Ford 7.3L Power Stroke (1999-2003) :: Slight Vibration And Front End Noise
Dec 6, 2015
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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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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I have seen a number of post about front end vibs associated with steering and braking. I have had a hard time finding these posts and decide to post my vib/noise accompanied when brake and steering applied.
I too have a vib/noise coming from the front at low speed braking and turning (mostly parking lots and such).
About 5-6 months ago (around 90k miles) I noticed a high squeal at high rpms. I thought it had something to do with the belt so one day while driving up the grapevine pass (I-5), under high rpm, I turned the AC on. The squeal went away, I turn the AC off the squeal came back, I was pretty sure it was the belt and hopefully not the AC compressor.
10k miles later, I finally got to changing the serp belt. After I changed the belt, I immediately heard a rough vibration noise when braking and then when PS is under strain. It seams like it comes and goes when it wanted to, but now its always under the low speed parking lot conditions. Sometimes the vibration can be felt in the floorboards.
I haven't gotten to fix'n it yet lol... as I don't know what the problem is. I'm finding it hard to believe that a serp belt could be the cause of vib/noise when braking/low speed turning. One thing for sure, the vib/noise instantly occurred when I changed the serpentine belt. What might be going on here?
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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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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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Tonight on my way home I noticed a slight creaking sound, coming from front driver side, opening the window it was more noticeable. So when I got home I have tried to locate the source, it is the same with or without the engine running & you can hear it by rocking the steering just a little left to right. It sounds like a dry bush, I had my good lady rocking the wheel while I climbed underneath but couldn't pinpoint it, so I climbed up on the fender with my weight on the radiator support & the battery cover, when she turned the wheel the sound was almost gone but as soon as I jumped off it was back! I then tried rocking the truck from the driver side fender & the sound is there but not quite so pronounced, Any other way before I spray everything with WD40 (don't know if you have that over there but it usually quietens things like this!) There is no play on anything anywhere & the truck has only around 32k miles.
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I recently had a flat tire - Schwabs fixed it. Then told me my rear brakes were bad so I replaced them. I noticed when coming to a stop the last 20-30 feet you can really feel the front end vibrate - almost like it is in 4wd but it is not. I checked the hubs and they are on auto and lifted the truck to spin the wheels and made sure everything was dis-engaged. My front rotors were bad so I replaced them and the pads thinking it was the root cause. I also greased the front wheel bearings using the little tool from riffraff diesel where you take out the speed sensor and insert grease.
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I have a 2001 f 350 7.3 diesel r 400 tranny 320000 miles. . Im having transmission issues. It makes a slight whine/ grinding noise only in first And reverse. And it surges. Sometimes its fine though to. Check engine light came on. Only codes i get are #4 glow plug out and a low boost pressure. Checked boost before fixin Running fine at the normal about 20 psi. ive read a bad or dirty map or iat sensor can cause transmission issues along with the low boost error code. But in my experience and some reading it sounds like a stall converter.
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I have an 02 F350 7.3 6 speed with only 86,000 miles on it ... Ive owned the truck about a year and a half now and ever since i can remember the transmission has had this growling/Groaning/Vibration sounding noise when ever Im in 1st or 2nd slow rolling with barely any throttle. Itll make the noise going slow and as soon as i let out on the clutch and start moving, but once i give it a little more throttle and start moving at a more proper speed for the gear, the noise fades away ... Id assume its just the transmission making noise due to the low speed and RPM when slow rolling or just starting from a stop.
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2002 Ford F250 4x4 Superduty Lariat (4 door). Just changed the locking hubs to a new set of Warn manuals. I began to periodically hear what sounds like a rumbling/bearingish/howling kinda sound. Happens when you hit a bump at any speed...then howls till you hit another bump..goes away..then process repeats. Come to a complete stop, and the sound usually goes away till you hit another bump. The hubs are "free" at this time.
Heres the weird thing...when the noise starts...I switch it into 4 wheel drive on the dash...the sound instantly goes away. Click it back outta 4 wheel drive (hubs are still unlocked this whole time) and the sound is gone. drive some more down the road, maybe hit a slight bump, and the sound returns. Switch it back into 4x4...sound instantly goes away. Its not really in 4 wheel drive, cause the hubs aren't locked in...but that cures it till I take it back out. What could be causing this howling ? Its getting worse, and you can feel a slight vibration in the floor now when its doing it.
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I have been trying to chase down a whirling noise that follows vehicle speed since I bought the truck in my sig in Oct. The noise happens whether or not the hubs are free or locked so I don't think it is the front needle bearings. I just changed the transfer case fluid over to Mobile 1 Syn. and there was no change in the noise. I also changed the front pads, rotors, slide pins and calipers a few weeks ago and that didn't have an effect on the noise either. Today I took the truck for a ride and I'm not sure but it seems almost like the noise is a bit louder! And I noticed that if I hit the brakes firmly, harder than a normal stop the noise gets significantly quieter and if I release them again the noise goes right back to normal. This has got me stumped...
Along with this noise, I have a vibration on the freeway that gets worse around 55 and lets off around 61. Its worse at some speeds and better at others. Thinking the two were related I pulled the rear drive shaft and checked the u-joints and the carrier bearing for play. The carrier bearing doesn't have any real play but there is quite a bit of slop, ability to turn back and forth, where the driveshaft comes out of the transfer case. All but one of the u-joint cups were fine. The bad one isn't even too bad just the rubber seal around it is a little off, there is still grease in it and the needle bearings seem fine.
