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At my wits end: Need help with driveline vibration

Maybe connected here, maybe not - but I've always wondered about that whole "phasing" thing
with the rear u-joint/driveshaft/pinion?
I mean....
When we're working on a car that's probably close to new/original and we need to take the driveshaft
out, it's pretty common to mark both the shaft and the pinion so that you put it back in the same
orientation, right?
So....what do you do with this situation with a setup that's definitely not as built?

Third members get replaced. Driveshafts get removed, sometimes for years - or swapped.
There's obviously only two ways to put the rear u-joint into the pinion yoke, but does it matter which
way you do it in such situations?
Does it even matter in the grand scheme of things?
 
Put it on a level 4 post drive on and measure the driveline and pinion angles properly. Then adjust to match the wisdom provided here.
 
Another point to consider...

"When accelerating slowly, no issue. When accelerating hard, there is constant hard vibration"

When accelerating hard the yoke of the differential rises... Changing the pinion angle...

As Moes mentioned 3 degrees is the preferred max angle on a U joint... But honestly thats more to do with maximizing U joint life.. They actually work okay up to about 6-7 degrees.. The fact the vibration worsens when on the gas shows the yoke has to go lower to improve the situation...

Screen Shot 2022-04-29 at 10.13.13 PM.png
 
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Here's my 2 cents worth based on personal experience today in my A100.

My truck has been sitting around for a few weeks and not moved....so it gets 'flat spots' on the tires. After travelling at 50-60mph down the highway for about 5 miles or so, the vibration goes away. It would have gone sooner possibly if I had over-inflated the tires before setting off this morning.

I used to get the same with my GTX, mainly because it didn't get driven often enough. :)
 
Rear axle housing bent.
combined with this:
  • I had a slightly bent axle. I bought two new axles from Dr. Diff and installed them. No change to the vibration.
I think WileERobby may be correct. How did you get a "slightly bent axle"? But it was replaced in into the same rear axle housing? I have seen a couple of 8-3/4 Mopar rear ends that had tweaked housings.

I recently had a similar "frum,,frum,,frum..."noise issue with my wife's Ford Explorer. Drove me crazy, because all of the wheel bearings had been replaced within the last couple of years. Well, I discovered that one had failed, and the left rear wheel was not running true. The rear wheel/tire was apparently "scrubbing" ever so slightly at highway speed. I replaced the bearing assembly and the problem went away.
 
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  • Engine/Trans (measured at the front pulley with a square). 0.6 degrees UP
  • Rear Pinion (measured by putting straight edge along back of pinion). 2.7 degrees UP
If this was your starting measurement. I would make the engine 3 degrees down, with your 2.7 degrees up. The reason I say this is I find anything over 3 degrees on the motor is too much and makes it harder to balance. Universal joints flex around 3 degrees at the max, or so. Just my 2 cents worth.
Key thing here is I did NOT level the car. So the only details that really can be determined here is the difference between them. I can state with all probability that the nose of the car was pointed down when I took those measurements.

Rear axle housing bent.
Yeah, it's the ONLY part on this whole damn driveline I haven't replaced. My father-in-law mentioned the same thing. What I don't understand is how that could cause a vibration. It makes sense to me that it could cause crabwalking or wear in tires, but a vibration? I'm not arguing that it is not the issue, I'm just saying that it does not seem "logical" to me to be causing the problem. Can you expand on why you mentioned this?

Maybe connected here, maybe not - but I've always wondered about that whole "phasing" thing
with the rear u-joint/driveshaft/pinion?
I mean....
When we're working on a car that's probably close to new/original and we need to take the driveshaft
out, it's pretty common to mark both the shaft and the pinion so that you put it back in the same
orientation, right?
So....what do you do with this situation with a setup that's definitely not as built?

Third members get replaced. Driveshafts get removed, sometimes for years - or swapped.
There's obviously only two ways to put the rear u-joint into the pinion yoke, but does it matter which
way you do it in such situations?
Does it even matter in the grand scheme of things?
It's a good question. As you state, parts are swapped all the time. I guess, when there is a problem, people just need to go back to the basics of driveline angles?

