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I got the oil up to a satisfactory level and the CEL went away, so at least that’s one problem gone. Revving the engine in neutral doesn’t produce any vibrations. For having the kind of mileage its got, without ever being rebuilt, I’d say it runs exceptionally well. Like I mentioned I plan on putting the truck on some jack stands this weekend and seeing if I can reproduce the vibrations and more accurately figure out which situations they occur under. I had wondered about a slight misfire causing the vibrations under a load, as it doesn’t do it in neutral, but I haven’t noticed any loss of power or other symptoms of a misfire. The only thing left to do then is get some injector cleaner, because when started cold it does sputter somewhat.
P.S. The engine is almost changing it’s own oil at this point. I wish we could afford an engine rebuild because it’s burning oil very rapidly, and until recently it didn’t burn any. I don’t think this is related to the original shaking problem, but I’m not the expert.
Well I just drove the thing a hundred miles with less shaking than it has been in the recent weeks. I’m not sure what’s going on here, but I am almost 100% certain it isn’t tire or steering related. When using the cruise control it didn’t do it even once. When maintaining a speed manually, it shook very lightly (definitely coming from the rear end) after about 30 seconds, and then it only did it twice throughout an entire hour or driving between 55 and 65. I’m starting to suspect the rear differential. The pumpkin has never been opened so changing the lubricant in there could be beneficial. In other news, it is in extreme need of oil, to the point that the check engine light came on. This engine doesn’t need anything more than regular gasoline, but it’s beginning to ping under load. Could the low oil cause that?
Thanks for the input. I won’t have much access to the truck this week, but next weekend I intend on putting on some jack stands and seeing if it still vibrates, which would pinpoint the problem as being drivetrain related.
Eric, I would suspect the tires too, but the specific symptoms are just too strange. Any change in speed or revs, or using the cruise control and the problem disappears.
I probably won’t have any more information until next weekend so I’ll report back then. Thanks again to everyone, this forum is one of the most helpful I’ve ever been on.
I highly doubt this is related, and sorry for the double post but I thought I should report that at low revs now, there is a burbling gurgling sound coming from either the rear of the engine bay or the transmission. It is especially audible when you rev the engine in park or neutral, but can also be heard when driving. It only does this when cold so I’m guessing its just oil or trans. fluid that is getting sloshed around but I wanted to be thorough and mention every little thing.
My Dodge had a problem like this a few years ago, and the entire computer needed replacing. It wasn’t struck by lightning, just went haywire one day and would randomly cut the entire electrical system off as if the battery disappeared. It would always start the first time and would usually run for up to an hour before dying, but it could be any length of time before it would act like it had a battery again. Replacing the computer fixed all the problems.
Is the transmission fluid level acceptable? What sort of mileage are we talking here, and what year?
I just remembered something that is probably crucial… last year, the vehicle lost a wheel. A lug bolt cracked and the driver’s side rear tire removed itself from the truck at almost 70 mph. That was scary. However, the axle itself and all related components weren’t damaged, only the brakes on that wheel needed replaced. The vibrations began a few months after that. I’m still fairly certain that didn’t cause any of these problems though.. and I’ll see about jacking it up ASAP, but if it passed inspection and the mechanic didn’t mention any problems, I don’t expect to find any either. The fact that it only does it when maintaining a high speed still leads me to suspect the O/D. Thanks to everyone for the quick and informative responses, by the way.
Wow, thanks for the tip. I’ll look into that. I took the truck for a drive with the O/D off, and it still shook, so I was wrong and I’m capable of admitting that. Putting it in neutral while coasting does stop the shaking, but so does any change in the throttle, up or down. It does seem likely that there is a very specific harmonic range that certain speed + RPM combinations could match. Referencing your video, this truck has that exact same amount of steering play, and has for as long as I’ve been driving it so I didn’t find it unusual.
That is about 100 times more severe than my problem… This is a subtle shaking, which is why I first described it as a shudder. Definitely noticeable, and it does FEEL like a misaligned or flattening tire (although all the tires are fine), but compared to that video its nothing. It’s best described in detail as if the power of the engine is coming and going, and this is why the torque converter was suspected. The shaking is forward and back, almost a stop and start jolt. But what really gets me is that any change in speed or RPMs and it goes away. It does NOT happen when using the cruise control either, only when maintaining a speed manually.
I’m honestly not sure if the plugs and wires have ever been changed. Unfortunately I don’t have a scanning tool, either. No, I forgot to mention that, the vibration is completely through the body of the truck. I don’t feel any in the steering wheel or pedals at all. The whole vehicle seems to shudder. The tires are fine, in fact the truck just passed inspection needing absolutely nothing a week ago. I wasn’t there, and my dad forgot to ask the mechanic about the shaking or have him check into the torque converter or transmission for causes. Your comment on plugs and wires interests me because I did wonder if under a very specific load, the engine was misfiring. However that seems unlikely because, even when accelerating to 60 from a dead stop, it doesn’t shake. In fact, no signs of the truck’s advanced age and heavy usage are apparent, and under that kind of load I would expect any issues to make themselves known.