I completely rebuilt my front shaft several months back. I have had a vibration between 45-50 and then it gets much worse from 65 and up, and I'm pretty sure I had it before the rebuild. I didn't drive it much before rebuilding the shaft, but I seem to remember it scaring me during the drive home from buying the truck. I feel the vibration in the floor, seat, center console, and slightly in the steering wheel.

NOTE: I pulled the shaft and locked the cdl and test drove it. The vibration completely disappears. So it isn't the tires.

I recently took the shaft to have it balanced. They said it was out of balance. After reinstallation, he vibration is the unchanged as far as I can tell. I plan to take the shaft back and have them recheck the balance.

Is there any other possible cause? I plan to check the torque on the pinion and front drive flanges, but I don't have the tool to brace them yet. Could the front diff be failing and cause the vibration?

 

You would know if the front diff was failing. It would make noise at all speeds. I had to put a rear diff in my 06 Range Rover. The dealer told me it was tires. New tires all the way around an alignment and 2,200 dollars later the noise was still there - it needed a rear diff. Don't you know the warranty just expired. Bend over here it comes. Rant over.

I don't think its your diff. Even though the prop is removed the gears are still rotating. You would hear them grinding or moaning. The flange will be loose or it won't be loose. You shouldn't need to "torque it" to eliminate it from the equation.

I'm thinking one of the u-joints or centering ball failed in the prop shaft. Or, tie rods. Wheel bearings. Rotoflex. Tires.

 

That's interesting. The pinion flange does rotate maybe a quarter inch, but there's certainly no unusual noise.

I'm hoping they just screwed up the balance.

 

My flanges/shafts have sloppy tolerances. There's a little play in the diff and t-case side. I think a lot of the Rovers have that.

I'm not sure how the balancing process works. But, I'm curious to know while balancing a propshaft with u-joints and center ball is there flex applied to the shaft while balancing? Should that be taken into consideration while balancing a double cardon? Or does the flex not matter if it balances out unflexed? Does this Make sense?

 

What kind of tires were these

 

Tell me about it. I think they were close to 380 a tire or something.

Stockers: 255/50-R20
20" Continental Extreme Contact DWS.