'92 Explorer vibration at highway speed
Bryan Cass
I just had new Uniroyal Laredo tires installed today, thinking that would
resolve an apparent wheel balance problem; but the truck is still
vibrating at 55-65mph. Is there a known problem with '92 Explorers
vibrating like this? I have called the dealer and he didn't know of any
"kits" to fix a non-wheel vibration, but suggested that it could be 1)
wheel out of round, 2) motor mount problem, 3) driveshaft out of balance.
It seems more of a suspension problem to me. It seems like the problem
has just surfaced about 6 mos. ago and is getting steadily worse. Any
experience with this? This is a '92 Explorer XLT, 4WD, 4.0L, 58K miles,
midnight blue and recently waxed :).
--
Bryan Cass ca...@idx.com Charlotte, Vermont, USA
http://www.he.net/~paulc/cass
chris crumbly
In article <01bb7e57.05c6f4c0$79f1...@cass.idx.com>, "Bryan Cass"
<ca...@idx.com> wrote:
See the response to Michael Carr concerning what type of tires to
purchase. There is a TSB for the 93-94 models (94-4-15) but I don't know
about the 92's. I have a 93 EB with the shakes and my 91 XLT did also.
Alas, I'm out of warranty.
Chris
--
These opinions are all my own since I never know what my employer is thinking!
There's a fine line between fishing and just standing on the shore like an idiot.
Dr. Bob
"Bryan Cass" <ca...@idx.com> wrote:
>I just had new Uniroyal Laredo tires installed today, thinking that would
>resolve an apparent wheel balance problem; but the truck is still
>vibrating at 55-65mph. Is there a known problem with '92 Explorers
>vibrating like this? I have called the dealer and he didn't know of any
>"kits" to fix a non-wheel vibration, but suggested that it could be 1)
>wheel out of round, 2) motor mount problem, 3) driveshaft out of balance.
>It seems more of a suspension problem to me. It seems like the problem
>has just surfaced about 6 mos. ago and is getting steadily worse. Any
>experience with this? This is a '92 Explorer XLT, 4WD, 4.0L, 58K miles,
>midnight blue and recently waxed :).
>--
>Bryan Cass ca...@idx.com Charlotte, Vermont, USA
> http://www.he.net/~paulc/cass
Bryan:
I went through the same thing with my '92 at about 80k. I guess Socal
roads are a bit less chucked up by frost than Vt roads. Anyway, cure
was multipart. A -good- alignment, including the camber bushings, is
a necessity. Check/repack the front wheel bearings first. They are a
real problem due to their design -- too close together in the 4wd
rotor.
Your alignment shop should check the bushings at the radius
arm-to-frame end (that's the chassis end of the rod). There are
better urethane bushings available, but the factory replacements are
ok.
Check the shocks. If you have the originals still on it, it's
probably time to look at replacements. Opinions vary on the best
brands. Go with a name brand that you can get support for easily.
Most have satisfaction guarantees, just make sure there's a local
place to back up the guarantee. Gabriels worked ok for me. Whatever
you choose, they'll be really stiff when you change them. Of course,
that's why you're changing, right?
These are the things that got rid of the shimmy's for me. After you
get a few hundred miles on those new tires, have the balance checked,
and rotate the tires. Why do they say 'rotate' the tires? Don't they
rotate when you drive?... hmmmm!
Anyway, good luck with your problem!
dr bob
Brad Meacham
In article <01bb7e57.05c6f4c0$79f1...@cass.idx.com>, "Bryan Cass"
<ca...@idx.com> wrote:
>I just had new Uniroyal Laredo tires installed today, thinking that would
>resolve an apparent wheel balance problem; but the truck is still
>vibrating at 55-65mph. Is there a known problem with '92 Explorers
>vibrating like this? I have called the dealer and he didn't know of any
>"kits" to fix a non-wheel vibration, but suggested that it could be 1)
>wheel out of round, 2) motor mount problem, 3) driveshaft out of balance.
