Guess I Found The Source of My Vibration

[kam327]

'06 Explorer, 63k Miles.

Have had a suspension vibration for a while now. Just noticed this when changing my oil. Will change out the end links and sway bar bushings this weekend. Hopefully that'll fix the vibration, though I have a feeling there's something else going on because I didn't notice this blown bushing last time I looked around down there.

Left Front Sway Bar End Link:


Right Front Sway Bar End Link:

 

[dishdude]

I don't know if a worn sway bar link bushing will result in a vibration. I guess it can transmit another vibration through the body. Either way, it needs replaced! Must be nice to not live in a salt zone - that 2006 is beautiful underneath!

 

[neo3]

From the first pic, it looks like those are just rubber covers not solid rubber bushings? So the endlink wouldn't dampen vibrations at all?
The endlinks I have experience with use solid rubber bushings.

 

[NHGUY]

Dont know if the 4x4s have it,but 2wd Rangers had a rubber isolator that would break loose from the rear yoke and cause an imbalance.

 

[RF Overlord]

Originally Posted By: dishdude
I don't know if a worn sway bar link bushing will result in a vibration.
Unlikely. Sway bars limit body roll but otherwise when travelling flat down the road they do nothing.

 

[vq35de_touring]

63k miles? How did you manage that kind of damage?

 

[JHZR2]

Wow, stinks for such a young vehicle.

 

[eljefino]

That'd be a noise maker more than anything.

Should be cheap and easy to fix though.

 

[kam327]

Originally Posted By: neo3
From the first pic, it looks like those are just rubber covers not solid rubber bushings? So the endlink wouldn't dampen vibrations at all?
The endlinks I have experience with use solid rubber bushings.


My theory is the outer layer of the bushing hardened over time so when the rest of the bushing disintegrated the outer layer resembles a "shell.".

 

[kam327]

Originally Posted By: RF Overlord
Originally Posted By: dishdude
I don't know if a worn sway bar link bushing will result in a vibration.
Unlikely. Sway bars limit body roll but otherwise when travelling flat down the road they do nothing.


Essentially true when both wheels move up and down in unison. But when they don't, as is often the case, I can see the control arm pushing that end link up against the sway bar with no bushing to prevent metal on metal contact, causing the vibration I'm feeling.

 

[zzyzzx]

Did you fix it yet and did it reduce the vibration?

 

[partspro]

I would replace both of them. Take a look at the Moog parts by Federal Mogul, they are generally better than OEM.

 

[kam327]

Originally Posted By: zzyzzx
Did you fix it yet and did it reduce the vibration?


I did, thanks for asking zzzzzyyyzzzz.... I'm sleeping now.

Pic below. It did not affect the vibration. Just to clarify, the vibration is not a steady wheel-type vibration, it's a mechanical vibration exacerbated by bumps, feels like there's a loose bolt somewhere. Noticed it after the head gasket job.

Next step is to replace the struts. The dealer may have loosened or otherwise disturbed them.

Incidentally, several of the bushings I took out were hardened and crumbling away from the inside.

 

[stephen9666]

If the vibration happened after the dealer worked on it, why isn't the dealer fixing it?

 

[kam327]

Originally Posted By: stephen9666
If the vibration happened after the dealer worked on it, why isn't the dealer fixing it?


Same old story, they claim they can't feel the vibration and even if there was one, it couldn't possibly have been caused by their engine work.

To their credit, I've taken it to 3 tire shops and 1 general mechanic, and none of them claimed to feel it or see anything wrong down there.

It's just one of those things that's relatively subtle and only the daily driver would notice. But it drives me nuts on long highway trips.

 

[kam327]

On the hunt to eliminate my mechanical vibration problem, I replaced the front struts last weekend. Did not fix the vibration or improve the ride at all. I guess the original struts were still in excellent condition at 64k miles. Wondering now if I should go after the engine mounts and then the steering.

 

[Bladecutter]

Exactly where are you feeling the vibration through, in your vehicle?
The steering wheel, the brake pedal, or through the chassis/seat?

If the steering wheel, look at the wheel bearings/steering components.
If it's through the brake pedal, check the brake parts.
If it's through the chassis, then look at engine/transmission mounts, and suspension to frame mounting points.

Engine mounts are easy to test.
Open Hood, put car in drive, hold brake firmly with left foot, and give the throttle a touch or two, while watching the engine movement. Put car in reverse, and repeat. If engine looks like it's trying to jump out of the engine bay, then you have a broken mount.

BC.

 

[asand1]

A vibration is only going to come from a rotating mass. Have your tires ran on a road force machine to check for out of roundness.
Or just swap your front and rear tires. It's got to be a tire, wheel or rotor.

 

[Lyman]

I had a vibration like that and it ended up being a bad tire.

 

[kam327]

I can feel it through the steering wheel and seat / floor pretty much equally. Which is why I was so confident it was a bad strut bushing. And it's definitely not a warped rotor. I think I'll try the mounts next.

It's not a constant frequency vibration, so it's not wheel or driveshaft related. It's metal-on-metal vibration that comes through over even the smallest of bumps at any speed. Seems to me it could be the mounts since the engine is shaking over bumps and could be hitting the metal stops on the mounts.

Could also be the rack couldn't it? That would send vibrations through the steering wheel and since the rack is mounted on a chassis cross member, through the chassis too. Maybe during the engine work they hit the steering shaft and it loosened something up in the rack? Unfortunately that's a much more expensive repair than the mounts.