Vibration while slowing down (not brakes)

rollincoal · **Posted:** Mon Jan 31, 2011 8:46 pm

I just experienced some vibrations at the end of my 2 hour drive that i don't understand. As the vehicle is slowing to a stop im feeling a vibration that feels like it was getting worse. Its definitely not warped rotors, it almost feels like the infamous "TC shudder" but this happened while the TC was disengaged, engine at idle, coasting down to a stop. Seems to happen below 30mph, but i cant be sure. Could this have anything to do with transmission fluid level? ( i didn't check yet) Or even motor mounts? Something in the driveline binding up? This was in a straight line, mind you.. I checked the lug nuts, diffs for excessive heat, with all the snow i dont have a level spot in my driveway for now to check trans level.. any suggestions?

Fulltimer · **Posted:** Mon Jan 31, 2011 8:55 pm

Do you have tires with lugs for off road? Take a look to see if your front tires are standing straight.

Terry

rollincoal · **Posted:** Mon Jan 31, 2011 9:04 pm

Stock tires, wheels, and lugs.. Everything looks straight as far as i can tell...

ATXKJ · **Posted:** Mon Jan 31, 2011 9:15 pm

vibration while slowing is a classic brake rotor issue
Why do you think it's not?

only other common issue is a tire problem - you can rotate tires and see if it follows

rollincoal · **Posted:** Mon Jan 31, 2011 9:19 pm

Well i assumed not because it happens even when i let off the brakes.. although i do have a very slight warp-age, i know what that feels like and this came on so sudden, plus like i said, it happens with or without brakes, no difference

CATCRD · **Posted:** Mon Jan 31, 2011 10:35 pm

Sounds like a rear drive shaft u-joint.

kccrd · **Joined:** Thu Mar 08, 2007 10:35 pm **Posts:** 267

When mine did that it felt like I was driving over rumble strips on the edge of the highway, took it to the jeep mechanic he drove it a couple of minutes up a steep hill and determined it was the rear u joint. So instead of the $80 jeep joint we elected to put in a Napa greasable joint and no problem since. I just put a couple of squirts of red high temp grease in at every oil change and forget about it. Oh the napa joint cost about $23 bucks go figure.

rollincoal · **Posted:** Tue Feb 01, 2011 9:04 am

Nah, checked the driveshaft.. no play whatsoever. I did however check the trans fluid and its definately low but i feel like that might not fix it. Ill be topping it off after work, so ill let you know

kccrd · **Joined:** Thu Mar 08, 2007 10:35 pm **Posts:** 267

My driveline was tight also but there was no grease in the rear u joint and it was rusty inside, you can't always go by feel it's whats inside that matters.

rollincoal · **Posted:** Tue Feb 01, 2011 4:30 pm

ok, ill go with that.. the more and more i think about it and experience it, it seems you guys are probably right. I just did u joints in the dually too.. Why the hell does chrysler use non-greasable u-joints anyway?? :banghead:

Like ford, and their non greasable ball joints.. You would think theyd step it up in order to show some decency, and knowing their reliability issues.. man i hate chrysler sometimes but i love those diesels!!

By the way you all are a butt-load of help and i really appreciate the responses and input.

CATCRD · **Posted:** Tue Feb 01, 2011 7:00 pm

kccrd wrote:

My driveline was tight also but there was no grease in the rear u joint and it was rusty inside, you can't always go by feel it's whats inside that matters.

Ditto, mine felt tight, but I took it off and one axis of the rear joint was dry and seized.

Big Montana · **Posted:** Tue Feb 01, 2011 9:36 pm

I had the same issue a few years ago. I would slow down on cement, and the whole car had a low sounding vibration. It happened after pulling a friend out with the Jeep on ice. While spinning the wheels (I didn't know they were because I wasn't moving), I shifted the 4wd and there was a hard jerk (ooops) The dealer replaced my entire rear shaft, and it fixed the problem. I may have been hosed for a u-joint, but what ever they did it worked for $100 warranty. The shaft was new though. I've since put on my own greasable joints.

usa591 · **Posted:** Thu Feb 03, 2011 5:03 pm

I have the same mysterious issue--mine manifests itself as a slight grinding sensation at the very, very last few feet of coming to a stop about 30% of the time. I also feel a slight warped-rotor-like shaking when braking at freeway speeds. When I bought this thing 7K miles ago I had my garage turn the rotors down because I figured it was that...but no dice.

