Shake or Vibration Issues

[tlevine99]

2wd 70-80 mpg shakes like no tomorrow put into auto same thing plus you can here the vibration coming off driveshaft underneath you

[tlevine99]

2wd 70-80 mpg shakes like no tomorrow put into auto same thing plus you can here the vibration coming off driveshaft underneath you

[Wrench589]

2wd 70-80 mpg shakes like no tomorrow put into auto same thing plus you can here the vibration coming off driveshaft underneath you

OK, fair enough. I was just thinking it was in the front end somehow. As I said, or vibration is worse in 4 auto so what every is causing it is only spinning when when the 4 auto is selected.

 

Of course, ours has the dreaded "buffeting and ear pressure" problem as discussed over on the SUV thread, which to be honest is significantly worse than the vibration we are experiencing. Sounds like the pickups have a worse vibration issue than the SUVs. Since the platform is shared, wonder if it have anything to do with the totally different rear suspension between the two? Leafs in the pickups, coils in the SUVs? Don't know. Just thinking out loud.

[pm26]

Rear spring suspension vs rear coil suspension should not make any difference as far as level of perceptible vibration is concerned when driving the vehicle on a smooth road. Typically, leaf springs will give a vehicle a stiffer ride and somewhat rougher ride, especially when hitting a bump or pothole, but it really should not cause more vibration. Leaf springs are typically used on live rigid axles on vehicles that require large load carrying capacity. You will typically see only coil springs on an independent rear suspension.

 

When an auto manufacturer starts cutting corners on the quality control at all levels, everything is suspect. Runout on the axles could be excessive. Brake rotors may not be balanced properly. Drive shafts can be welded wrong and balanced wrong. U joints could be pressed in wrong. Wheel hub bearings may be pressed in crooked and damaged in the process. Tires can be bad or improperly balanced. Engine flywheel may be balanced improperly. Differentials may be improperly assembled. Transmission parts may not be assembled properly and cause vibration. Although most vibration problems seem to be caused by tire issues, there seem to be other root causes that are very difficult to find and fix.

Edited March 21, 2015 by pm26

[Wrench589]

Fundamentally, I would agree that leaf spring rear suspension is no more or less likely to be the "cause" of vibration than any other type of suspension. In fact, a suspension itself is unlikely to cause a vibration, as it really doesn't move in that manner. It can, however, play a role in transmitting or amplifying a vibration in some situations. But, there is absolutely no question that the two suspensions will have different properties at some level and behave differently. Otherwise, why would GM spend more money to develop and build the coil spring suspension in the SUVs. Differences in stiffness, damping, and ride quality to name a few. The point is, differences.

 

All I was trying to do is point out that the rear suspension is one area of difference between the pickups and the SUVs. Since the SUVs seem have less vibration issues, that could be more than coincidence. Rule number one in Root Cause Failure Analysis and troubleshooting is to look at what is different or changed between two states that behave differently. 9 times out of 10, that's where the answer will be. I was merely trying to point that out.

 

Other than that, yes, there is a plethora of possible causes of vibration.

[bogeypro]

Don't believe the bad tire business the dealers give. GM has a major problem.

[1MOGAN]

I had the same problem. My truck went to the shop 3 times in a month and a half.....road forced balanced three times and three sets of tires including the originals. The last time they changed the rear rims and that fixed it. I bought the truck brand new in september....and in the first 2 months I had three sets of tires. I didn't notice vibration until between 65 mph and above.

I met with the general manager and if there would have been a 4th time ... it would have been an issue for a gm regional rep. 45k is a lot of money for a truck with these issues....still love the truck though.

[Cravenfan]

Noticed a vibration today, which caused my headliner to rattle...great.

[pm26]

Noticed a vibration today, which caused my headliner to rattle...great.

Just think of your truck as a tool like this one, just a lot more powerful:

 

http://www.harborfreight.com/power-tools/concrete-vibrators/concrete-vibrator-42947.html

Edited March 23, 2015 by pm26

[FrustratedCasey]

Plese help.. I bought my 14 Silverado 1500 LT 3 weeks ago. I have the 20' rims too. I can't go over 70 without the truck shaking. Its already been back to the dealer twice...and they've spent close to $2200 putting on three sets of tires. Next week their getting a special set shipped directly from Detroit. It's so frustrating because their at least 25 mins from me. Im trying to convince them it's obviously not the tires...three sets wouldn't be bad???

 

I've read about drive shaft issues?? I'm trying to convince them, but of course girls can't possibly know about trucks...

 

Please help me... i need all the knowledge I can get before they callme in a few days.

[1MOGAN]

Get a lawyer Bc that was my next move after they swapped rims...I had 3 set of tires too....truck had 2 miles on it when I bought it and by 3k miles it had 3 sets of tires. After rims...it got a lot better but you can still feel it a little bit. I get every excuse you could imagine. Good luck.

[2014bluesle4x4DC]

Has anyone else on here had their truck stall out after accelerating? Just happened to me the other day. Brought it into the dealer, they said they were having problems with electronic throttle control module. They ran the dio on it no codes came up, said to drive it until it happens again.After having this happen the truck seems to be very sluggish taking off now. 26 500 km on the truck, can't wait to see the problems at 50 000km. Frame rust is absolutely horrible on this truck.

