'00 Silverado Vibration

Annihilator · January 14, 2010

Hi guys, at around 40mph, I can feel my steering wheel vibrate. It continues to get worse and the whole truck shakes past 55mph. However, it becomes smoother after 65mph. I went to two mechanics and both said I needed an idler arm & bracket, pitman arm, and tie rod ends. I got all that done including an alignment and my steering is tighter but the vibe is still there. Good thing I didn't pay them to do it! I'm thinking imbalanced driveshaft or bad u joints. What do you guys think?

AlenWoods · January 14, 2010

I had this SAME EXACT PROBLEM. I had went and got all the alignments and shit... And guess what... it still shook. There was a lump in my tire... you couldnt see with your eyes but you could feel it. I BET its your tires.

BKfirefighter3221 · January 14, 2010

Definately have your tires balanced before you do anything else. A good balancer will know if you have a broken belt in the tire, the lump that Alen is talking about. It's cheep and anytime you have a vibration, especially at higher speeds, check balance. Even if it has been done recently, a weight could have fallen off or the right pot hole can damage the tire causing an imbalance. Driveshafts on newer vehicles rairly become unbalanced but I have seen the weights on those fall off too. A bad u-joint can also cause a bad vibration, to properly check them the driveshaft has to be removed and feel for "flat spots" when turning the joint in all directions. I have seen u-joints cause some strange vibrations, WITH OUT making any noises. Good luck!

AlenWoods · January 14, 2010

^

| Exactly what he said. Man All because of one tire on my truck my steering wheel went NUTS i was freaking out.. But it was just a simple cheap fix.

Annihilator · January 14, 2010

Tires were actually next on my list for they are pretty shot. I was guessing drive-shaft also because i hear a couple clunks on take off. Maybe its both! lol. I'm gonna get some new used tires put on tomorrow and will let you guys know!

Nytemare · January 14, 2010

Tires were actually next on my list for they are pretty shot. I was guessing drive-shaft also because i hear a couple clunks on take off. Maybe its both! lol. I'm gonna get some new used tires put on tomorrow and will let you guys know!

Well, replace your tires...seeing you need them anyway..and if it doesn't fix the issue, it could be a bad U-joint But U-joints usually give a loud clunk when you shift between PNRD with your foot solid on the brake. Also...they start to vibrate at 40 and its almost totally gone by 70...so I see why you could have been thinking U-joint.

Like was said...replace your tires first...you have to anyway...so it wont be a waste of money or anything.

BKfirefighter3221 · January 14, 2010

Some GM trucks have a service bulletin about driveline clunks. A new nickel plated driveshaft yoke at the front of the rear shaft is availible that is supposed to allow smoother slipping in and out of the transfercase or transmission. Have seen this a few times, clunks at the end of a stop or take off, and between PRND. First time we tried just cleaning old yoke and greasing the hell out of it but the truck was back in a few months. The new yokes aren't cheap either, over 200 bucks if I remember right!

Nytemare · January 14, 2010

Some GM trucks have a service bulletin about driveline clunks. A new nickel plated driveshaft yoke at the front of the rear shaft is availible that is supposed to allow smoother slipping in and out of the transfercase or transmission. Have seen this a few times, clunks at the end of a stop or take off, and between PRND. First time we tried just cleaning old yoke and greasing the hell out of it but the truck was back in a few months. The new yokes aren't cheap either, over 200 bucks if I remember right!

He has a vibration issue man....

Also, the driveline clunk for u-joints and slip yoke is a very different sound....and u-joint clunks also present with a vibration accompanying the clunk.

Good Info though none the less.

BKfirefighter3221 · January 14, 2010

Some GM trucks have a service bulletin about driveline clunks. A new nickel plated driveshaft yoke at the front of the rear shaft is availible that is supposed to allow smoother slipping in and out of the transfercase or transmission. Have seen this a few times, clunks at the end of a stop or take off, and between PRND. First time we tried just cleaning old yoke and greasing the hell out of it but the truck was back in a few months. The new yokes aren't cheap either, over 200 bucks if I remember right!

He has a vibration issue man....

Also, the driveline clunk for u-joints and slip yoke is a very different sound....and u-joint clunks also present with a vibration accompanying the clunk.

Good Info though none the less.

He also said "Tires were actually next on my list for they are pretty shot. I was guessing drive-shaft also because i hear a couple clunks on take off. Maybe its both! lol. I'm gonna get some new used tires put on tomorrow and will let you guys know!" And I can only speek for myself here, I have been a licensed mechanic for over 10 years and I have seen several u-joints causing a vibration and NO noise what so ever.... besides your teeth rattling, lol. Had one in last week.

Nytemare · January 14, 2010

Some GM trucks have a service bulletin about driveline clunks. A new nickel plated driveshaft yoke at the front of the rear shaft is availible that is supposed to allow smoother slipping in and out of the transfercase or transmission. Have seen this a few times, clunks at the end of a stop or take off, and between PRND. First time we tried just cleaning old yoke and greasing the hell out of it but the truck was back in a few months. The new yokes aren't cheap either, over 200 bucks if I remember right!

He has a vibration issue man....

Also, the driveline clunk for u-joints and slip yoke is a very different sound....and u-joint clunks also present with a vibration accompanying the clunk.

Good Info though none the less.

