First Off, I've searched to no end one this subject and no one seems to have the same problem!

This has been happening for quite some time now but I really feel the car is not safe to drive on the hiway now. Here's the low down:

A few months ago I was driving on the hiway and out of nowhere my car felt like one of the back wheels were comming off, so I slowed down to go on the shoulder and the car was vibrating like the back wheels were square!

So once I pulled over and found everything still attached on the car I started to roll back onto the hiway expecting the car to vibrate... but nothing, actually it was smoother then before it happened?!

Skip ahead a few months and since then the car now rumbles all the time under acceleration, I've taken it to two mechanics who can't find anything wrong (more or less visual inspection).

It's something to do with the drivetrain for sure, it stops rumbling when I push in on the clutch. It will only seriously rumble when under mid-hard acceleration but just crusing you can hardly notice it.

What I've changed in the past few months:

- New 17" Rims (my others were bent and fixed my steering wheel shake)
- Two new Carrier Bearings

Things that I think it could be?!:

- U-Joint
- Driveshaft Bent
- Rear Diff
- Rear Axels
- ?!?!

I'm lost and none of my mechanics can figure it out but I just have this feeling that the cars going to lock up the back wheels one of these days soon and send me flying into a ditch!!!

PLEASE HELP!

Hello Mike.

Put the Car on Jackstand and crawl under it with a good Prybar. Check every moving joints an attacments. Yank on the Driveshafts. You might find something loose.

Question; Have you marked the Main Drive Shafts before you changed the Carriers Bearings??? These things are balanced and should be reinstalled the same as they came out. Same for the Axle Shafts. Somebody made a VFAQ about it.

Hope this helps.

Ghislain.

Hey Ghislain,

I didn't do the carrier bearings, it was done by my mechanic. One to start with, which cured another vibration problem... But the other wasn't too far behind it so just last week I had that replaced thinking it would cure my current problem. And of course, it didn't cure anything! I'm trying to think if the first CB was replaced before or after this shaking... I can't remember. I don't have a lot of time to get under the car today but I will try that. I'm hoping its something like a u-joint or axle. I got under there this morning and grabbed the axle and shook it but it didn't move.

Mike, when was the last time you checked the transfer case?? have you had it in for the recall?

As per Craig the first description you gave with the squared off wheels sounds like my tansfer case lock up/disintegration. The thing is that it didnt go away when I tried to move. Clunking and rattling especially in reverse. So check the x case but it is not likely that you could have driven this long

Try some searches as I have seen some similiar posts in the past but havent had any of the other driveline concerns you are worried about and cant confirm But sounds like something that if up on a hoist a good mech should be able to diagnose but the fact that it just happened while driving something like a bent driveshaft isnt high on the check list.

Is it the original tranny, or has it been replaced with a JDM without checking the gear ratio? Seen it cause just the problems you're describing twice already.

when you push the clutch it goes?


could it be the input bearing of the tranny, for whatever reason, the clutch disc might go off center in the flywheel. and then that would happen. just a theory! I don;t know how likely it is.


I would check the transfercase first. pay more attention and see if there is anymore variable, like happening when cornering, when it is cold, when....

could it be out of shape tires and when they are in phase it becomes really bad?!(what's clutch's role here?!)


Amin

It's most likely your rear driveaxles. My passenger side rear axle was worn just enough that you could just feel a little slack in it if you grabbed the axle itself and turned the wheel. It was hardly noticeable and I didn't think it could be causing the kind of vibration I had(similar to your problem, only on the highway under slight acceleration and mostly in fifth, went away with clutch depressed). I replaced the axle and it cured the problem totally.

So just swapped transfer cases... still doing it ARGGHHH!! As far as the tranny, no it was changed a year ago, and back then and for 10 months I suppose, it was working fine. As for the tires, they were changed when I got new rims so I don't think thats it.

Well I think we are getting too complicated...go with the only change you have made to the drivetrain b4 it started to give you a problem. So anything that was or would have been done re the carrier bearings and related parts should be checked. As far as diagnostics go that kind of problem shouldnt be this difficult to locate

Mike, the symptoms you describe is exactly what happened to my AWD Laser. I too took an exit from the highway when it first happened and just like you describe it went away as quickly as it had arrived. Then it reappeared a couple of weeks later again at highway speeds (120Km/hr)and steadily worsened from there and began to occur at slower speeds (60-80km/hr). The tranny finally pooped one day soon after and I couldn't get it into gear. You better look into some rebuilds or JDM's and whatever you do don't be going on any long hauls until you've replaced it

I was geting the same problem after I changed my wheels from the factory ones. I actually had different size tires on my new rims which caused the back end shake horribly at highway speeds. In my case one of the back wheels was bigger by about .5" or so in the sidewall and due to LSD in the back differential it caused a lot of shaking once I drove for a few minutes on the highway. If I let the car sit a little while it was fine for another few km.

