to look at the CV axles and one felt like it had play, so I started disassembling.
1st, I had to sledge hammer the wheel off, then, after removing the caliper, I had to heat up and smash the rotor to get it off. Took me a couple hours. Wow. Just wow. Either this is a very poor design or these are neglected parts. I figured I'd change the rotors and pads since I had it apart, turns out the shoes were glazed and the calipers were locked up. Now that I think of it, the rear locked up in the winter. Must be the front were seized. I replaced the brakes and one axle. The problem is still there. Tomorrow, I will work on the drivers side in hopes that I remedy the problem. I tried to inspect the wheel hub and bearing, but couldn't really do much. It didn't have very much play, there's no howling, so I don't know what else to check in terms of the bearing. Eventually I will completely rebuild the entire front end.

[j cAT]

with your description I would start at removing the rust corrosion ...wire brush sand off any..then apply antiseize paste to the surfaces where the metal parts seat...

with the wheels/rotors seated correctly have the tires balanced and rotated..


If the calipers where binding the rotors are n/g ...I would replace calipers/rotors ...


when a wheel bearing fails it can show some play ...most times when failing it will just cause vibs and this can be felt when rotating the tire and feeling the smoothness of rotation...with the calipers binding you may not feel this ..


If its at 60mph this would indicate in most cases tire out of balance/tires never rotated...tires should be rotated every 15,ooomi,,,.

[Streetwise]

Originally Posted by j cAT

with your description I would start at removing the rust corrosion ...wire brush sand off any..then apply antiseize paste to the surfaces where the metal parts seat...

with the wheels/rotors seated correctly have the tires balanced and rotated..


If the calipers where binding the rotors are n/g ...I would replace calipers/rotors ...


when a wheel bearing fails it can show some play ...most times when failing it will just cause vibs and this can be felt when rotating the tire and feeling the smoothness of rotation...with the calipers binding you may not feel this ..


If its at 60mph this would indicate in most cases tire out of balance/tires never rotated...tires should be rotated every 15,ooomi,,,.

The first thing I did when I got the truck was put new tires on it. Not even a year ago. I've had them rotated and balanced a couple of times. So, in this case it's not the tires. I'll keep digging until I find the issue.

[j cAT]

Originally Posted by Streetwise

The first thing I did when I got the truck was put new tires on it. Not even a year ago. I've had them rotated and balanced a couple of times. So, in this case it's not the tires. I'll keep digging until I find the issue.

if you have had the wheels off , tires rotated/replaced all within the past year and you had to beat them off I would say this is operating in a very corrosive envirnment ...do you drive on the salt water beaches often or get salt water on the vehicle ?


with the vibration getting worse something will soon reveal the problem ..

[Streetwise]

Originally Posted by j cAT

if you have had the wheels off , tires rotated/replaced all within the past year and you had to beat them off I would say this is operating in a very corrosive envirnment ...do you drive on the salt water beaches often or get salt water on the vehicle ?


with the vibration getting worse something will soon reveal the problem ..

The rotors had to be beaten off. When I did the rear brakes I had to sledge hammer them off. I would guess it had less to do with the environment and more to do with the garbage design. especially having rear disc. And, not a normal caliper piston, but a self adjusting. Not to mention that it turns as it goes in and out. Yeah, that was a great idea. probably why they went back to a rear drum? I've talked to many people who have said that this design should be broken down and re installed every 6 months to make sure it's lubricated and working right. Not impressed with Chevy on this one.

[j cAT]

Originally Posted by Streetwise

The rotors had to be beaten off. When I did the rear brakes I had to sledge hammer them off. I would guess it had less to do with the environment and more to do with the garbage design. especially having rear disc. And, not a normal caliper piston, but a self adjusting. Not to mention that it turns as it goes in and out. Yeah, that was a great idea. probably why they went back to a rear drum? I've talked to many people who have said that this design should be broken down and re installed every 6 months to make sure it's lubricated and working right. Not impressed with Chevy on this one.

on my 2000 silverado 1500 4X4 , my calipers do not rotate to adjust.....

I did replace the rotors all after 10yrs because of rust..never had them cut....

the rear calipers failed because the pistons got bell shaped..this caused them to bind when they where out half way..


the front brakes do work good as the first set of pads lasted 90,ooomi..
I got 40,ooomi on the rear...

the park brake was the issue GM droped the ball on ...NHTSA is in bed with them ....only had recall on standard shift trucks ...like its different..

I modified the park brake shoes so that they do not wear out when just sitting there not being used...no problems now..

[Streetwise]

Originally Posted by j cAT

on my 2000 silverado 1500 4X4 , my calipers do not rotate to adjust.....

I did replace the rotors all after 10yrs because of rust..never had them cut....

the rear calipers failed because the pistons got bell shaped..this caused them to bind when they where out half way..


the front brakes do work good as the first set of pads lasted 90,ooomi..
I got 40,ooomi on the rear...

the park brake was the issue GM droped the ball on ...NHTSA is in bed with them ....only had recall on standard shift trucks ...like its different..

I modified the park brake shoes so that they do not wear out when just sitting there not being used...no problems now..

Maybe I'm wrong, I thought the rear calipers are self adjusting via a rotating design. I have no parking brake hardware in the rear now, they were removed when I got the truck. When I rebuilt the passenger front, I noticed that they pulled to that side, since the drivers side wasn't done yet. So, I figured the front were not doing much to begin with. Bottom line is they were not maintained.

[j cAT]

Originally Posted by Streetwise

Maybe I'm wrong, I thought the rear calipers are self adjusting via a rotating design. I have no parking brake hardware in the rear now, they were removed when I got the truck. When I rebuilt the passenger front, I noticed that they pulled to that side, since the drivers side wasn't done yet. So, I figured the front were not doing much to begin with. Bottom line is they were not maintained.

if you plan on keeping this vehicle get a repair manual for it and go over the braking system and correct all these defects...

the parking brake should also be repaired..this would be a saftey inspection failure here...

I got my brake parts at advanced auto they have lifetime warrantee and price is reasonable..rotors/calipers/brake pads...

[Streetwise]

Originally Posted by j cAT

if you plan on keeping this vehicle get a repair manual for it and go over the braking system and correct all these defects...

the parking brake should also be repaired..this would be a saftey inspection failure here...

I got my brake parts at advanced auto they have lifetime warrantee and price is reasonable..rotors/calipers/brake pads...

I have a manual, thank God. I have replaced a ton of stuff. I bought the truck very cheap, but it has some issues of neglect.

After I jacked up the rear end up on stands and chalked the front, I started it up and let it run. What I found both made me angry and depressed all in one shot. The vibration was there. With the front not moving (which I rebuilt), noises from where the transfer case is were obvious. The rear end was quiet ( which I rebuilt.) The drive shaft looked good and the U-joints as well (which I rebuilt). So, it's not in the front, but somewhere in the area of the transfer case. There might be a chain in there or a bearing that is breaking down. Not good. High price parts. Thanks again Chevy past owner.

[Streetwise]

I lifted the rear on jacks and ran it. No vibration in the rear end, but there was a bunch of noise near the transfer case. I've been told it might be the bearings or possibly the chain. I'm going to have it looked at. it's not something I want to try and fix myself.