Has anyone experienced or heard of vibration problems associated with the exhaust systems on 04 models. V6 XLT There is a TSB relating to high speed vibrations felt in the vehicle but that suggests replacing the rear driveshaft due to an improper balance issue. This is a different issue. The vibration is real bad in the 2100-2400 RPM range.Both exhaust manifolds and initial sections of downpipe in front of the Cat just shake as you bring the revs up in park. And oh yea, thats the rpm range for crusing at 70 mph so its shake,rattle and roll forever on the highway.
And the reason for not having it repaired under warranty would be??????
I'm somewhat familiar with the driveline vibration but don't recall any TSBs on engine vibration...
It is highly unlikely that the exhaust system would be the cause of the vibration (not impossible, but exhausts are more conductor or responder than generator).... The first step in any logical approach would be to remove the FEADB (front engine accessory drive belt) and run the motor to the affected rpm and not any changes. If the vibration remains unchanged, it is likely an engine or torque convertor concern... if the vibration goes away, the easiest way would be to use an electronic vibration analyzer or even a sirometer to determine the frequency of the vibration... from there we can use the engine rpm and the differing pulley diameters (plus a little math) to isolate the the problem accessory.
If it is the engine itself, the first order of the day would be to loosen the engine and transmission mount and jostle the mounts with a lever to "relax" them and rechecking....
Bear in mind that any "unorthodox" repair attempts may void your factory warranty or result in a charge to you...... Even with my SuperCrew, any warrantable repairs I perform myself but at least I can get paid for it....
Jim Thanks for the reply. I fully intend to have it fixed under warranty. It's done this since day 1. I was looking for some sugggestions before my meeting today with the service people to discuss the fix options. This is my 5th Explorer so I am pretty familiar with them. Its an engine or exhaust problem,not driveline. At 2100-2400 rpm it feels like your foot is resting on an electric razor not the gas pedal.If you grab the exhaust in front of the CAT. the exhaust pipes really shake through the rpm range (750-3000) They are a little reluctant to search for the cause without a TSB to guide them. Then again; its theirs to fix. Thanks again Tom
Hmmmm.... strange that a dealership would be reluctant to fix something they sold..... Hopefully they've sent some of their techs for Ford training and realize that the engineers on the tech hotline are there to help.
At any rate, their initial diagnostics should run pretty much like I described them. The EVA (electronic vibration analyzer) is a tad spendy and I wouldn't expect every dealership to have one, but the sirometer (also called a vibratach) is only about $30 and should normally yield the same results as the EVA though not quite as fast and not quite as fancy. Knowing the frequency (rpm) of the vibration most often helps affecting a timely repair.
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