I second this, same thing happened to me also. A JDM trans with a different gear ratio was put in the car, and in a few weeks the center diff slowly welded itself together. The car acted the same way as you describe it. I also changed my carrier bearings, u-joints, brakes, ball joints, tie rods, and a wheel bearing, thinking the vibration would go away, and nothing. Eventually, the center diff welded itself solid, and the tranny seized. I didnt't figure out what happened until I pulled out the diff and read the code on the JDM tranny. The code was not compatible with our cars.
So basically if you did get a tranny change last year, and maybe you havent driven the car much, it wouldnt harm to check the code on it.
If it has a different gear ratio,the rear wheels will tend to spin faster than the fronts, and with all four wheels on the ground, this will cause a serious virbration from the tranny, which will eventually lead to a burnt out viscous coupling and welded center diff.
But, if the tranny code if fine, never mind this post.

Thanks for all your help guys... Still vibrating! Haven't checked for the code on the tranny but yes it was replaced (jdm) the thing that gets me is that it never did it for months after the install. Would something like that pop up later on down the road or would it not be noticeable from the get go?

As for the tires, it was doing this before with the stock rims.

Mine went for 3 months before it finally welded.

Wesleys went for a YEAR before it welded.

Okay so its been a week or so since I posted this and I've been trying to nail down some more symptoms.

Here's the interesting thing, I've noticed in the mornings that it hardly does it at all, the more I drive it the worse it gets, once I've been driving for say 20-30 minutes it will shake with only slight accel. where when cold I can hammer it with very little shaking.

I think I found the code on the tranny but I have nothing to cross reference it too. Does anyone know the right code for it?

What is the code on the tranny? It should start off with a "W5M33", and its on the bellhousing, below the thermostat housing.

Okay sorry for taking so long to reply to this as you all have been quite helpful, my car has been in the shop for a few weeks getting the power steering fixed.

My transmission has the code: BOP9295-WOWE

Now correct me if I'm wrong but that doesn't start with: W5M33.... DOH I hope this doesn't mean what I think it means. I really don't want to buy a new tranny AGAIN. I bought this from lucky star, you'd think they would know which is the right tranny and which isn't.

Still Shakin.

BUMP...

Okay its getting a bit worse. Its really weird that it gets worse the more I drive it, it is there when I first start her in the morning, but the shaking definately gets worse if I'm driving for a solid 20 minutes or so. Drove to hamilton the other day and had to pull over about 5 times on the way there.

Here's the scenerio: I get on the highway, it shakes pretty bad in third, a little worse in fourth and not really noticible in fifth. Give her a few miles and instead of it not shaking at all in 5th, say at 60% throttle it will shake. Then a few more miles and its 50% throttle right up to the point where if any pressure is put on the gas peddle it will shake (and I mean bad).

So when I pull over for just a couple of seconds, and pull back out, once again still shakes thru 1-4th but not so much any more in 5th, this is really baffling me.

What would cause the car to STOP shaking as much when the car is stopped?

Please I'm dying to fix this but I'm not just going to buy a new tranny to fix it if there may be another solution.

I'd tell you that the tranny code means that the ratio is wrong, but looking through the rest of the thread and seeing how you pretty much ignore everyones help and advice, i'm not going to bother.

Jack the car up off all 4 wheels.

First check to see if your rear LSD is working (if you have one) see if the rear wheels will turn different directions. If they do, you don't have a rear LSD, or it's fucked.

(NO REAR LSD): Have your friends hold both wheels on one side from turning. Turn one wheel on the other side one complete turn. The remaining wheel SHOULD turn exactly one complete turn. If it doesn't, then your ratio is off.

(WITH REAR LSD): Have a friend hold a front wheel from turning. Turn the other front wheel exactly TWO full turns. The rear wheels should have made exactly ONE complete turn. Again, if they don't, then you have the wrong ratio.

Now, go check the ratio!! Cry about it for a few minutes, then go buy a new tranny.

Nick, first off thanks for the help, but secondly when did I ignore someone's advice on here?? If someone told me like you just did what to do I'd have done it.

I'm going to get her up off the ground so I can check and I'll get back to you.

This is exactly what I did.

It would be bad, then go away for 9 months, then one day I had a hard time comming home from the cottage, I made it back at 80kph. Drove it for another 2 weeks just fine before I pulled it.

Mike, I had the same problem for months, I went throu 9 trannys, a few clutchs, motor mounts, tires, wheel alignments, oil return lines, and axles. It turned out the engine balancer inside the engine was upside down, if this is the case you need no mechanic cause its just labour no parts cause nothing is actually wrecked. If you don't beleive me call cherry turbos in fingal ontario, they had the same problem with there cars.