Haven't tackled the issue head-on due to lack of time & the vehicle is still driveable (and stopable) but I'm keenly interested in figuring this out before my next round of maintenance in a month or two.

I found this thread interesting:

viewtopic.php?f=5&t=57082

rollincoal · **Posted:** Thu Feb 03, 2011 11:39 pm

Nice, i guess i didnt look hard enough for that.. Sounds pretty familiar in that i also have a slight vibration with the front brakes that i thought might be just the rotors out of true. As soon as i get a chance ill be pulling apart the front brakes to try and figure this out.. If nothing less, lube the pins and take a look at this rubber thing in them. Thanks

robotmind · **Posted:** Sat Feb 05, 2011 8:46 pm

My guess would be brake pad transfer... Have you done any hard braking from high speeds recently? How well did you check the driveshaft? Not well enough to notice the greaseable Moog u-joints that the PO installed.... :roll:

Here is some info about brake pad transfer as well as various other brake system misconceptions.

http://www.stoptech.com/tech_info/wp_wa ... disk.shtml

Enjoy!

papaindigo · **Posted:** Sun Feb 06, 2011 4:22 pm

I did experience strange vibrations, sometimes almost a hopping of the front end up and down, in a 1993 Dodge D-250 Cummins generally during or after braking and release of the brake pedal made no difference but a second really hard application of brakes usually made it go away. Eventually tracked it down to slightly out of true discs combined with "synthetic" (e.g. not stainless steel) brake caliper pistons that would occasional stick hence lock the front brake pads up next to the caliper so that every time a high spot on the disc came around the brake pad would "grab".

I've had enough problems over the years with synthetic pistons in brake assemblies that if I cannot get ss pistons then everytime I do a brake job I just bolt on a completely rebuilt caliper/pad assembly.

rollincoal · **Posted:** Mon Feb 14, 2011 8:02 pm

So, once the jeep was in the air it was pretty obvious the rear u-joint was done.. Pretty much bone dry too. Couldnt tell while it was on the ground but it shook pretty nice once all the weight was off of the suspension. After i put a new one in she drives smooth.. Like i said... (not brakes) but thanks anyway.

Some interesting material:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bB2RiRKDQ9k

craneman · **Posted:** Thu Feb 17, 2011 9:16 am

just wanted to say thanks to this fourm. i have had the same issue with my lib over the last week and was prepairing my self and wallet for the dreaded touque converter. last night i double checked the u-joint and $21 and 2 hours later the problem is solved. thanks again to all who contribute to this fourm. Mike

francoisroos · **Joined:** Thu Sep 17, 2015 6:33 am **Posts:** 2

Hi there. I have a 2007 Cherokee Liberty 2.8 CRD manual transmission with 275 000 kilometers on the clock. Despite a relatively hard life, I have not had a day's problems. Recently I had to fit a new clutch kit and flywheel. Since I got it back from the workshop, I have also experienced vibrations when slowing down to a stop, at approximately 10 kmph. The mechanics appear to be stumped on this one. The reckon there appears to be nothing wrong with the u-joints etc... The dis-engaged the front drive-shaft as a test and the vibration is definitely a lot less noticeable, but still there. Now they're talking about a faulty transfer box being the problem. As I said, I've never experienced any transmission problems, until I had to have the clutch kit replaced. Anyone out there able to assist?

dirtmover · **Posted:** Thu Sep 17, 2015 8:00 am

Am I correct in assuming that it continues to vibrate when your foot is removed from the brake? What about if you slip it into neutral? Did the mechanic actually remove the prop shaft? U-joints can feel tight and appear to look good buf when you remove the shaft you can feel them grating and when you pop out the joint there is a pile of rust where the needles once sat. It's a common problem and the symptoms are exactly as you describe. Removing the front drive shafts changes the dynamics of the whole driveline. The perceived improvement may just be the result of shifting the resonant frequency a bit and the way the vibrations are transmitted through the vehicle.

Vibration while slowing down (not brakes)

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