Last few days ive been noticing a vibration in the steering wheel itself.The vibration is very light, and could possibly be easily missed. Seems to come into play bout 50-60mph. Im just curious if this might just be a charactertistic of the duramax(engine vibration??? but wouldnt it be at all speeds?) or if something is starting to act up...
My truck is all stock except for 285s that dealer installed, even before i started lookin at the truck...Any info???. Thanks guys i apprciate it-Adam

i have a 2002 D/A and mine started to get the same vibration at about 10,000 miles and it came down to having the tires balanced and rotated and i vabration went away hope this help you

check with your dealer, I just had mine in for a vibration in the steering wheel. My wife couldn't tell it but I'm paranoid of every little rattle since I started reading these forums. My mechanic didn't even drive it he said the steering shaft needed to be re-greased. took him bout 30 min. he took the steering shaft out greased it and smooth sailing since. Don't know if yours is the same problem but sounds close. By the way my mechanic talked like it was a common complaint but an easy fix. Just my .02 hope it helps.

By the way, any problems running the 285s. did they raise the t-bars to fit the tires. how do ya like the ride with 285s

Ill mention the steering greasing to them, when it goes thrusday fer a mirror replacement. IMy dealer is a family owned, and im pretty good friends of the family so i hope not to get a run around... As for the tires, i have no clue if they had to crank the bars to fit the tires. Ive read here that you have, but id have to ask. As for the ride, many times i feel like im riding in a cadillac....Heres a pic of the tires...http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/uploads/D2D_000_024131.jpg

My truck started to have a slight vibration around 10,000 miles. A rotation and re-balance of the tires fixed it. I have also heard of the lack of grease in the steering shaft problem although, I though that usually was detected by a "thump" when turning the wheel, not straight-ahead driving...


sloth

I have had a vibration for the last 20,000 miles. I have had it in twice and the dealer says tires each time. I have new tires on there now and still vibrating. I have a 3500, 2002. I have learned to deal with it until I can afford new wheels.


If it is the drive shaft I will just wait for it to fall out and then fix it. I don't know what else to do. I have had the tires rotated several different place and still have the vibration.


Any suggestions.

Had it mentioned to me today, that it could also be a sign of driveline(unvieral) problem...or maybe a bad bearing in one of the front hubs....guess will find out come thrusday....sure hope they fix it, and dont give me a runaround...then id be pissed...

I had some vibration start on the highway in my 2001 at about 70,000. Turned out to be the rear U-joint. Piece of cake to remove the driveshaft and replace it.... just be a bit more cautious than usual with the aluminum shaft ears. Don't be afraid of it... it's just that the aluminum will gall more easily if you don't press the spider out accurately. Like I said... .easy job.... remove the shaft, replace the u-joint, grease the front spline while you've got it out, all back together in an hour.


ONE BUGGER : Napa didn't have a listing on the U-joint, neither did any of my other local parts houses, so I went to Chev. That U-joint is EIGHTY NINE BUCKS retail. ($72 wholesale). Egad.


FWIW... I wouldn't call it a scientific study by any stretch, but my buddy says he's replaced (4) rear U-joints in D/A's....... his only guess was that the driveline is so straight that the joint's not being worked much. (Very little rotation) Others say that it's because there's no grease fitting.. it's supposed to be a sealed unit, etc. <shrug> Who knows?

Did my joints last, week Spicer replacement with grease fitting part number 5-160X. I had howling noise at 70MPH worse on bumps, all better now!

Going intomorrow....Will see what happens....

Dr Crane,


Did you replace will the joints and can you say how much they all cost?


My vibration is getting worse as time goes on.


My truck is like a big green vibrator. Not to offend anyone but I could not stop myself.

I put 285's on my 04 2500 DMAX 4X4. No need for any changes or mod's to make them fit but it is all that will fit without changing anything.

Update: Tech balanced front tires and so far the first 15 miles have been good.....http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/Clap.gif we will see what the futures holds....

I have had a vibration for the last 20,000 miles. I have had it in twice and the dealer says tires each time. I have new tires on there now and still vibrating. I have a 3500, 2002. I have learned to deal with it until I can afford new wheels.