>It seems more of a suspension problem to me. It seems like the problem
>has just surfaced about 6 mos. ago and is getting steadily worse. Any
>experience with this? This is a '92 Explorer XLT, 4WD, 4.0L, 58K miles,
>midnight blue and recently waxed :).
>
>--
>Bryan Cass ca...@idx.com Charlotte, Vermont, USA
> http://www.he.net/~paulc/cass
I've got a 92 2-door Explorer that has been highly modified for real
4-wheeling. Namely, it has a Trail Master 4" suspension lift and runs
33x9.50-15 tires. Even with this lift and tire combo, I'm not having any
vibration problems at any speed I can see on my 85 MPH speedo ;-)
I do have a friend with a stock 94 4-door that was complaining about this
same kind of 55-65 MPH vibration problem you describe. He still had the
vibration even after getting the tires re-balanced. The first time...
When he had the tires balanced a second time at another tire shop with a
really good dynamic balancer, the problem went away.
Just a suggestion...
--
Brad Meacham
Jeff Peterson
Bryan Cass wrote:
>I just had new Uniroyal Laredo tires installed today, thinking that would
>resolve an apparent wheel balance problem; but the truck is still
>vibrating at 55-65mph. Is there a known problem with '92 Explorers
>vibrating like this? I have called the dealer and he didn't know of any
>"kits" to fix a non-wheel vibration, but suggested that it could be 1)
>wheel out of round, 2) motor mount problem, 3) driveshaft out of balance.
>It seems more of a suspension problem to me. It seems like the problem
>has just surfaced about 6 mos. ago and is getting steadily worse. Any
>experience with this? This is a '92 Explorer XLT, 4WD, 4.0L, 58K miles,
>midnight blue and recently waxed :).
>
>--
>Bryan Cass ca...@idx.com Charlotte, Vermont, USA
Stop driving on the dotted line. and the vibration will go away.
Muskie
I have a friend who owned a 93 explorer and had the same problem
as you. What you need to do first is determine if the vibration
continues while the gas pedal is NOT depressed. Then, accelerate
the vehicle and see if the vibration starts up again. My friends
vehicle only vibrated with the gas pedal depressed, even with
the slightest amount of pressure, above 40 MPH. It turned out
to be the muffler and exhaust system,even though there was no audible
"standard" bad exhaust noise. try it out.---Muskie
Bryan Cass
> Jeff Peterson <jm08...@eee.org> wrote in article
<320725...@eee.org>...
Hee hee... eh, we don't have them goofy lane bumps like in Californy. :)
I was surprised you didn't first suggest not driving over 55 mph. ;) But
thanks (the rest of you) for your responses... You have confirmed my
suspicions that it's the suspension.
Bryan
vj Thompson
Anyone check the drive shaft for balance, or a U-joint problem?
Bryan Cass
> nas...@msn.com (vj Thompson) wrote in article
<000138c2...@msn.com>...
> Anyone check the drive shaft for balance, or a U-joint problem?
>
Well, that's what the dealer suggested. I still suspect it's a suspension
problem, but the new tires I got last week have helped quite a bit. There
is a slight vibration at 60-65mph still, but it's not bad enough that I
would spend $$$ to have the driveshaft rebalanced (yet :). I'll be
content just driving under 60 for now. :)
Bryan
chris crumbly
In article <01bb8851.ddf6fb20$79f1...@cass.idx.com>, "Bryan Cass"
<ca...@idx.com> wrote:
But Bryan, it's not the suspension. It is a known condition in the 91-94
explorers that is referred to as "aftershake". It seems that the
motor/tranny mount to chassis vibration modes couple with tire vibration
between 55-65 mph. If you're still in warranty then go to your dealer and
mention TSB 96-4-15. Good Luck,
Chris
former owner of 91xlt 4dr 2wd
present owner of 93 eb 4dr 2wd (both shake)
JFRad...@gtetel.com
Rad>> There is a known problem with Explorer and F150 Camber bushings in the
91-92 years. Ford does not want to admit it yet probably because of the
lost revenue on there last boo-boo, ie: The flaming ignition switch.
