Could my driveline vibration be CV joints?
01-22-2018, 11:46 AM
#1
Drifting
Thread Starter
Could my driveline vibration be CV joints?
I have a drivability issue that has me baffled. I have verified all wheels and tires are good. All shocks and suspensions parts are good. Wheel bearings seem ok.
I can feel it at a slow roll. It feels like the car is rising up and down rhythmically. At 60mph and above, it is very noticeable.
Is it possible one or both CV joints is the culprit? They aren't noisy and don't appear damaged. I've inspected them visually. Both have boots intact and seem ok, but how do I check them for damage without removing them? Is there an amount of play in them that would indicate a problem?
I can feel it at a slow roll. It feels like the car is rising up and down rhythmically. At 60mph and above, it is very noticeable.
Is it possible one or both CV joints is the culprit? They aren't noisy and don't appear damaged. I've inspected them visually. Both have boots intact and seem ok, but how do I check them for damage without removing them? Is there an amount of play in them that would indicate a problem?
01-22-2018, 12:14 PM
#3
Drifting
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01-22-2018, 12:33 PM
#4
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Tyre shops have been known to get it wrong. Perhaps you might consider jacking the rear end up and eyeball the wheels whilst rotating at idle speed just to see if you can see anything that looks a bit oddball. If nothing else it might help eliminate a few things. If you opt to try this needless to say take a good look both sides.
01-22-2018, 12:40 PM
#5
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Brett --
Was the vibration present before you replaced the tires? CV joint failure tends to be a slow process. The vibrations tend to appear and disappear at different road speeds as resonant points in suspension movement and damping are found. If the symptom suddenly appeared after a tire change, I'd be looking at the tires and wheel mountings first.
Was the vibration present before you replaced the tires? CV joint failure tends to be a slow process. The vibrations tend to appear and disappear at different road speeds as resonant points in suspension movement and damping are found. If the symptom suddenly appeared after a tire change, I'd be looking at the tires and wheel mountings first.
01-22-2018, 01:20 PM
#6
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Tyre shops have been known to get it wrong. Perhaps you might consider jacking the rear end up and eyeball the wheels whilst rotating at idle speed just to see if you can see anything that looks a bit oddball. If nothing else it might help eliminate a few things. If you opt to try this needless to say take a good look both sides.
In an ideal situation there would be a way to support the rear suspension carriers "softly" with the rear of the car in the air a bit. That way the carriers could move similar to the way they do wheil supported by the tires. I might need to invent an air-bag-and-spring jack for lifting by the suspension... Until then, follow Fred's advice exactly. With the suspension dangling at full extension, the angles on the CV joints are extreme. Stay with slow speeds on them as you observe to prevent possible CV joint damage.
01-22-2018, 01:21 PM
#7
Drifting
Just as a data point, when my cv went bad, it would make a loud pop and crack noise, usually when I made a turn.
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01-22-2018, 03:07 PM
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01-22-2018, 04:03 PM
#9
Drifting
Thread Starter
Brett --
Was the vibration present before you replaced the tires? CV joint failure tends to be a slow process. The vibrations tend to appear and disappear at different road speeds as resonant points in suspension movement and damping are found. If the symptom suddenly appeared after a tire change, I'd be looking at the tires and wheel mountings first.
Was the vibration present before you replaced the tires? CV joint failure tends to be a slow process. The vibrations tend to appear and disappear at different road speeds as resonant points in suspension movement and damping are found. If the symptom suddenly appeared after a tire change, I'd be looking at the tires and wheel mountings first.
01-22-2018, 04:07 PM
#10
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Maybe your CV joints (or CV joint, as applicable) were serviced previously and the reinstallation was incorrect. I think you would only know if you loosen the diff end and check the CV joint for full rotation and movement, but Fred's method could help you find the problem as well methinks.
Last edited by soontobered84; 01-23-2018 at 12:41 AM.
01-22-2018, 05:42 PM
#12
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Yes, they (CV joints) can cause vibration even without all the other ‘common’ bad-CV symptoms.
A couple of years ago, I had an ‘88S4 here with speed-dependent / speed-proportional vibration. You could feel that something NVH-related wasn’t right even at school zone speeds. I went through the whole process: road-force balancing tires on known-true wheels, front wheel bearing adjustment, checking ball joints, bushings, transaxle flanges, pinch bolts, alignment...
I happened to have two very-young freshly re-packed 1/2-shafts and swapped them-in. I could tell that the problem was cured as soon as I put it in D and drove away. So, got two rebuilt 1/2-shafts from Mark and it was all good.
A couple of years ago, I had an ‘88S4 here with speed-dependent / speed-proportional vibration. You could feel that something NVH-related wasn’t right even at school zone speeds. I went through the whole process: road-force balancing tires on known-true wheels, front wheel bearing adjustment, checking ball joints, bushings, transaxle flanges, pinch bolts, alignment...
I happened to have two very-young freshly re-packed 1/2-shafts and swapped them-in. I could tell that the problem was cured as soon as I put it in D and drove away. So, got two rebuilt 1/2-shafts from Mark and it was all good.
02-06-2018, 01:34 PM
#13
Drifting
Thread Starter
I had a local German Performance shop check the car out. They verified that the wheel bearings and cv shafts are ok and the wheels and tires are ok. They want me to bring it back for a complete driveline inspection/troubleshooting. The vibration is bad at 60 and gets very rhythmic at 80. I can feel it at a slow roll, like the car is rising up and down. It feels so much like a tire or wheel is out of round, but I have been assured they are all ok.
So, could my issue be related to the torque tube, torque converter, or flex plate? If so, how do I diagnose? I'll be getting under there soon to install the ritech clamp I bought, so what to look for?
So, could my issue be related to the torque tube, torque converter, or flex plate? If so, how do I diagnose? I'll be getting under there soon to install the ritech clamp I bought, so what to look for?
