94 superduty bad shake,wobble,vibration!!

[94f450sd]

hopefully im in the right place.

i have had this truck for 3 years and it has had the same shake,wobble,vibration in it.so far i have replaced front axle,steering linkages,steering stabilizer,front spring eye bushings,front spring shackle bushings.spider gears,pinion bearings,rebuilt the E brake assembly 4 times at 450.00 each time,U Joints,carrier bearing,tires,rims,had the wheels balanced 15 freakin times,watched for bent /warped rims while being balanced,i just spent 1500.00 replaceing the rear springs,helper springs and shackles.its driving me nuts .it has what feels like a side to side wobble but everything in the front end is new :***: !!its real bad at 65MPH go faster and its somewhat bearable.i towed an 02 caddy CTS yesterday and the lady that owned it must have enjoyed the whole ride cuzz she didnt talk much :Sly .

what next?should i just replace the E brake assembly for 1800.00.if i spend that much and it still does it im gonna be pissed!!

 

[towcat]

rich-
you're in the right dept. the frames and suspensions on these monsters are trully unique. tell me more about your vibration. Where do you feel it coming from? front? rear? steering wheel? Also, how many sections to your driveshaft do you have? Lastly, what speed are you at when the vibration starts to hit?

 

[94f450sd]

the vibration/shake feels like it starts at the back of it and goes through the truck to the front then starts going back to the back again.that usually starts around 50MPH.

the wobbly feeling is anytime under 50MPH.that feels like it starts in the center of it and works its way to the sides of the truck.its the worse around 45mph.my driveshaft is a 2 piece shaft.ive replaced both pieces of that also.i even replaced all 4 rotors cuz they were warped.

 

[towcat]

you win the prize for that vibration....
first, just for S&G what condition is the panhard rod mount at your crossmember? any rusty streaks or cracks? Also, have you had anybody work the steering when the truck is shut down and have you observed movement in the engine crossmember to the frame rails? I've seen that movement in the past and wound up putting in frame bolts in place of the rivets.
Ok...you have a two piece driveshaft....when you replaced some/all segments and U-joints....did the whole unit get spin balanced? One more thing, I know you did a graft job on your chassis, did you check your driveline angles after you got done.
Just for reference, I have a 3piece on mime. Back in the days I was busy, I changed out u-joints yearly, the center supports every other year, and had the whole assy spin balanced each time. A friend of mime owns a driveline shop and I got to see the harmonics these driveshafts put out, that's what got me to look closely at mime on a routine basis. my third segment(between the park brake and 1st support) is a add-on to the factory setup on the rear two. It might do you good to investigate the length of your rear shaft, your problem might be in the 2piece setup. also, what condition is the slip joint on the shaft?

 

[94f450sd]

all crossmembers are tight the panhard mount is tight.the panhard bar is new also.when i stretched the frame everything was checked a million and half times before,during and after it was welded,its straight.the slip yoke was replaced also.i havent had the shafts balanced,maybe ill try that next.

ive also had the back of the truck off the ground and put in drive,brought it up to 65MPH and there is no vibration.ive run it up to 90mph without a vibration.

 

[Mike]

My vote goes for drive shaft as well..................

 

[94f450sd]

ok well i checked out the ragjoint on the steering coupler.it was oil soaked and falling apart.i had to order the whole steering shaft that goes between the column and box for 108.00.mayne it will help a little,it cant make it any worse.ive already spent way too much money trying to fix it so whats another 110.00

 

[towcat]

Get a price on getting your driveshaft assy balanced as well. You will be suprised the difference it will make.

 

[94f450sd]

ok well i replaced the steering shaft and adjusted the steering box and its still there.its definately in the front end somewhere.i gotta check the U-bolts and other parts and see if anything isloose i guess.

 

[tbirdfiend281]

so your 100% sure its not in the rear? hows your tire wear?

 

[94f450sd]

my tire wear is fine.the last set of tires lasted me 2 years.i think i know what it is.i just dont want to spend the 1800 bux on the E brake assembly.any body have a good used one they wanna sell me?

 

[Mike]

E-brake assy? Causing a vibe?

 

[towcat]

E-brake assy? Causing a vibe?

possible. e-brake assy's on the f450's are hung off the ass of the trans. I am still of the opinion of checking out the driveline balance since the ebrake assy will be the weak link on asorbing the harmonics and this one will be #5 from his truck.

 

[tbirdfiend281]

i would measure the rotating items of the truck before you spend the 1800, id also look for a way to get rid of that style ebrake if it is causing you that much issues

 

[towcat]

... before you spend the 1800, id also look for a way to get rid of that style ebrake if it is causing you that much issues

tbird-
guess you haven't worked on a early f450 yet. there is no other choice for an ebrake location. unless you are looking to reinvent the wheel, there is no provision for an ebrake on the dana80 on these trucks.