If it is the drive shaft I will just wait for it to fall out and then fix it. I don't know what else to do. I have had the tires rotated several different place and still have the vibration.


Any suggestions.





I have a STRONG feeling it's not tires/wheels ...


http://dieselplace.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=9844&KW=vibration

Ok "Bouncing/vibrating" friends. Found this on the RV.net forum ...guys with same problem, same story, etc. This almost makes me laugh ...anyone know where sandbags are on sale? He&%, guess I'll try it before I set my truck on fire. Below is a snippet from the latest post today. I've also listed the URL if you want to read more.

------------------------
Ok , Took truck to shop today and we did what the bulletin said and put bags of sand (350 lbs.) in back of truck between tailgate and rear wheel wells. It completely stopped the vibration. The Bulletin said , "no further attempts to repair" as this is normal.
Bull! It can't be normal to have to ride around with sandbags in the truck to keep it from shaking you all over ther place! They are not even trying to fix it.

This will be the last GM truck I'll buy until they can do better!

Funny , the Fords dont do it. Its too bad , I really love my truck and hate that I just have to accept this "Frame Beaming/vibration" as normal. They said my carrier bearing was ok, funny it was trashed when I had it on the rack...? OH well , life will go on. Thanks for all your input and time...db.


------------------------------

http://www.rv.net/forum/index.cfm/fuseaction/thread/tid/14185986/srt/pa/pging/1/page/1.cfm

This vibration thing sadly makes me think of the GM 6.0 piston slap problem. Been there done that too ...was the truck I had before the Duramax.


There are lots of posts on vibration/bouncing problems. It seems some problems were tire/balance related and solve many peoples problems, however there are others who have been thru 2-3 sets of wheels/tires, drivelines, u-joints, etc. with no fix. I think those that fall into this catagory may have been "sand bagged" so to speak.http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/Confused.gif


IMHO, I think this is a bigger problem then people realize and GM is fully aware of it. Why else would they publish a PI directly related to "Frame Beaming/vibration" that states the vibration/hopping is considered "normal" and expect owners to haul around 350 lbs of sand in the bed? I'm a pessimist so it's all a conspiracy.

O/K flolks,


If your steering wheel "shimmys" from side to side at a particular speed (ie-between 50-60mph as an example) this is most likely a front wheel/tire balance issue.


If you feel a vibration in the seat area that is also "speed sensitive", it is most likely a rear wheel/tire balance issue.


If you feel a vibration that is constant (ie-regardless of speed), it is most likely "mechanically" caused & requires a technicians attention.


Hope this saves you folks some grief http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/HiHi.gif

O/K flolks,


If your steering wheel "shimmys" from side to side at a particular speed (ie-between 50-60mph as an example) this is most likely a front wheel/tire balance issue.





YES, mine does this.





If you feel a vibration in the seat area that is also "speed sensitive", it is most likely a rear wheel/tire balance issue.





YES, mine does this also ...








If you feel a vibration that is constant (ie-regardless of speed), it is most likely "mechanically" caused & requires a technicians attention.


Hope this saves you folks some grief





YES, mine does this as well.


Grief? Let's try pure HELL http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/Angry.gif This isn't some little nit picky, weekend vibration. I've had lots of vibrations over the years but nothing that wasn't fixed in a matter of a couple days.


The entire truck shakes from 45+ and have I have had more sets of different tires/wheels installed/balanced then most tire stores carry. I should probably get new lugs as many times as tires/wheels have been mounted/disounted on the truck. I might ad it's also been into the dealer for 2 days and they mis-diagnosed a rear u-joint. Nothing has change, just vibrates like he&L and no one can fix it. Everyone is just grasping at straws ...problem is, there aren't many straws left. And remember, my worn out vibrating truck has a whopping 15K on it. Oh, lots of others with the same problem so it's not a one-off problem.


3 days at Les Schwab (Local tire store chain). Tried 3-4 different sets of tires/wheels with no luck. vibratioo does not change.


