2007 Expedition in the Netherlands - shudders and vibrations ... (help ?)

[René1234]

Hello there,

3 years ago I imported a used 2007 Ford Expedition EL Eddy Bauer into the Netherlands. The best thing I ever did ;-) It has 137,000 miles now.

Since almost a year now I have been dealing with sudders and vibrations, and no-one overhere can fix it. I hope somebody recognises the symptoms and can give some advice.

Symptoms:

1. when driving very light vibrations, increasing suddenly very noticeably at around 2500 rpm, at a speed of 75 mph, and keeping at that vibration level at higher speeds

2. the vibrations stay, even when putting in "neutral" when running on the highway

3. when parking in "neutral", vibrations occur noticeably at 2000 rpm

4. occasionally, when driving I feel a slight sharp hit/knock under my feet (at drivers side).

Furher remarks:

- I have balanced the tires repeatedly, without result
- replacement of transmission fluids is overdue


My questions:

1. When parking, and putting in "neutral", will the drive shaft rotate when pushing on the gas pedal ? (could the driveshaft be the problem ?)

2. I change my tires from winter (smaller diameter) to summer (standard Ford Expedition diameter). Could the smaller winter diameter cause additional wear at the drivetrain ?

Thanks for any suggestions !

 

[FordCustSrvc]

Hi René1234,

I recommend contacting Ford Nederland BV at +31 (0) 20 504 4646. In addition, there are some fine individuals on this forum who may be able to assist.

Let me know if you have any questions.

Todd

 

[FordGate]

Hello there,

3 years ago I imported a used 2007 Ford Expedition EL Eddy Bauer into the Netherlands. The best thing I ever did ;-) It has 137,000 miles now.

Since almost a year now I have been dealing with sudders and vibrations, and no-one overhere can fix it. I hope somebody recognises the symptoms and can give some advice.

Symptoms:

1. when driving very light vibrations, increasing suddenly very noticeably at around 2500 rpm, at a speed of 75 mph, and keeping at that vibration level at higher speeds

2. the vibrations stay, even when putting in "neutral" when running on the highway

3. when parking in "neutral", vibrations occur noticeably at 2000 rpm

4. occasionally, when driving I feel a slight sharp hit/knock under my feet (at drivers side).

Furher remarks:

- I have balanced the tires repeatedly, without result
- replacement of transmission fluids is overdue


My questions:

1. When parking, and putting in "neutral", will the drive shaft rotate when pushing on the gas pedal ? (could the driveshaft be the problem ?)

2. I change my tires from winter (smaller diameter) to summer (standard Ford Expedition diameter). Could the smaller winter diameter cause additional wear at the drivetrain ?

Thanks for any suggestions !

The driveshaft only turns when the car is moving, whether in gear or not. Does the car have aftermarket wheels? If so, were the wheel stud clips removed? Most aftermarket wheels require that these be removed. Does the problem get worse when you brake? If it has 137k miles, I would suggest a complete front suspension rebuild.

If the problem is isolated to very specific RPMs it could be engine issues like the flex plate or harmonic balancer or other internal engine balancing components.

Good Luck!

 

[WCAWI]

Since you have another set of wheels and tires, I'd try driving it after changing them over. At least you can eliminate one thing if theres no change. Let us know what happens.

 

[metaldrgn]

For #4 do you feel the sharp knock when turning? You probably have a ball joint or tierod end that needs to be replaced.

As for the others I can't exactly tell. 1/3 sound like spark plugs. 2 seems like it could be driveline related. What is the RPM when you put the car in neutral on the freeway?

 

[René1234]

Hello,

thank you all for your ideas and suggestions.

Here is a summary of what has been done:

The shock absorbers at front and rear have been replaced last your, so that rules out any "disturbance" related to that.

Recently:

The wheels have been taken off, and the center bosses carefully cleaned. Apparently any dirt on the center bosses, even very little, may cause vibrations in the wheels. Especially since they are relatively large, any small un-alignment can cause such vibrations. Also the tires have been rebalanced.

New brake discs were installed. The other ones, professional ECB´s were all (!) uneven, probably due to keeping the car on brakes after hard braking - e.g. coming from highway - which leads to unequal cooling of the discs.
The brake pads have been flattened to assure good grip on the new brake discs.

The oil of the transmission and the torque converter was replaced, after flushing them, and a new filter was installed. Luckily, there was no sign of additional wear / abbrasion in either the transmission or torque converter.

It was found out, that the wheels had different profile depths, ranging from 3.5 to 5.4 mm. This could lead to additional forces on the torque converter, also when driving straight ahead, so they have been replaced (they were special winter tires, so had to be replaced anyway). The new tires have been rebalanced also.

So - where are we standing:

- the car definitely runs smoother and makes less noise;
- there is still a small vibration, even when starting the engine, so there must be something wring with one of the cylinders. Next week the care goes back to the workshop, and we will see.

I´ll keep you posted !

 

[wadesdad]

New spark plugs, boot kit and COPS (Coil On Plug) can remedy a lot of engine vibration. These engines are quite sensitive. RockAuto in the US is a good source for parts. Use Motorcraft plugs. Obviously they won't cure a driveline issue, but engine stutters caused by a bad COP are not uncommon. You can also check the 4WD actuators. They are vacuum operated and fail at about 120k miles. They are easy to check with a vacuum pump. They are also not expensive or difficult to install. Also check the vaccum lines that run to them. Sometimes with a lot of front end work, you'll find the lines are disconnected or damaged.

 

[René1234]

This is a follow-up to my first messages:

After all the repair/maintenance mentioned before, the spark plug have all been changed. And there is: a tremendous improvement in performance. The engine starts smooth, no shudder or whatsoever. Son definitely one of the spark plugs was not functioning well.

There remains one issue now:

When driving at around 80 mph there remains as shudder that also can be felt in the floor at the driver side. When running idle, pushing the throttle pedal the shuddering is quite obvious at around 2300 rpm.

Could it be the engine mounts ?

Thanks, René.