Put it on a level 4 post drive on and measure the driveline and pinion angles properly. Then adjust to match the wisdom provided here.
Agree. The only problem is I don't have access to a 4 post lift - only 2 post lifts. The best I can do is use jack stands or other means to get the car up while resting the car on its wheels/ suspension.

Another point to consider...

"When accelerating slowly, no issue. When accelerating hard, there is constant hard vibration"

When accelerating hard the yoke of the differential rises... Changing the pinion angle...

As Moes mentioned 3 degrees is the preferred max angle on a U joint... But honestly thats more to do with maximizing U joint life.. They actually work okay up to about 6-7 degrees.. The fact the vibration worsens when on the gas shows the yoke has to go lower to improve the situation...

View attachment 1277908
Yeah, and that's why I had high hopes when I added the 2 degree shims to shim the pinion down.

Here's my 2 cents worth based on personal experience today in my A100.

My truck has been sitting around for a w=few weeks and not moved....so it gets 'flat spots' on the tires. After travelling at 50-60mph down the highway for about 5 miles or so, the vibration goes away. It would have gone sooner possibly if I had over-inflated the tires before setting off this morning.

I used to get the same with my GTX, mainly because it didn't get driven often enough. :)
Thanks, but I have swapped the entire wheel and tire combo from my 70 with no change to the problem.

combined with this:
  • I had a slightly bent axle. I bought two new axles from Dr. Diff and installed them. No change to the vibration.
I think WileERobby may be correct. How did you get a "slightly bent axle"? But it was replaced in into the same rear axle housing? I have seen a couple of 8-3/4 Mopar rear ends that had tweaked housings.

I recently had a similar "frum,,frum,,frum..."noise issue with my wife's Ford Explorer. Drove me crazy, because all of the wheel bearings had been replaced within the last couple of years. Well, I discovered that one had failed, and the left rear wheel was not running true. The rear wheel/tire was apparently "scrubbing" ever so slightly at highway speed. I replaced the bearing assembly and the problem went away.
Yeah, I have no idea how the axle got a .010" bend in it. On the other hand, I have now replaced it with brand new axles from Dr. Diff (with new bearings by the way), and still have the same vibration. So it can't be the bearings and it seems my slightly bent axle wasn't an issue either. Maybe it was that way from the factory?

Brake rotors
Tire balance
Wheel bearing.
Shocks and or springs.
Brake rotors, tire balance and wheel bearings have already been tried.
I have not replaced shocks of rear leaf springs, but I'm not sure how those could cause this type of vibration?
 
"Slightly bent" rear axle HOUSING. Could have been caused by an accident, like sliding into a curb sideways. You just stated that the axle housing was the only part of the driveline that had not been replaced? Hmmm..........
 
It's a good question. As you state, parts are swapped all the time. I guess, when there is a problem, people just need to go back to the basics of driveline angles?
See, that's the thing - if it's all just angles, then why mark the original components prior to disassembly on a
newer, original setup so you can put things back as they were when done?
 
You said you replaced the axles. Can you check the housing for straightness?
 
"Slightly bent" rear axle HOUSING. Could have been caused by an accident, like sliding into a curb sideways. You just stated that the axle housing was the only part of the driveline that had not been replaced? Hmmm..........
Sliding into a curb? Rough driving? Perish the thought. I never would have done that in my teenage years! :bs::bs_flag:
I guess checking the housing is next. But I don't have to tool to check it, so not sure how to verify it is good (or not).

See, that's the thing - if it's all just angles, then why mark the original components prior to disassembly on a
newer, original setup so you can put things back as they were when done?
Only thing I can think of is phasing of the driveshaft. In other words, if the U joints are not exactly 90 degrees from one another. But I don't know why keeping it in the same orientation matters unless the pinion can somehow nullify that. Quite frankly, some of this crap is like voodoo.

You said you replaced the axles. Can you check the housing for straightness?
So there are several comments about my housing and questioning the straightness. There is a special tool to check this, and I don't have one. I have not checked it, and I'm not quite sure how to go about doing so without the special tool.
 