2 days at dealer - checked engine, no codes, checked all motor mounts, tranny mounts, said rear u-joint was "binding" and had to order


Removed driveline myself and had checked at local driveline shop. Said there was .025" runout ...but u-joints are perfect.


Here I am today, don't know which way is up anymore but do know the truck still vibrates.
Edited by: tophog

I started the Vibe search at about 4k. The dealer put new tires on, replaced 2 of the 6 rims, greased the intermediate steering shaft.


The GM district rep came out and said it was the harmonics of my Extended cab that was doing it. Told the dealer to stop looking for the vibe because that was just the way it was. The dealer tried to move me into a crewcab. Took it out and low-and-behold... it also had the vibration!


I then changed the rear diff fluid and replaced the tranny filter. It feels better but not right. I had a '91 F-350 with an auto that developed a vibe. Had the tranny power flushed and that resolved that.


I'm at 11k now. I still feel it in the steering wheel & in the seat mostly between 70-75. Not bad at 80-85... http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/Ermm.gif


I also believe this truck has a bigger vibration while at a stop sign as compared to my '01.

generally, vibrations associated with particular speeds are driveline related.


I would get a second opinion on the tire/rim set-up. Have the tech rotate the tire slowly (ie-by hand) on a stand-alone type dynamic wheel balancer & check for trueness of the rim/tire assembly. A rim that is bent & woobles can be "balanced" (ie-zeroed) by placing wheel weights in the correct locations, however, this does not re-true the rim or prevent/correct the wooble, it simply stabilizes the tire/rim assembly at whatever speed the the wheel balancing machine is set to mimick, the rim/tire assembly still woobles & will vibrate at other speeds. I have seen many rims bent during the tire installation process by faulty equipment or technicians.


Another solution may be to locate a shop that can balance the tire/rim assembly right on your truck (although shops that have the equipment to do this are few & far between)


Once you have totally eliminated the wheels/tires as the cause, I would suggest you look at the possiblity of a bent shaft (including front half-shafts) or damaged joints (especailly c/v joints-which can be difficult to assess). I have also seen many front drivelines damaged from the errant tow hook hook-up.


But lets not forget one thing folks, these ARE trucks & most are modified. As an example, losing (throwing off) a 1 ounce weight on the outside rim edge of a passenger car 195/75r14 wheel, is the equivalent (at 30mph) of glueing a 30lb weight on. Translate that into truck tire terms, multiplied by "over" stock tires, aggravated by increasing the vehicle hieght (which also mis-aligns driveline aspects). etc, etc.....& well, I think we can all see were this is leading.


In short, if your going to raise your vehicle &/or install those "phat" tire/rims, your just going to have to deal with some ramifications for which there are no easy fixes. Lets face it, most equipment to repair issues such as these are designed to meet the challenges of the 'most common' real world scenarios (ie-stock) & not much else. A tire balancing machine in most facilities is not particularly suited to balancing truck tires, let alone oversized tires, nor are light truck suspensions designed to accomodate the additional hieght & wieght issues most of us subject them to, but still we do.


Best of luck


Edited by: Loki_nine

generally, vibrations associated with particular speeds are driveline related.


I would get a second opinion on the tire/rim set-up. Have the tech rotate the tire slowly (ie-by hand) on a stand-alone type dynamic wheel balancer & check for trueness of the rim/tire assembly. A rim that is bent & woobles can be "balanced" (ie-zeroed) by placing wheel weights in the correct locations, however, this does not re-true the rim or prevent/correct the wooble, it simply stabilizes the tire/rim assembly at whatever speed the the wheel balancing machine is set to mimick, the rim/tire assembly still woobles & will vibrate at other speeds. I have seen many rims bent during the tire installation process by faulty equipment or technicians.


Another solution may be to locate a shop that can balance the tire/rim assembly right on your truck (although shops that have the equipment to do this are few & far between)


Once you have totally eliminated the wheels/tires as the cause, I would suggest you look at the possiblity of a bent shaft (including front half-shafts) or damaged joints (especailly c/v joints-which can be difficult to assess). I have also seen many front drivelines damaged from the errant tow hook hook-up.


