45-50 mph driveshaft vibration. Anyone else ever have it?

[Stranger in the Black Sedan]

Hi guys, I just noticed tonight that my newly acquired 03 Marauder, 23k miles, has a slight driveline vibration 45-50 mph. It is definitely a driveline vibe, I have had this problem before on RWD classic cars. I know that this kind of vibe can only be caused by either an out of balance driveshaft, or incorrect pinion angle. With old leaf spring cars, it was easy for pinion angle to be out of whack when cars had been modified over the course of many years. However, I don't think it's possible for pinion angle to be incorrect on a car like the Marauder, especially since it is only stock. Soo, that leaves us with the driveshaft. The vibration is harmonic and can be felt in the steering/car body, and is accompanied by a slightly noticeable deep tone that oscillates with the vibration.

Has anyone had a slight driveline vibe in or near my problematic speed range with a Marauder?

Are these aluminum or steel driveshafts? I'm going to have the balance checked on mine when I have the chance. Before I do that, I'm going to try an old trick of flipping the driveshaft 180. If the severity of the vibration changes when I flip the shaft, it is definitely the culprit.

Thanks!

[wchain]

I would try removing the driveshaft and having it balanced by a driveshaft shop, have them check the U Joints too. Maybe the car was driven in high water before you bought it, and the U Joints are bad? Maybe the car was in a severe accident and the driveline is slightly misaligned? Theres lots of possibilities here, which makes it hard for one to troubleshoot over the internet.

Speaking of driveshaft vibration,I had my driveshaft balanced when I bought the car, and I have had ZERO vibrations up to 140+ (closed track of course).
It cost me 65 dollars and he said it would be good for upwards of 150 mph.

[Stranger in the Black Sedan]

There are no high speed (50+) vibrations, it only occurs in the 45-50 mph range. A lot of people wouldn't even notice the vibration but I am meticulous and do. The car drives so straight down the highway that you can let go of the wheel and just keep going straight for a long, long ways. I checked all body panels inside and out for tape lines, dirt/fisheyes, inconsistent peel, etc. I know what to look for in collision repainted panels.

[JMan]

It seems to me that the driveshaft wouldn't be a great source of vibes at such a slow speed. Even moreso unlikely, to generate sound. Is your car a 300A? Maybe you have a bearing eating into the craptastic early build axles. This would certainly be more prone to audible noises. Did you check for runout on the output housing bushing? Maybe you can run it on a lift and listen closely at the vibe speed. A stethoscope would help if it were output housing or axle bearing issues. Good luck either way!

J

[Stranger in the Black Sedan]

45-50 mph is not too slow to be driveline, I will definitely check it. I have a pinion angle problem on a camaro and vibrations started showing up by these speeds. Driveline vibes make noise just in that they get associated parts and panels shaking.

That said, I did notice something when I was changing the rear rotors. The passenger side rear axle shaft had a very noticeable amount of axial end play. Way more than I would expect on a car like this (more in line with what I would expect from a 30 year old car with 200,000 miles). I don't think the passenger's side had any noticeable end play.

What do you mean by output housing?

[JMan]

What do you mean by output housing?

Transmission output housing and its related bushing. Will present itself as excessive lateral play on the forward end of the driveshaft yoke where it inserts into the tranny. Play there will accentuate any driveshaft anomalies

I am with you, I hate noise and vibration!!!

J

[CRZYBIKER]

Mine has a nearly identical vibration, however mine is harmless, it is simply the after market mufflers/hangers that are installed. I found it because I re-located the hangers and it has dramatically quieted down.

[ctrlraven]

Mine has a nearly identical vibration, however mine is harmless, it is simply the after market mufflers/hangers that are installed. I found it because I re-located the hangers and it has dramatically quieted down.
Yeah mine does that too since the muffler shop didn't use oem style hangers and just mounted some hook with a rubber bushing towards the inlet part of the tip. When I hear it I just turn up the music or give her some power and it all goes away. But it does make it a lot easier to clean the tips since I can push them downward by .5"-1".

[RUSTY]

I have had the torque converter bolts loosen on a pickup i had .It vibrated alot like a drive shaft problem