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My rearmost drive shaft u-joint is bad and has slop. I've been having vibration for about 7-8 months, but just started hearing a noise within the past week, especially when taking off with a load on the drive line (uphill or heavy acceleration). The vibration has not gotten worse, just that the noise has just begun to show itself.
I have one u-joint which is OE and has 275K miles on it, and it seems to be OK at the moment. The other two (including the rearmost unit) both have about 100K miles, as does the center support bearing.
Just because I don't want to worry about anything, I'm going to replace all three u-joints with Moog Super Strength units, and will also replace the Center Bearing with a new Spicer unit... just because I can and don't want to be pecked to death with multiple failures in the same drive line. I ordered the Moog joints because the only Spicer joints I could find were for the 4wd configuration.
That's the context... here's my question... The parts are on order and won't get here for several days. I've been driving the truck like it is at about 1500 miles monthly. Do I continue to drive the truck for another week before getting the joints and bearing installed? I know it's a guess... just looking for more perspective.
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I have a 2000 Ford F350 7.3 with the auto and 262,000 miles on it. As far as I know everything is stock on this truck. It has been a great truck but lately its been making a strange noise. It almost sounds like an exhaust rattle or vibration but it is intermittent. Its not really loud it can be heard best in the cab at idle. I've looked all over on the truck and haven't found anything. I can't pinpoint where it is coming from. I tried starting the truck with the serpentine belt off no change.
I took the inspection plate off the bell housing and couldn't see any cracks the torque converter bolts appear tight, and the starter is not engaged while running. I've read a few forums on the torque converter going bad. It looks to me like its more the 99 trucks that had trouble with that. Did the torque converter issue carry over to the 2000's? Would a torque converter/transmission problem be intermittent?
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Been trying to track down a noise in the front end. Got a growl and what sounds like a big cat scratching its nails on a metal plate. The metal sound comes and goes, but the growl is always present at one level or another. It sounded like it was coming from the driver's side. I jacked the truck and checked everything on that side and it seemed tight. It was all replaced about two years ago. I then started looking around and found the sway bar links were shot along with the bushings. I then jacked up the passenger's side and checked that.
Should have done this first as it was pulling to the right and not the left. The wheel was hard to rotate and stopped rotating as soon as I stopped forcing it. It was making a growling noise, but not nearly as loud as when the truck was rolling down the road. It also had a bit of play that I tracked down to the hub assembly. The ball joints and u-joints were tight with no play at all. The dust seal that should be on the axle was gone and the hub seal looked beat. Tie rod ends all seemed good. Ordering part now. My question is there anything else I should look at?
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With the cold weather lately, I've noticed my truck has developed a new noise from the front axle. It only does it when the truck has sat for a few hours, is completely cold (below 30*), and the hubs are locked. It will only make the noise going forward. I've eliminated brakes and hub assembly as the source since the noise is only made when the hubs are locked, or when the shifter is in 4x4 with the hubs unlocked.
Its a squeak, squeak, squeak noise that seems to be with every revolution of the tire and it goes away after driving 50-100 feet. All the u-joints are tight and I can't make the noise spinning the front driveshaft by hand. The brakes have 9000 miles on them with hawk pads and powerstop cryo rotors. Neither hub assembly has play and all the ball joints are tight. I do leave the hubs locked almost year round, so there's probably a good 40k on them.
I was thinking of throwing some new u-joints on and seeing what happened, but I'm guessing the whole axle shaft has to get pulled to do the ones at the steering knuckles?
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I have this strange noise coming from the front end. It happens at the most random times. It is at the end of the video. It's kinda hard to hear over the engine noise.
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My truck has been doing great over here in Germany, and I want it to stay that way lol. I know the snow is fast approaching here and figured I should test my 4x4(I usually do monthly anyway). After switching to 4-high and making the first turn in the open parking lot, I heard a lot of popping and grinding from the front end. I straightened the wheel and out and the grinding /popping continued.
I stopped, got out of the truck to try and lock the hubs to see if that would fix the issue. turns out the passenger side hub is locked up tight. I couldnt move it by hand and wasnt about to attempt to move it with added leverage.
What this could be? maybe a collapsed vacuum hose? but then I should still be able to manually turn my I hubs I would think.
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Now down to the question in hand. I have a 2001 f350 4x4 with7.3 diesel...I have recently noticed a low grind like noise coming from the right front. I have troubled shot the issue and I am 100% sure it is the wheel hub assembly. Did I mention I am running 37x13.50 tires..and now it is the hubs...and they are the original hubs.. My question is every thing I look for shows ABS is on my truck... I look at the hub and don't see it.. so with the Dana 60 front does it have ABS or not? Also, should I go motorcraft, Timken or moog wheel hubs?
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I've got a loud, intermittent, swooshing, vibrating noise from the front left wheel area at highway speeds. I put a camera down there and saw that when there was noise, the front driveshaft and front left halfshaft were spinning. When they stopped spinning on their own, the noise stopped. Hubs are Warn Premium (gold) and unlocked. Unit bearing already replaced. What could it be?
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when i accelerate or let off the peddle I hear and aloud thug or dull bang. I've checked and greased all the u joints. Disconnected the carrier bearing and separated the drive shaft and greased it up. Still get the noise I have very little play in the carrier bearing but I don't think that's the problem. It sounds to me like might be at the transmission. What do y'all think it is?
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Thats the sound coming from I think the front left area and the rate is proportional to speed. It only occurs at slow speed from about 5 to 15 mph and it seems to only occur for about 30% of each rotation. I plan to jack it up and check tire wobble or if the sound occurs during free spin. Any other things to check?
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