But lets not forget one thing folks, these ARE trucks & most are modified. As an example, losing (throwing off) a 1 ounce weight on the outside rim edge of a passenger car 195/75r14 wheel, is the equivalent (at 30mph) of glueing a 30lb weight on. Translate that into truck tire terms, multiplied by "over" stock tires, aggravated by increasing the vehicle hieght (which also mis-aligns driveline aspects). etc, etc.....& well, I think we can all see were this is leading.


In short, if your going to raise your vehicle &/or install those "phat" tire/rims, your just going to have to deal with some ramifications for which there are no easy fixes. Lets face it, most equipment to repair issues such as these are designed to meet the challenges of the 'most common' real world scenarios (ie-stock) & not much else. A tire balancing machine in most facilities is not particularly suited to balancing truck tires, let alone oversized tires, nor are light truck suspensions designed to accomodate the additional hieght & wieght issues most of us subject them to, but still we do.


Best of luck








Not sure if you were responding to me, however if you read all my posts on this subject, everything in my pickup has bascially been eliminated ... including swapout of 2-3 "different" sets of tires/wheels, all road-forced balanced on Hunder 9700, swapped tires/wheels with engine/tranny mounts checked by dealer as well as engine codes, etc. Driveline/ujoints checked by driveline shop ...all perfectly fine as my truck has 15K on it. Others? Well the dealer has swapped out transmissions, driveshafts, differentials, axles, brake rotors, etc. Trucks still vibrate. You're correct about speed related ...mine vibrates from 45mph and up. Others from 40-60mpg ...it's not a tire/wheel balance problem. Here's more info if you're interested ...
http://rv.net/forum/Index.cfm/fuseaction/thread/tid/14185986/srt/pa/pging/1/page/1.cfm

<A title=http://dieselplace.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=9844&amp;PN=1 href="http://dieselplace.com/forum/for

The tire/wheel shop I always deal with (Les Schwab) here in Oregon wanted to see GM bulletin PIT3009 (Suspension Vibration or Frame Beaming ... posted in at least one of the links above) as they apparently receive all GM bulletins related to drivetrain issues so they don't waste time diagnosing vehicles with known problems. Long story short, they spent 3 days pulling their hair out trying to find the vibration source on my truck with no luck. They indicated they have never received the bulletin and typically get all PI's within a week after being released.


BTW, if you jack up my truck it runs to 70 mph smooth as glass ...put it on the road and it vibrates like a martini shaker.Edited by: tophog

I just have some questions.


How much does the stabilizer affect shaking?


I seem to recal my Dad's 77' Chevy shaking really bad when his stabilizer would go out, you could hardly drive the truck. He ran 33's and with new stabilizer it would be fine.


If you have a little shimmy in the front would an aftermarket stabilizer be better than stock and help?

I'm sure the stabilizer plays an important role in front-end shimmy however it's fairly easy to tell a vibration is coming from the front end ...and thru the steering wheel ...not the entire truck. My vibration is in the seats, floorboard, steering wheel, etc.


Ironically, just to rule out another possibility I swapped out my 15K old steering stabilizer yesterday with a new Fabtech steering stabilizer ...haven't drove the truck yet so I'm not sure if it will make a difference or not.


For the owners who have vibration problems isolated to the front end, etc. the steering stabilizer would definately be a likely possibility...once they have eliminated a tire/wheel problem.Edited by: tophog

Thanks for the links tophog,http://dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/Big%20Smile.gif


I'm not sure however, what the connection is your trying to establish between "Suspension Vibration or Frame Beaming" - which is a primarily static condition &amp; more reactionary in nature (ie-cause &amp; effect), &amp; "driveline or continuos vibrations - which are primarily dynamic &amp; usually require only that some condition(s) be met (ie-rotational speed).


I have seen in my shop many out-of-balance halfshafts &amp;/or faulty c/v joints (such as those that are being installed on chevy 4wd trucks recently) cause vibrations both slight &amp; severe, &amp; any driveline vibration will be enhanced when driveline angles are increased (ie-raising vehicle hieght) or additional wieght is added (ie-larger rims/tires). A slight driveline vibration that is otherwise unnoticable under "stock" conditions is easily aggravated to a full blown problem vibration by the additon of any &amp; all of the mods mentioned above. This is why most good technicians will only add one "mod" at a time (&amp; for a given time period) to assure that no problems are aggravated or created &amp; if so are quickly diagnosed &amp; resolved.