Check to see if the top of the tire is leaning in. It cost a friend of
mine $500. to have it fixed. His symptoms were exactly the same as
yours. His has the I-Beam suspension.
Daniel Swart
There IS a problem with Explorers (pre '95) vibrating at road speed.
This problem is resolved by a TSB that costs about $800.00. I was
lucky. I got mine fixed under warranty with 35,999 miles on the truck.
I first noticed the problem when I though Western Auto was screwing up
my tire ballances. I took it in 6 times to get the tires balanced. WA
told me the tires were baanced. But the truck still vibrated around 60
MPH. I then saw a post in our company newsgroup about this problem. A
guy here knows a service manager at Ford. He told me that ford did not
yet have a fix but they knew there was a problem. 4 months later (just
before I went out of warranty) He called me back to give me the TSB
number. Since I had the work done the vibration is gone.
Symptoms - Vibrates at road speed. Feels like tires are out of balance.
I noticed this was worse in hot weather, and almost went away in the
winter. (this tends to make you think the tires finally got balanced)
Also worse on a bumpy road.
What they did at ford. - Replaced the MOTOR MOUNTS. (interesting)
Apparently the problems is the motor vibrating around. I think in the
older models they also add a third rear shock and something else.
Shouldn't this have been a recall??????????????????????
Dan in NC
*****************************************
Michael Wencl
bmea...@ix.netcom.com (Brad Meacham) wrote:
>In article <01bb7e57.05c6f4c0$79f1...@cass.idx.com>, "Bryan Cass"
><ca...@idx.com> wrote:
>>I just had new Uniroyal Laredo tires installed today, thinking that would
>>resolve an apparent wheel balance problem; but the truck is still
>>vibrating at 55-65mph. Is there a known problem with '92 Explorers
>>vibrating like this? I have called the dealer and he didn't know of any
>>"kits" to fix a non-wheel vibration, but suggested that it could be 1)
>>wheel out of round, 2) motor mount problem, 3) driveshaft out of balance.
>>It seems more of a suspension problem to me. It seems like the problem
>>has just surfaced about 6 mos. ago and is getting steadily worse. Any
>>experience with this? This is a '92 Explorer XLT, 4WD, 4.0L, 58K miles,
>>midnight blue and recently waxed :).
>>
>>--
>>Bryan Cass ca...@idx.com Charlotte, Vermont, USA
>> http://www.he.net/~paulc/cass
>I've got a 92 2-door Explorer that has been highly modified for real
>4-wheeling. Namely, it has a Trail Master 4" suspension lift and runs
>33x9.50-15 tires. Even with this lift and tire combo, I'm not having any
>vibration problems at any speed I can see on my 85 MPH speedo ;-)
>I do have a friend with a stock 94 4-door that was complaining about this
>same kind of 55-65 MPH vibration problem you describe. He still had the
>vibration even after getting the tires re-balanced. The first time...
>When he had the tires balanced a second time at another tire shop with a
>really good dynamic balancer, the problem went away.
>Just a suggestion...
>--
>Brad Meacham
The problem is one of transitional vibration. Ford has known about
this problem for some time but has not been able to fix it until about
October last year 1995. The fix involves replacing the motor mounts
with a new design and placing a differential shock absorber from the
frame laterally to the rear differential case housing. Fixed my '94
Ford Explorer immediately. All 1995 and later Explorers have this fix
included in their design. And yes, I went through all the earlier
hassles of wondering what and where the problem was originating.
Good luck, mine was covered under the 3 yr/36K warranty,
Michael
Craig62
I did the Ford fix for the vibration probs, and I STILL had the vibration.
Explorers are very sensitive to tire sizes apparently and after I went to
a smaller (less rotational mass) diameter and smaller width tire the
vibration was remarkably lessened. (still vibrates though, although much
MUCH less noticable)
djd
I have a '92 XLT and am considering having this done. What is the
estimated cost, and must it be done by the dealer? Could any good
autoshop do this. What size job might it be for a weekend mechanic?
Thanks for any info.
Duane
djd...@ix.netcom.com
'92 XLT 4x 941a 88k.
