Ford 7.3L Power Stroke (1999-2003) :: Slight Vibration / Shimmy While Driving Down The Road
Aug 23, 2017
A little about my truck. E99 F-350 crew cab long bed dually 4x4 223K miles. 4.10 gears with LS in rear.
I bought the truck June 2016. I ended up wrecking the truck on the test drive. Thought it was a 4 way stop and pulled out in front of a lady and she ran into the passenger side tire. Only damage that was on the truck was a busted tire, and the fender smashed in. Some how missed the door and the bumper.
I replaced all the front end: u-joints, ball joints, steering linkage, brakes, rotors, calipers, and all the u-joints in both of the drive shafts, also changed the fluid in both axles.
I have started to notice a slight "vibration" "shimmy" while driving down the road. Mainly while in a curve or changing lanes; applying pressure to the steering wheel one or the other. Tires have been balanced, and rotated several different times now with no luck at all.
While backing up, I can feel something "popping" "clunking" especially while turning. Like backing out of a parking space.
Insert troubleshooting:
Jack truck up and put on jack stands.
- Pull and shake all tires. --No movement
- Put in drive and watch all the rear end. --Nothing shaking or out of sync.
- Put truck in 4wd, hard to engage, watch front end. --Nothing shaking or out of sync.
- Turn tires to full lock. --Drive line starts clanking and shaking and rear tires acting funny.
- Turn tires straight. --Problem goes away.
- Put truck back in 2wd. --No problems when turning wheel lock to lock.
- Drive to empty parking lot. --Mainly feel problem while backing up, really have to feel for it. Most people call me insane.
- Lock the front axle. --No difference.
- Put in 4wd. Drive straight --No difference.
- In 4wd while turning. --Truck wants to act like it is fully locked in the rear and will bind up and slip a tire. You really have to give it some fuel to make it even try to move, and its almost like the truck wants to fold in half on itself. Cant keep the steering wheel in one spot as it keeps "jumping" on me.
- Put in 2wd. --Acts the same way until the truck fully comes out of 4wd then smooths back out to where you have to really feel for it. 4wd light stays on forever, before going off later in life.
- Put in 4low. --Gears grind and will not engage.
Would this indicate that the transfer case is messing up on me? Why would the rear axle feel like it is locked when in 4wd?
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Recently I have a vibration that I can feel slightly through the steering wheel. If I'm driving down the highway doing 70mph + I have a noise coming from the front end. Also while driving let's say 40mph and below and I let off the pedal to slow down I can here a vibration in the front that kind of sounds like a small Jake break. And when going over anything bumpy I hear like a popping metal sound. This popping sound has been going on for a long time and still can't figure it out. I replaced all my shocks thinking my old set was bottoming out. Nope, still have the same problem.
I jacked up the front end yesterday and checked for movement top and bottom and side to side thinking maybe the wheel bearings or ball joints were going. Everything is solid. Spun the wheels and no noise, no grinding, nothing. I can't figure it out. I have not removed the wheels to check and see if a caliper is loose. I will be checking that next. I did notice while looking around that I can push up on my pitman arm on the steering box. It's not a huge amount of movement but I can still move it. I can also see teeth marks between the box and the arm, not sure if that is normal or not. When I do move it up and down it sounds a lot like that metal popping sound I have been hearing. So, I know this is a lot.
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I'm looking at a 2001 Excursion with 242k miles. Truck is all stock, and everything checks out well. The only thing is there is a slight vibration at idle, that increases quite a bit when the engine is revved to about 12-1500rpm. Ran a CCT, and #8 was flagged. I know that can be somewhat normal depending on the CPS, right? Otherwise the truck is smooth, and in great shape. Should I be concerned about what feels like a slight miss on #8?
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I have a 2003 F250 4X4 crew cab 7.3. It was running great at 244,000 miles. The only problem was the HPOP was leaking, I had done the two upper O rings several thousand miles ago. Any ways after changing the HPOP while driving down the road it would miss at times or hiccup (funny it wasn't doing this before) Also it died a couple times, once at a stop light, had to get it towed home another time in stop and go traffic, this time it started with-in 10 min after trying several times. So I decided to change the IPR, still did the same thing. So I decided to change the CMP with negative results. I checked the ICP sensor it looked good no oil leaking or no saturation. So would it be safe to say I may have gotten a bad HPOP. Remember, I had no problems until I replaced the HPOP
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Early 99 F250 7.3 Manual 4WD Extended Cab Short Bed
I am at a loss. I have a slight vibration/medium roar seemingly coming from front. I have tried fixing/replacing several things, with no luck. When I get above 35-40 mph, I can hear a whirling vibration that sounds like tire tread noise (very little tread on tires). When I tap the brakes, seems to make a difference, seems to get louder as I slow down. I can feel it in the clutch and accel. pedals. It is consistent, when I push clutch in and let idle at 45mph, it is still there. Doesn't seem to make a difference when swaying back and forth, maybe a little. When i get below 25-30mph it isn't noticeable.