[Wrench589]

Plese help.. I bought my 14 Silverado 1500 LT 3 weeks ago. I have the 20' rims too. I can't go over 70 without the truck shaking. Its already been back to the dealer twice...and they've spent close to $2200 putting on three sets of tires. Next week their getting a special set shipped directly from Detroit. It's so frustrating because their at least 25 mins from me. Im trying to convince them it's obviously not the tires...three sets wouldn't be bad???

I've read about drive shaft issues?? I'm trying to convince them, but of course girls can't possibly know about trucks...

Please help me... i need all the knowledge I can get before they callme in a few days.

Well, if they are putting new tires on it, insist that they do a proper Roadforce balance. Insist they Forcematch all 4 wheels and tires, and measure rim runouts first with the tires removed. Everything should be done using the stud adapter (not the centring cone). And, insist they do the "Centering" check that the Hunter machine can do first. And, insist they Roadforce balance to a maximum of 15 lb per the latest GM bulletin.

 

If they don't know what all that is, they they are not competent to do Roadforce balance. If they say it's not necessary, then they are not competent to do Roadforce balancing. If they don't give you the printouts after, to show they did it all, then they are not competent to do Roadforce balancing or are hiding something.

 

I'm not saying this will solve the vibration problem, but unless they do all that when they install new tires in an attempt to solve a vibration problem, they are wasting their time and yours. And, by the way, this is all pretty much covered in a GM bulletin some where. Doesn't mean every dealer follows it properly, but that is how it should be done.

Edited March 24, 2015 by Wrench589

[pm26]

It also helps a lot to calibrate the wheel balancer just before using it. Do all dealerships carry wheel lug adapters? You still need to use an inner centering cone with the spring, and then the lug adapter is used to tighten the wheel on the machine using lug holes. Even if indicated road force variation is low, it is still possible to balance the wheels wrong. I would have all four wheels checked for balance by a good independent tire shop. I have seen dealership balance wheels wrong over and over again.

 

If the wheels are eliminated as the source of vibration, the next step is to check the pinion shaft nut for tightness, then examine the drive shaft. Why do dealerships simply try replacing parts at random rather than sending suspect parts such as drive shafts out and have a qualified shop check them for straightness, maximum runout, and proper balance first?

 

Here is what I recommend for wheel balancing:

 

1. Calibrate the machine before use. This is easy with Hunter 9700 and involves inserting a calibration weight into two threaded holes on the machine flange and running through the calibration cycle

 

2. Select a centering cone that is small enough not to catch the outer lip of the center hole (some wheels have that outer lip). It is not a bad idea to coat the cone with light oil, as well as the inner lip of the wheel to prevent binding and to ensure proper wheel centering. Use the inner centering cone with the spring.

 

3. Use either a pressure cup with a rubber non marring ring on the outside, or if available, a lug adapter, such as a Haweka brand plate, on the outside of wheel.

 

4. It is possible to mount the wheel by using a centering cone on the outside of wheel, but great care is required to properly support the wheel while mounting it. I have seen wheels balanced wrong by as much as 1 ounce out using this method if the operator is not careful.

 

4. Operators should not try to impress anyone how quickly they can throw the wheel on the machine, they should always take their time and carefully handle the wheel to avoid banging it against the hardened shaft of the balancer and dinging it or damaging the inner hole. Hardened steel will always ding softer aluminum. The bigger the wheel, the more carefully you need to mount it.

 

5. Make sure the operator selects the correct balancing mode and measures the wheel parameters correctly. The most common balancing mode is adhesive weights on the inside of the rim, and regular hammer on weights on the inner lip of the wheel.

 

5. After performing road force measurements, and correcting imbalance and attaching the weights, and spinning the wheel and watching "all zeros", I recommend taking the wheel off the balancer, then remounting it again, and spinning it one more time to see if the all zeros still appear. You would be amazed how much the readings may vary, depending how sloppily the wheel was mounted on the machine the first time.

 

6. There is also a fine balancing mode, where the machine does not round off the required weight to the nearest 1/4 ounce (7 grams) but displays the more accurate amount required. For larger truck wheels, rounding off to nearest 1/4 ounce is more than sufficient, as this will not result in any perceptible vibration if the wheels are balanced properly.

 

 

As a customer, you can at least request that the machine be calibrated just before balancing your wheels, and then ask to remount them again to check that they are balanced properly. And by taking them off and remounting I mean literally taking the wheel off the machine and remounting it. Merely respinning it will not do anything.

 

And once again, remember that "road force balancing" is a two step process:

 

1. measuring road force variation and if necessary, rotating the tire on the rim to minimize that variation and keep it below the established maximum permissible value.

 

2. correcting the wheel imbalance

 

If step number two is not performed correctly for whatever reason, you will still have vibration problems, even if you have perfectly round tires with zero road force variation. So if someone tells you that your wheels are properly balanced because they all have road force variation readings below 15 lbs, that is meaningless, unless the balancing portion was accomplished correctly.

Edited March 24, 2015 by pm26

[Shimmy Bang Bang]

Does anyone know where I can find the GM bulletin that refers the truck tires to be road force balanced to 15 pounds or less?

Edited March 24, 2015 by Singerado