Craig62
I consider myself a good weekend mechanic and I would not undertake the
job myself. Ford replaced the motor mounts, tranny mounts and installed a
bracket on the frame and third member to accomodate a lateral shock from
the rear end to the frame. They also replaced the radius arm bushings at
my request.
Cost:
$1,100 (installed) for the mounts and shock assembly
$250 (installed) for the radius arm bushing
The end result:
I went from a SEVERE vibration to a moderate vibration (still very
noticable and annoying). I then went to a smaller tire size and the
vibration is almost gone. I can still feel something around 70mph but it
is not unpleasant ( and I HATE vibrations!! :) )
I now wonder what would have happened if I had tried the smaller tire size
BEFORE the $1,350 installation...
Randy Ortiz
Michael Wencl wrote:
>
> bmea...@ix.netcom.com (Brad Meacham) wrote:
>
> >In article <01bb7e57.05c6f4c0$79f1...@cass.idx.com>, "Bryan Cass"
> ><ca...@idx.com> wrote:
>
> >>I just had new Uniroyal Laredo tires installed today, thinking that would
> >>resolve an apparent wheel balance problem; but the truck is still
> >>vibrating at 55-65mph. Is there a known problem with '92 Explorers
> >>vibrating like this? I have called the dealer and he didn't know of any
> >>"kits" to fix a non-wheel vibration, but suggested that it could be 1)
> >>wheel out of round, 2) motor mount problem, 3) driveshaft out of balance.
> >>It seems more of a suspension problem to me. It seems like the problem
> >>has just surfaced about 6 mos. ago and is getting steadily worse. Any
> >>experience with this? This is a '92 Explorer XLT, 4WD, 4.0L, 58K miles,
> >>midnight blue and recently waxed :).
Just in case your dealer claims ignorance, which most do until you show
them that you know what you are talking about, there is a Ford Technical
Service Bulletin covering this problem. There may be more than one, but
the one I am aware of is dated July 1993, its Service Bulletin Number is
BC1821930804, and the NHTSA (National Highway and Traffic Safety
Administration) Number is SB034866. This problem will not go away with
new tires, balancing, front end alignment, etc. You either live with it,
or fork out > $900.00 to your Ford Dealer to modify your Explorer to
work the way it should have worked it they designed the damned thing
right in the first place!!! By the way, you will soon start experiencing
the knocking/banging noise from your radius arm bushings, which is
another Ford Explorer design flaw. Make sure you don't go on wild goose
chases fixing the wrong thing. This will set you back about 250-300
bucks. Get it done by someone you trust, and use MOOG parts. I also have
a Midnight Blue Explorer (1991). You will probably also notice your
paint starting to come off sometime in the near future (Courtesy of
Ford, where Quality is still Job One!!!!!)
tas
Michael Wencl wrote:
>
> bmea...@ix.netcom.com (Brad Meacham) wrote:
>
> >In article <01bb7e57.05c6f4c0$79f1...@cass.idx.com>, "Bryan Cass"
> ><ca...@idx.com> wrote:
>
> >>I just had new Uniroyal Laredo tires installed today, thinking that would
> >>resolve an apparent wheel balance problem; but the truck is still
> >>vibrating at 55-65mph. Is there a known problem with '92 Explorers
> >>vibrating like this? I have called the dealer and he didn't know of any
> >>"kits" to fix a non-wheel vibration, but suggested that it could be 1)
> >>wheel out of round, 2) motor mount problem, 3) driveshaft out of balance.
> >>It seems more of a suspension problem to me. It seems like the problem
> >>has just surfaced about 6 mos. ago and is getting steadily worse. Any
> >>experience with this? This is a '92 Explorer XLT, 4WD, 4.0L, 58K miles,
> >>midnight blue and recently waxed :).
> >>
vibration started at about 60,000 miles I replaced all the ujoint in the
drive lines, new tries, new rotors, new motor mounts. The viberation
lessen some but was still noticable at 55-65 mph. I don't know for a
fact but i think the vibration was due to my automatic transmission
failing. at 70,000 miles the transmission case broke ant the rear. This
little problem has cost me another $2,000.00.