Here is what i've done so far :
1.Replaced both front wheel bearing assemblies, rotors and brakes
2.Replaced drivers side brake caliper (seemed to be sticking a bit?), will do passenger side tomorrow
3.Serviced both hub locks and verified front axle is not engaged (one was locked for some time, I thought I found issue, but still have vibration)
4. Tightened pitman arm joint, was slightly loose (need to replace)
5. Inspected tie rod ends and other joints, see no noticeable movement, but have not marked them off the culprit list.
6. Tightened output shaft nut, was a little loose
7. Raised rear end off on jack stands, and revved up to 50 mph, and no vibration, so I have excluded u joint and cardan joint, everything points to front end
8. Rotated tires, left front to right rear
What I haven't done :
1. Have a leak in pinion seal, not replaced yet
2. Seems the upper and lower ball joint had the slightest, I mean slightest play in it when lifting the front driver side wheel (I mean less than 16th inch) but could hear it. I haven't done anything with this yet ... may be the problem? Would a tire out of balance wreak this much havoc with this amount of movement?
3. Haven't replaced the pitman arm joint, will but not sure if this can create issue.
Nothing I've done seems to make a difference.
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(2000 F-350, 7.3L, 205k miles) Over this weekend, I noticed while driving mostly in the lower gears, that there was a slight hesitation with the throttle pedal depressed about half way or less. Seem to get worse as the day went by, but no lights or anything came on. Changed the fuel filter and added a fuel injection cleaner to the tank. Checked the oil and it was low, so I filled it to the correct amount.
Drove it around the next day, and it seemed to be good, until it warmed up some, and continued to hesitate. The hesitation seems as if it's not getting constant fuel, and the truck jerks a little. Once you get up to over 2000 rpms, it goes away. Looking up other reviews on similar issues, most have pointed to the throttle pedal sensor and just changed out the pedal assembly. Before I take it that far, I wanted to see what was the corrective action.
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So, I went in last Monday to do the first oil change thing, and visited with the service mgr. for a while about a couple of issues with my big blue dually. I reminded him about the shimmy in the front end when I hit a crack/seam in the road pavement. Or a bridge abutment.
While it's not the dreaded "death wobble', it does shimmy pretty bad at times. He said in order to claim a warranty on the alignment or tires, I had to prove I've rotated the tires as described in the "little tire book of life". Also, he says you can only make a claim up to 12K miles on alignment issues.
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I've got a 2012 F250 SD and when i go over some bumps in the road or even down a gravel road, the door panel on the driver side vibrates and it's noisy. Is there any way to pull the panel and add some foam padding or something to stop this? I can see the panel vibrate or heck, maybe it the whole door.
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I ran out and test drove a new to me 2001 F350 7.3L tonight. Everything seemed good, until I got back from the test drive. I pulled in and was sitting there with it idling. It seemed to idle fine, then a very small miss and very small shimmy then idle fine again; then another small miss and another shimmy. It continued like clockwork. Every time it seemed to miss and shimmy, the RPM would drop just a little, but not much. Does an ICP sensor sound like the problem, or maybe something more serious? 2001 F350 7.3L with 235,733 miles new trans, turbo replaced at 150,000 something miles. No blow by. Idled fine before driving, also drove fine. It doesn't seem to surge when idling, just kind stalls and shimmys for a split second then idles fine for a few seconds.
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I have 2013 F250. 65k miles. 4" skyjacker lift. DPF, ERG delete. SCT programmer w/wicked wheel put in the turbo, KN Air intake..35" Ntto grapplers. I have a double shock steering stabalizer(skyjacker).
My questions are....drives great up till 75mph, then I get shimmy. Doesn't feel like the steering wheel, but more in the truck. It never did it until I went from 34" tires to 35"...before the lift. Also I wanna go to a 37" tire? I have lots of HP and Tourque. Love the truck. But I drive mainly all road miles. A lot. So looking to make it all fit together better...
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I have a late '99. It's been weak all summer. Took it to the dealership. They put it on the computer and said the only problem was bad injectors. Specifically #8. I replaced them all. It's still weak and now is starting to surge going down the road. I have my suspicions but I'm not a mechanic.
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Ok after rebuilding trans and being down a couple of weeks, I went on my 1st run since completing. Noticed when I started truck this morning it didn't turn over as fast as it was. 30 miles down the road Airbag Light comes on, and then volt meter dropped to 8 volts. Got stopped with truck still idling checked everything I had the tools to do so for. Decided to get back to my shop where I had tools, and 5 more miles and 55 mph truck just shuts off. Lost all power, truck would only click. Put my booster box on battery and gauges went back to normal but still wouldn't turn over but maybe once? Only place within a mile of my location was Walmart. Bought 2 new group 65 batteries, installed them and Shazam cranked right up no more problems. Short of the story bad batteries that checked Good with a load tester don't mean squat!
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01 F350...4R100/V-10/4wd. Sometimes get a vibration driving down the road. First thought of tire out of balance but then the vibration goes away and may not come back for a few days or more. It starts sometimes around 30-40 mph and stays all the way up to around 65 mph. Even slowing down it vibrates or shakes. I can stop and take off again with nothing happening. Would think tires out of balance would do it all the time. And a few times....pulling my 5th wheel...making a right turn out of a parking lot.....it feels like a rumble from the rear.