Yeah, it's the ONLY part on this whole damn driveline I haven't replaced. My father-in-law mentioned the same thing. What I don't understand is how that could cause a vibration. It makes sense to me that it could cause crabwalking or wear in tires, but a vibration? I'm not arguing that it is not the issue, I'm just saying that it does not seem "logical" to me to be causing the problem. Can you expand on why you mentioned this?
Experienced something sorta similar on a customers car long time ago. Bent wheel, bent axle replaced. Had a vibration issue at a certain speed. Housing slightly, almost unnoticeable off on one side. Some are easily measured when in an accident, just measure the wheelbase side-to-side. My analysis is the axle is not perfectly perpendicular inside the housing. Fits well. But under load at at certain speed, the force on the bearings on both sides from the "cocked" axle cause this condition. I'm just throwing my thought on this from experience for you, it may or may not be the case.
 
Bad new engine mounts.
I posted a thread on here about it, everything new, mounts had no signs of being bad.
Swapped the 'old' mounts back in, problem solved.
Just my experience.
 
Besides the up and down (vertical) angles of the driveline, there is also the horizontal alignment to consider. With the pinion off set and the engine offset I think the horizontal angles should be “0”. Maybe someone can confirm or correct that. If the engine/trans is not installed straight with the car, or the axle is not straight with the car, you might get a bit of u joint offset horizontally and vibration. But, my experience with a bad driveline angles was some lower and mid-speed vibration but I couldn’t really tell it on the highway. I’m not sure if that is typical or not.

Good luck.
 
So, after reading all of the comments here I conclude this: The car was never
a stunt double on the Dukes of Hazzard. In the transmission, the rear gear train
and output shaft always turn at the same rate as the driveshaft. When you kick
the car in neutral at speed you get the vibration @ 60mph. It's not between the
fan and the middle of the transmission! The easiest thing right now is find someone
who can check the balance of the front wheels while they're on the car. The spindles
may be out of balance or the rotors or both. You know what you changed and when.
something got changed that caused this. I agree that you need to check the driveline
angles, but also get a GoPro and set it up under the car at different spots so you
can see AND hear this problems vibration and the amplitude. This will be the Aha
moment. Anyway, you need a GoPro for your trip!
 
After reading all the great diagnostic reply's here I saw only 1 thing wasn't touched on. Transmission mount,could the rubber be bad? That would explain the increase in vibration under hard acceleration. Is it solid mount? Again would explain vibration. Just a observation not a expert opinion.
 
"Slightly bent" rear axle HOUSING. Could have been caused by an accident, like sliding into a curb sideways. You just stated that the axle housing was the only part of the driveline that had not been replaced? Hmmm..........
Did the vibration occur BEFORE the 'restoration'?
I been scanning this and missed that detail.
If it didn't vibrate before all the work then the axle housing is probably not the problem (unless it was dropped/drove over?).
Good luck with this OP!
 
I see a a lot of excellent diagnostic help here from everyone. We are sure lucky to have this. After checking pinion angle and trans angle take for a drive like others mentioned. Put trans in neutral. Then listen.
Second thought I’d find a very ling if possible road and at the top remove drive shaft and get helpers to give you a running start push with rimless tire wrapped in carpet and push down hill with a car bumper height that won’t cause damage. Run car in neutral and listen. If this produces the vibration take axels out and bring to a drive shaft guy have the axels run on lathe and check for shaft run out. Next check housing tubes for straightness in pumpkin.
 
Bad new engine mounts.
I posted a thread on here about it, everything new, mounts had no signs of being bad.
Swapped the 'old' mounts back in, problem solved.
Just my experience.
Were the new mounts holding the engine higher or lower than the old ones?
Side-to-side a little different? To what do you attribute the new ones causing the problem?
 
Are you using the same pulleys? I chased a vibe for 5 years. And since I kept pulleys with new motors, vibe stayed. Turned out my crank/water pump pulley were out of round. Damn thing resonated with exhaust pulses causing a harmonic vibe that drove me nuts. And to boot it sounded like it came from the rear end
 
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