He also said "Tires were actually next on my list for they are pretty shot. I was guessing drive-shaft also because i hear a couple clunks on take off. Maybe its both! lol. I'm gonna get some new used tires put on tomorrow and will let you guys know!" And I can only speek for myself here, I have been a licensed mechanic for over 10 years and I have seen several u-joints causing a vibration and NO noise what so ever.... besides your teeth rattling, lol. Had one in last week.

Ahhh...guess I'm starting to go blind too with the deafness...LOL

Yeah I have seen lots too....depends on how bad they get. If they vibrate for a while though...they will inevitably start clunking.

And yeah...could be both.

BKfirefighter3221 · January 14, 2010

Some GM trucks have a service bulletin about driveline clunks. A new nickel plated driveshaft yoke at the front of the rear shaft is availible that is supposed to allow smoother slipping in and out of the transfercase or transmission. Have seen this a few times, clunks at the end of a stop or take off, and between PRND. First time we tried just cleaning old yoke and greasing the hell out of it but the truck was back in a few months. The new yokes aren't cheap either, over 200 bucks if I remember right!

He has a vibration issue man....

Also, the driveline clunk for u-joints and slip yoke is a very different sound....and u-joint clunks also present with a vibration accompanying the clunk.

Good Info though none the less.

He also said "Tires were actually next on my list for they are pretty shot. I was guessing drive-shaft also because i hear a couple clunks on take off. Maybe its both! lol. I'm gonna get some new used tires put on tomorrow and will let you guys know!" And I can only speek for myself here, I have been a licensed mechanic for over 10 years and I have seen several u-joints causing a vibration and NO noise what so ever.... besides your teeth rattling, lol. Had one in last week.

Ahhh...guess I'm starting to go blind too with the deafness...LOL

Yeah I have seen lots too....depends on how bad they get. If they vibrate for a while though...they will inevitably start clunking.

And yeah...could be both.

No worries Nytemare, you're totally right... One note about u-joints, FIX THEM ASAP!!!! My father has a 2004 K2500 duramax/allison and at 65,000 miles on the way back from Florida he noticed a slight vibration. They got home, dropped the 5th wheel and came to see me. I told him leave your truck and take mine I'll check it in a bit. Well, he decided to get back on the expressway and find out at what speed it started and how bad it was w/o the 5th wheel attached. Long story short, 5 miles on the e-way and BANG, u-joint failed, and cracked the Allison case 3/4 of the way around it. OOPS!!! Should have listened to me. 4500.00 later, normally probably a $8-10,000.00 job, he got a reman Jasper in it with a heafty core charge...

Nytemare · January 15, 2010

Some GM trucks have a service bulletin about driveline clunks. A new nickel plated driveshaft yoke at the front of the rear shaft is availible that is supposed to allow smoother slipping in and out of the transfercase or transmission. Have seen this a few times, clunks at the end of a stop or take off, and between PRND. First time we tried just cleaning old yoke and greasing the hell out of it but the truck was back in a few months. The new yokes aren't cheap either, over 200 bucks if I remember right!

He has a vibration issue man....

Also, the driveline clunk for u-joints and slip yoke is a very different sound....and u-joint clunks also present with a vibration accompanying the clunk.

Good Info though none the less.

He also said "Tires were actually next on my list for they are pretty shot. I was guessing drive-shaft also because i hear a couple clunks on take off. Maybe its both! lol. I'm gonna get some new used tires put on tomorrow and will let you guys know!" And I can only speek for myself here, I have been a licensed mechanic for over 10 years and I have seen several u-joints causing a vibration and NO noise what so ever.... besides your teeth rattling, lol. Had one in last week.

Ahhh...guess I'm starting to go blind too with the deafness...LOL

Yeah I have seen lots too....depends on how bad they get. If they vibrate for a while though...they will inevitably start clunking.

And yeah...could be both.

No worries Nytemare, you're totally right... One note about u-joints, FIX THEM ASAP!!!! My father has a 2004 K2500 duramax/allison and at 65,000 miles on the way back from Florida he noticed a slight vibration. They got home, dropped the 5th wheel and came to see me. I told him leave your truck and take mine I'll check it in a bit. Well, he decided to get back on the expressway and find out at what speed it started and how bad it was w/o the 5th wheel attached. Long story short, 5 miles on the e-way and BANG, u-joint failed, and cracked the Allison case 3/4 of the way around it. OOPS!!! Should have listened to me. 4500.00 later, normally probably a $8-10,000.00 job, he got a reman Jasper in it with a heafty core charge...

yeah...A dirty max will do that...

Annihilator · January 15, 2010

Newer tires put on and still vibrates. Looks like its the u-joints. I'll let you guys know what the shop says!

Nytemare · January 15, 2010

Newer tires put on and still vibrates. Looks like its the u-joints. I'll let you guys know what the shop says!

More than likely...yeah...let us know.

Annihilator · January 15, 2010

Well the vibration is gone. We first pulled the shaft and checked the u-joints. The rear one had a flat spot and was missing a clip. The rear pinion yoke has a groove dug in it from the pinion seal wobbling and caused a rear dif leak. The mating surface on the yoke wasn't smooth either. So after a new u joint and yoke the problem is gone. Now I can hear that I have a bad tire or wheel bearing lol. If its not one thing its another!