If your truck came with the vibration it may likely have been a flaw somewhere in the manufacturing of the vehicle (as most trucks do not have such vibration issues, it is certainly not a desighn flaw). If it occurred after any mods were done (regardless of when), I would suspect a mod as either directly responsible for it or contributing to an underlying deficiency (if the vehicle showed up in my shop, that is), this I would consider to be an "add-on" problem.


I cannot stress how important timeline specific (ie-in regards to when mods were done vs undesirable events) owner feedback is to a technician for correct diagnoses regarding after "add-on" problems.


These were the points I was trying to make. Sorry about the confusion http://dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/Hug.gif

The only connection I'm trying to establish is the fact there isn't anything else left on my truck that has not been tested, or at least that I am aware of. Truck started vibrating @ 15K. Have exhausted tire/wheel possibilities, motor/tranny mounts, flywheel, torque converter, shocks, steering stabilizer, and ujoints. Truck drove flawelessly without vibration up to 15K. Even with the 300 lbs of sand in the bed it still vibrates ...although not as bad. Others have been down the same path with completely stock trucks.


The GM bulletin PIT3009 addresses stock trucks from 99-04, extended cab, crew cab as well as others however the crew cab short bed trucks are the majority.Edited by: tophog

topdog,


I am still not sure what your point is. I am not familiar with your particular problem &amp; was just responding to the post in general, but if you give (or refer) me to the history, I will see if I can help out.


I have had the opportunity to look at the pics you posted-nice truck- (&amp; the mods list). I am not sure how much experience/knowledge you have regarding "frame beaming" (which mostly is a term applied to uni-body &amp; 'under framed' vehicles-not usually trucks), but it certainly may apply to any vehicle with a 4" (or greater) lift, so this may be the situation with your vehicle, but not everyones (especially not at a stock hieght). I have a crew cab-drw-long bed, a i have no such issues.

topdog,


I am still not sure what your point is. I am not familiar with your particular problem &amp; was just responding to the post in general, but if you give (or refer) me to the history, I will see if I can help out.


I have had the opportunity to look at the pics you posted-nice truck- (&amp; the mods list). I am not sure how much experience/knowledge you have regarding "frame beaming" (which mostly is a term applied to uni-body &amp; 'under framed' vehicles-not usually trucks), but it certainly may apply to any vehicle with a 4" (or greater) lift, so this may be the situation with your vehicle, but not everyones (especially not at a stock hieght). I have a crew cab-drw-long bed, a i have no such issues.





Ok, my point is the vibration in my truck, as well as others with the same type of vibration (40mph +) and similar history/symptoms is caused by the GM bulletin (PIT3009) which by the way is specific to 99-04 trucks ...NOT cars. I posted the actual GM bulletin in at least one post here that you can read.


Here are more links to the history of this vibration problem including others who have gone thru the same thing. Should keep you busy for awhile.


This is a link to the GM bulletin in case you have not read it.


http://home.comcast.net/~tophog/duramax/PIT3009.jpg

http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=13802&amp;PN=1


http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=9844&amp;KW=vibration



http://www.rv.net/forum/Index.cfm/fuseaction/thread/tid/14185986/srt/pa/pging/1/page/1.cfm


http://www.rv.net/forum/Index.cfm/fuseaction/thread/tid/13268401/srt/pa/pging/1/page/1.cfm





http://www.rv.net/forum/Index.cfm/fuseaction/thread/tid/14185986/srt/pa/pging/1/page/1.cfm


http://www.rv.net/forum/Index.cfm/fuseaction/thread/tid/13268401/srt/pa/pging/1/page/1.cfm


MORE ...


<A href="http://forum.thedieselpage.com/ubb/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=7;t=0058

Nice truck, very perplexing issue.