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Early 99 7.3 manual 6 speed. 224,000 miles. Truck starts great and runs great at idle. Starts out in gear just fine and seems to have plenty of power. It will act just like the key is turned off about a mile down the road. Will restart after extended cranking or letting it sit for 15 minutes or so. P1249, P0340, and P1280 codes pop up. Had a professional shop work on it and they changed out the CPS and IPC with factory parts. When i picked it up it had an SES light on but was running fairly well. When I looked under the hood the IPC had been cracked on the plastic part. Replaced it with another new one and it ran fine for 3 days, even pulling loaded hay trailer. Now when driving it, it cuts out for a second or two. It does that every couple miles until it stalls out completely. Restarts after 15 minutes and runs fine. Same codes are showing up.
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Ok, still working out some issues: It may be normal, but I hear (not feel) a slight roar when I'm pressing throttle petal very lightly. Seems to do it as we'll when I'm backing off throttle but it stops when I let off pedal completely. Not there when I get into the pedal. Not the tires because it stops all together when I get off throttle and let it roll. Turbo maybe ? Rear end (wouldn't it do it even when rolling)? No vibrations at all....just a little roar.
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7.3 2001 model starts ok at 32-35 F. Feels a bit sluggish / slow response on the road. Reach a hill after 3-4 miles. Engine temp then beginning to go above low level mark. 100 meters up the hill, going around 30 mph there is a sudden surge in the throttle although my pedal is steady. Going back a few minutes later, on flat ground at bottom of hill and with no accelerator pressure, the engine suddenly stalls. Starts fine again after I stop. The same history actually repeated on two separate days recdently on the same hill. CPS is recently replaced. Had some jerking before that, but not the behavior explained above. Current CPS is Delphi light grey. Recent fuel filter change and oil change as well
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This is wife typing in middle of trip. Today we drove almost 300 miles down the road before it stuttered. We lost the tach but nothing else. No check engine lights. It has done it a few times since. Watching with Torque and don't see anything there. Have 100 miles to go and it's happening more frequently. Replaced CPS 4 weeks ago with a Ford grey. Running down road it's 95 day. Oil was checked to be good at 211, transmission 182, EGT 790, pulling enclosed 6x12 cargo trailer. What can I check?
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I have been "fighting" a front tire cupping problem on my L99 F350 Dually 2wd since I have owned it.
I got LOTS of paperwork with it, one of which was a service ticket from the dealer where it was bought new (with VERY low miles on it) saying several passing motorists had informed them that the front tires were bouncing down the road.
I have read this service complaint several times and I now feel that has something to do with it. I bought the truck with 70k on it some 8 years ago-the PO had installed EXPENSIVE Michelin XPS Rib steering tires on it and they were already destroyed by cupping.
I replaced all 4 shocks, and all 6 tires, begged the folks to FIND something wrong/loose/worn out on the front suspension/steering and they found nothing, they aligned it. THAT set of Cooper Discoverer HT tires did exactly the same thing, except I spent a lot of $$ having the tires rotated.
Now I have a set of Firestone TransForce tires on it and its been to a HD truck shop where I begged them to rip into the front end and FIND something wrong-THEY DIDN'T. THEY installed camber bolts and aligned it, yep, you guessed it STILL CUPPING!!
So, now I'm thinking is it possible that the wrong coil springs were installed at the factory causing this bouncing that the original owner reported to the dealer? I have now destroyed 2 more tires and getting tired of it.
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Bought the truck 1000 miles from home, ran great, checked oil it was black and well used, coolant was milky and degas bottle had some pressure in it.
Drove 200 miles fine, 75mph lots of power, no smoke, no overheating.
While cruising felt slight stumble, and lost hot air from the heater (started blowing cold), saw temp needle move slightly (still under 1/2 mark) and pulled over. Truck stalled on the offramp, and I was not able to get it to fire. I checked oil and it was same dark black. Coolant was low, down to about 2.5 gallons.
Towed it home, oil change, coolant flush, new thermostat, rebuilt IPR, and it fired right up. Ran great, smooth. Noticed slight haze out of the exhaust at idle, and puffs of white smoke when on throttle. Checked oil and it was milky. Where to look?
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My 2003 Honda Element sometimes generates a vibration that feels just like driving down a washboard dirt road. You know one that the ridges are very close together. This only happens around 40 MPH with a load on the engine. At first I thought it was a wheel, tire or suspension issue. But I can make it stop instantly by pushing or releasing the gas pedal. So this leads me to think it is transmission related. This is a automatic. I would like to see the car sometime but would not feel right about passing on this problem without knowing the cost to fix it. Stumped in Seattle.
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Sitting at a light. I noticed a slight vibration while in gear. Get home. Put her in park and noticed it again. Took her for a spin again. It seems to do it at low speeds, cruising and goes away once I'm on it? What would be a good starting point to track this down?
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