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Vibration going 65-70. Not sure if trans related or wheels or what.

buck531

buck531

New member
So I have this nagging ongoing issue with my 03. On the freeway going 65-75ish you can feel a very faint vibration in the wheels, gas pedal) and if your leg is resting on the door panel you can feel it too. It comes and goes. It says most of the time. It's not the road as you can feel it on a completely smooth stretch and then other times you can't.

I had new wheels/tires put on it last year. I've had them balanced 3-4 times and it's still there. I have *not* had them road force tested yet. That was going to be next.
I thought this might be converter shudder. I say this because there's a slight whining/bearing noise coming from the area where the TC is. Yep. I took a long pipe and put it right over the trans casing where it meets the block and you can faintly hear it. However, it ONLY happens in park when the car is not in gear. Put the car in gear and it goes away. I had my trans buddy come over last Friday and he said either the TC is going out or there's a bearing there that would war out and cause that (input shaft bearing?). I'd hate to replace the bearing and put the car back together and still have the same issue. I also don't want to replace the TC if I don't have to.

I know what TC shudder feels like. It's nothing like that. It doesn't shake the car like it did on my other one that was having the issue. If I put the car in 3rd on the freeway it's still there. If you let off the gas and just coast it's still there. The RPM's don't "pulsate" when the shaking is going on.

Now I'll throw something else in the mix. Last summer/fall I magically had my passenger side axle nut fall off while driving (yes.. fell off). I have GSX wheels and the center cap kept the nut from flying away. I just pushed the axle back into the hub and torqued down the axle nut with some thread locker. Haven't removed it since. When putting the axle nut back on I noticed the splines were ok but weren't perfect. I do have a spare wheel bearing I can try though. I can't remember but I believe the shudder at 60-70 was there before the axle nut decided to come off.

The other thing I just thought about was I could swap my junky poverty race car tires and put them on the 03 (they're just GP 5 spokes) to see if the vibration goes away on the freeway.

I'm pretty sure I can't hook up my DHP and take off the TCC apply or what not while driving. My friend has an HP tuners and we could try it with that to see if the shuddering goes away.

Forgot to add. I did the typical "jack the car up and do the wheel bearing/ball joint/tie rod" test. Nothing with excessive movement either.

Thoughts/comments/who cares?
 


So you think it's the trans pump? The noise is coming from directly where the TC is. I just dropped the pan a year or so and replaced the filter/fluid with Dex 6. I looked at the fluid and it's not burnt or smells funny.

If the vibration is still there after I disengage the TC lockup where should I go next?
 


Oh I also forgot to mention that my drivers side strut is leaking. They're monroe senatracs and have about 50kish on them. I haven't bothered to replace them yet.
 
You're Expecting leaking Monroe's to try to control rolling Force problems with the tires... Remember struts wear out the quickest at their regular ride height travel area.
the one gentleman suggestion of putting weight in the trunk to put the struts at a different writing Zone is a good idea although you're probably going to need more than 100 pounds. there were more than a few times where my fat ass was laying down inside a trunk while doing nvh testing at my old shop
 


No the vibration is still there after I let off the gas.

As for the weight in the trunk I get that but what will that tell me? being serious. Will that tell me the struts need replaced?
 
I have noticed something similar and gone through everything as you did but. I don't have a bad strut, trans is built , tires are and balanced
Except I am lowered. I've come to accept that's it going to be from the lowering
i used spacers under the trans and motor mounts , then switched from poly uppers to offset poly uppers.

Now i just use offset uppers and no spacers on the lower mounts.
 
Well I also have some swirling/chirping noise coming from where the trans/block meets. I would take a video but it's almost impossible to hear while the motor is running. I'm wondering if the shaking is part of the TC starting to crap out.

I don't want to tear it apart and put it back together to find out the noise is still there... or the vibration.
 
if it occurs in neutral it is not the torque converter. you have an output Driveline vibration more than likely that is the CV'S having excessive wear and you're feeling the balls hitting the end of the worn section to the un-worn section which creates a notchy type vibration that you typically see when you lower the car and put the travel of the CV bearings closer to the end of the wear

it basically removes the constant velocity portion of the CV joint because what you're feeling is small acceleration and deceleration rates that you typically see with a u joint
 
Thanks. I went ahead and pulled the passenger axle last night. NAPA didn't have one in stock (that's what on the car currently, NAPA new axles .. well, from 07 or 08). I'll pick one up tonight and throw it in and see what happens.

The vibration is one thing and the noise at idle coming from the TC area is another. What about the bearing behind the TC? The Input shaft bearing? Not sure if that's the right word for it but the guy who rebuilt the trans in the other car said that's what it was.
 


Yeah I also heard that too :(. Would the noise go away when there's a load on it (no in neutral/park)? I think it was the 7/8th chain if I remember right, if not it's the 15/16ths in there. I know it's not stock. Guess I'll find out when it gets pulled.
 
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