Hey guys,
Have just finished a 10 day road trip which didnt start in the best possible way.
A week prior i noticed a bit of a vibration in the car across a range of speeds and was most noticeably when i applied load to the car. Whilst vibration was occurring i took my hands off the wheel and car tracked dead straight and had no feedback in the wheel so ruled out tyres and balancing issues. Got under the car that evening and noticed 1 of my front diff mounts was completely dead with the other 2 seeming solid and intact. Replaced with new OEM diff mounts and problem went away on that evenings test drive.
Next day set off on our trip and the vibration was back. Didnt really make a difference the speed, was more noticeable at the lower speeds of 10kmph to 60 kmph and would happen when driving straight or turning left or right, the vibration wasnt really discriminating any certain driving conditions. Going up to higher speeds the vibration was still there but its severity seemed to back off and wasnt as harsh. The vibration felt to be from the front of the car and my partner and I could both feel it on both sides. The vibration was in time with the RPM of the engine and felt like it was something rotating.
Quick troubleshooting I was thinking it was something in the front of the drive line due to how it felt so removed the front drive shaft and locked the center diff and went on a test drive and problem was completly gone. Driveshaft showed no play in the unis or any dents so was a bit stumbled when that was removed. Later had confirmed by mechanic that issue was not within the drive shaft and was somewhere else.
Proceded to go on the trip in 2wd with no vibration anywhere with the center diff locked. The trip was really done on road so was happy to go forth and see how the car behaved. A few days in we stumbled upon some dunes and with the car showing zero issues with the center diff locked i decided to put the front drive shaft back in and tackle the sand. Once again had no issues with both drive shafts in and locked.
Sadly the track ran out so we turned around and went back to the main road to get to our campsite. Decided to unlock the diff and see if the issue was still there and low and behold it was gone. Vibration didnt occur for another 3 days and roughly 300kms on the road.
On our last day with a big 1200km drive ahead i decided to leave the drive shaft in and would get it out if any issues appeared. Lasted about 100kms with no vibration but it did slowly come back so i thought just best to get rid of the shaft and lock the diff.
So thats the end of the story, have done a bit of searching around the place and am struggling to find anyone with a similar issues. To clairfy it isnt the driveline clunk, all gears work well and are fine it was a rotary vibration that changed with the RPM of the car. I am assuming my first place to check is the center diff and make sure that is all within spec? Ive read some guys have issues with the splines on the CVs so will also look into this but suspect not the issue as the vibration isolated with the center diff locked?
Apprecaite any help. Thanks guys.
Have just finished a 10 day road trip which didnt start in the best possible way.
A week prior i noticed a bit of a vibration in the car across a range of speeds and was most noticeably when i applied load to the car. Whilst vibration was occurring i took my hands off the wheel and car tracked dead straight and had no feedback in the wheel so ruled out tyres and balancing issues. Got under the car that evening and noticed 1 of my front diff mounts was completely dead with the other 2 seeming solid and intact. Replaced with new OEM diff mounts and problem went away on that evenings test drive.
Next day set off on our trip and the vibration was back. Didnt really make a difference the speed, was more noticeable at the lower speeds of 10kmph to 60 kmph and would happen when driving straight or turning left or right, the vibration wasnt really discriminating any certain driving conditions. Going up to higher speeds the vibration was still there but its severity seemed to back off and wasnt as harsh. The vibration felt to be from the front of the car and my partner and I could both feel it on both sides. The vibration was in time with the RPM of the engine and felt like it was something rotating.
Quick troubleshooting I was thinking it was something in the front of the drive line due to how it felt so removed the front drive shaft and locked the center diff and went on a test drive and problem was completly gone. Driveshaft showed no play in the unis or any dents so was a bit stumbled when that was removed. Later had confirmed by mechanic that issue was not within the drive shaft and was somewhere else.
Proceded to go on the trip in 2wd with no vibration anywhere with the center diff locked. The trip was really done on road so was happy to go forth and see how the car behaved. A few days in we stumbled upon some dunes and with the car showing zero issues with the center diff locked i decided to put the front drive shaft back in and tackle the sand. Once again had no issues with both drive shafts in and locked.
Sadly the track ran out so we turned around and went back to the main road to get to our campsite. Decided to unlock the diff and see if the issue was still there and low and behold it was gone. Vibration didnt occur for another 3 days and roughly 300kms on the road.
On our last day with a big 1200km drive ahead i decided to leave the drive shaft in and would get it out if any issues appeared. Lasted about 100kms with no vibration but it did slowly come back so i thought just best to get rid of the shaft and lock the diff.
So thats the end of the story, have done a bit of searching around the place and am struggling to find anyone with a similar issues. To clairfy it isnt the driveline clunk, all gears work well and are fine it was a rotary vibration that changed with the RPM of the car. I am assuming my first place to check is the center diff and make sure that is all within spec? Ive read some guys have issues with the splines on the CVs so will also look into this but suspect not the issue as the vibration isolated with the center diff locked?
Apprecaite any help. Thanks guys.