Does the Rancho suspension lift use blocks under rear springs. How many miles on the truck when the suspension was modified? The pinion angle has been checked?


Get one of those cheap TV cameras and tape it to the frame and maybe you can see what is causing the problem.

The lift was installed with 500 miles on the truck. The lift retains the OEM angles, etc. Yes it uses 2.5" tapered blocks in the rear. Les Schwab, the shop who installed it has double-checked everything related to the lift and consulted with Rancho. Let's forget about my truck ...there are many out there, completely stock with the same problem. This is why I don't think the vibration is at all related to the lift. When people see I have a lift it's natural they want to throw stones at is as well as the 295 tires. The fact the vibration goes away when I add 300 lbs of sand per the GM bulletin tells me my truck is experiencing the so-called vibration problem described in the bulletin. The weight also eliminates the vibration in stock trucks which makes me believe the vibration is not at all caused by the lift.


Granted, at this point I am grasping at straws as I don't have much else to grasp.

o/k topdog, let me see if I can help you by clarifying a few things I am not sure you may be familiar with (no insult intended-I just don't know your level of expertise/understandinghttp://dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/Embarrased.gif).


In chassis engineering - "Beaming" refers to the transmission of vibration along the horizontal plane of the vehicle frame (usually from front to rear). Adding wieght to the bed of a p/u simply serves to dampen the effect (not eliminate it) &amp; is primarily used as a diagnostic tool to isolate the cause, not as a cure (nobody is expected to drive around with a loaded bed).The additional frame lengths required by extended/crew cab vehicles would produce a vehicle more likely to be susceptible to "beaming" than standard sized p/u's.


Most "beaming" issues are resolved at the body structure level (think of a stick-framed house &amp; the rigidity added after the roof is sheathed). However, since the cab &amp; bed are separate structures that comprise roughly the same frame area in length, they are considerably different in weight (&amp; yet remain attached to common rails). Think of the dampening effect on the front-to-rear frame jounce (beaming) if weight were to be distributed more evenly along this plane (ie-wieght in the bed).


Now remove the weight (empty bed), raise this poorly distributed weight situation (front/rear) above it's designed height (altering the "sprung weight" &amp; center of gravity), add additional weight (larger tires/wheels) to the underside (unsprung weight) of the frame, &amp; the problems/symptoms will grow.


All this, &amp; we have not even begun to touch upon the associated "torsional" issues involved that can contribute to "beaming". In short, chassis engineering is by no means a simple subject (why just the choice of frame tubing type, ie-round vs rectangular vs square vs etc...to suit particular needs or overcome expected forces, is daunting). Most diagnostic techs I know prefer to work on solutions beginning with the simplest to more complex which is why I answered polarbears post as I did.


In regards to your situation however, if it is frame beaming that you suspect, I have seen gussets fabricated that further fasten the body to the frame to increase continuity/rigidity, thereby decreasing vibration/harmonics that are transmitted along the length of the frame, it worked exceptionally well for the application, however, these were race vehicles. But it is an idea....


Hope some of this can help you out. http://dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/Big%20Smile.gifEdited by: Loki_nine

http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/Cry.gif I just had an experience with this vibration I had a little vibration between 70 &amp; 80 miles an hour checked U joints they looked fine with no play was driving home aprox. 350 miles pulled out to pass cars and heard a snap. Moral is the U joint was gone very hard to tell in the process it broke the transmission extension housing it is at a small town dealer and my truck is the fourth truck this year that has been in for this same problem 75,000 miles on truck.

im waiting to see if the enw steering shaft makes any difference w/the vibration...it seems to have gotten better and not as often, but maybe im just gettin use to it?

An update to your vibration questions. Specifically if your stearing column feels like you broke a shock or a bushing is gone - a sort of metal on metal thumping - particularly easy to feel if going slow over small bumps.


My dealer said they used to grease the stearing column, but now they are just replacing under warranty the stearing suspension piece. Mine was Shaft 6.524 if that helps. So if you're was only lubed/greased - then I'd go back in and ask to have the shaft replaced. The new units are fully enclosed so that they won't be exposed to the elements - or something like that.