With my experiance with this 1992 Ford XLT Explorer I will not be in any
hurry to buy another Ford product. By the way it's also Blue
Jacques Duplantis
>When I read this letter I thought that I had wrote it myself. The
>vibration started at about 60,000 miles I replaced all the ujoint in the
>drive lines, new tries, new rotors, new motor mounts. The viberation
>lessen some but was still noticable at 55-65 mph. I don't know for a
>fact but i think the vibration was due to my automatic transmission
>failing. at 70,000 miles the transmission case broke ant the rear. This
>little problem has cost me another $2,000.00.
>With my experiance with this 1992 Ford XLT Explorer I will not be in any
>hurry to buy another Ford product. By the way it's also Blue
Same problem here- 1992 Midnight Blue XLT 2wd. In the last couple of
weeks, I have been noticing the vibration that everyone is talking about.
Plus I am also hearing a "knocking noise" from the front end sometimes. It
sounds like something bottoming-out, but it isn't, is this from the radius
arm bushings? I had them replaced at 34K and I am now at 73K. In general, my
whole suspension is going south, although I will blame that on some off-road
abuse. I plan on changing all 4 shocks to Bilsteins unless anyone thinks
differently, and then possibly replacing all of the bushings with the
senthetic poly-what ever bushings over the whole front and rear suspension.
Also possibly new leaf springs in rear. Anyone do this yet- is it feasible to
do myself? Cost?
Jacques
Aerik
On Thu, 31 Oct 1996 17:16:23 GMT, we...@wdroc.wdc.com (Michael Wencl)
wrote:
>>>I just had new Uniroyal Laredo tires installed today, thinking that would
>>>resolve an apparent wheel balance problem; but the truck is still
>>>vibrating at 55-65mph. Is there a known problem with '92 Explorers
>>>vibrating like this? I have called the dealer and he didn't know of any
>>>"kits" to fix a non-wheel vibration, but suggested that it could be 1)
>>>wheel out of round, 2) motor mount problem, 3) driveshaft out of balance.
Same problem with my '94 Mazda Navajo (Explorer Sport Clone) It
started after i put 31x10.50's on it. BFGoodrich said to run the
larger tires with 25lbs in the tires to get them to ride right. It
helped a lot, but the vibe is still there, just not as noticable. And
oh yeah, the dealers all played dumb. Stupid is as stupid does...
jrc...@ibm.net
Hello!
I had the same problem on a 94 XLT 4x4. Initially, the dealer told it was caused by
the "aggressive" tread on the tires. After presing the issue, they came up with the
following Special Service Message:
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Vibration concerns
A new engine mounting system with improved engine movement dampening
capability is in development to service concerns of lateral shake on rough roads
under 45 MPH and high speed shake/vibration 55-65 MPH. During a recent testing
phase, engineering determined that a change must be made to one of the
insulator attaching brackets.
[more tech stuff snipped]
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
I got this info in the middle of 95.
This fix was supposed to be avaialble at the end of 95. The dealer told me the
fix would be covered under warranty. At the end of 95 I was told there was some
problem with the fix and that it would take even longer. I have since sold the car
and have no idea if the fix ever materialized. I have the entire text of the SSM
if anyone is interested. I hope this info helps.
John
Mike & Cyndi
In article <56ejje$3hic$1...@news-s01.ny.us.ibm.net>, jrc...@ibm.net wrote:
> [more tech stuff snipped]
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
> I got this info in the middle of 95.
> This fix was supposed to be avaialble at the end of 95. The dealer told
me the
> fix would be covered under warranty. At the end of 95 I was told there
was some
> problem with the fix and that it would take even longer. I have since
sold the car
> and have no idea if the fix ever materialized. I have the entire text of
the SSM
> if anyone is interested. I hope this info helps.
>
> John
pictures of the $1200 Ford fix from others if they have any. I've heard
the descriptions but a picture is worth a thousand words.
Please email as well as post since my News sucks.
Thanks.
