2007 Expedition Vibrating at about 40 MPH

[Wess]

I have read several post with the same problem as the one that I have. Between 35 to 60, usually about 1400-1500 rpms, while accelerating just a little, my Expedition vibrates, from just a little to a lot. Sometime none at all. I just bought it from a good friends car lot for a really good price They told me about the problem, and what the they had done to fix it. They spent about 3k on rebuilding the transmission and 4 torque converters, took it to a certified Ford mechanic and he couldn't diagnose the problem. There are no codes. I have seen people have changed plugs and boots, trans fluid and filter and several other ideas that they claimed to have worked. This appears to be a common problem that should be a easy fix. Please help!!!

 

[gixer2000]

If your thinking it's something engine related then I would look into a scanner that has mode 6. Mode 6 will log any missfires, air/fuel issues and many other common problems that can be hard to catch. It takes a lot of misfires for these trucks to set a code so it's very possible it's not enough for the code to be set. I use the bluedriver because it will read engine codes, transmission codes, airbag codes, ABS codes and any other module on the canbus network. It only cost $99 through ebay,amazon or any other vender and there is no other scanner that will do what the bluedriver does for the price.

Also have you checked your alignment and wheel balance? Very possible your have an issue there also

 

[Wess]

The vibration feels just like you are running over rumble strips. I just don't think it is in the motor but I will look into your suggestion about the Blue Driver. I would think that if it is an alignment problem it would do it more consistently. I just put new tires on it the day I bought it and it was vibrating on the way to the tire shop and no change after I put them on. While at the tire shop, there was a guy there with a 08 Expedition. He ask me if I had a vibration problem just like I had described because his was doing it. He took it back to the dealer and ther changed one of the plugs and a coil. It stopped for a short period but the problem started again. It has done it for 7 months now.

 

[Wess]

Is this the BlueDriver you are talking about?

 

[NevadaGeo]

Have you checked if there is warping or some sort of damage to your drive shaft? If it is bent or dinged somehow, it would give a noticeable vibration and a given rpm range. I know I have had that issue where ice will freeze on the lower portion of the drive shaft while parked, and will shake like hell until it melts off driving at a specific speed.

 

[gixer2000]

Is this the BlueDriver you are talking about?

View attachment 19806

Yes it is

 

[Wess]

This seems to be a common problem. Search "vibration" and you will see.

 

[ExpeditionAndy]

Somebody recently posted about have a problem that sounded like driving over rumble strips. The solution was to drain the transmission and change the filter. I believe he did it twice but the first time didn't have a new filter so the second time he changed the filter and that solved his problem. But if you had transmission work I would think you already have new fluid. It might be something to try.

 

[Wess]

The transmission was rebuilt in a attempt to fix the problem. Along with four different torque converter's. Still scratching my head!

 

[Mike1988]

@ExpeditionAndy
Thank you for mentioning it.
It was me that had exactly the same problem.
What happened in my case was that a shop had changed the transmission fluid by droping the pan. So no transmission flush. The refilled it but did not check the level the right way. In other words, there was not enough fluid inside. I had to put a full quart inside in order to get it to what it should be. This fixed my problem instantly. You have to have the car running in idle when checking the fluid in order to get the right reading.

I guess the shop that worked on my car before I bought it did not know how to check the fluid level correctly.

 

[ExpeditionAndy]

Great Mike, I'm glad you saw this. I read so many of these that I remember the incident but forget who posted it. I hope this helps Wess.

 

[DD31]

it was mentioned before to check the prop shaft (driveshaft). Also could be a transmission mount or maybe engine mount

 

[Wess]

Thanks for the good suggestions. I will check the fluid in the morning.

 

[SteveOH07]

Interesting thread. I don't have the vibration issue, but with respect to the transmission fluid, my 07 doesn't have a tran-fluid dipstick. Apparently, Ford didn't think this model needed one?? Is there another way to check fluid level?

 

[Eddie03Bauer]

I had the exact same thing happen with my 03 Eddie. I bought my Expy dirt cheap because it had lots of issues, this being one of them. Transmission seemed like it was slipping at times but checked it over and everything seemed ok. The fix for mine was to replace all the COPs. I had no codes, all coils seem to spark just fine. I spent a little over $300 to replace all the COPs, boots and plugs. I was very reluctant to do this because the COPs seemed to fire good. The plugs looked pretty good and I had zero to very few misfires on the scan tool I used. My justification to spend that much was it had 221,000 mikes on it and I didn't really know the history of it. I'm glad I did now, because it runs great and has loads of power! Hope this helps!

 

[kenwear]

Purchased a 2007 Excursion about a year ago. About 180k miles. Have the same vibration between 40 - 50 mph or at a lower RPM. I take it out of over drive, RPM's will increase a bit and it goes away. Then when at 60 put OD back on and smooth sailing. No clue what causes this. Have read the many threads here but nothing conclusive. No way to check tranny fluid, I did read somewhere that changing out the fluid helped. One of these days will run it by my shop.

 

[Bill McCauley]

Mine did it too at 140000. It was related to overdrive shift point. Had a transmission overhaul for about $3400 tha has corrected the issue.

 

[ExpeditionAndy]

Purchased a 2007 Excursion about a year ago. About 180k miles. Have the same vibration between 40 - 50 mph or at a lower RPM. I take it out of over drive, RPM's will increase a bit and it goes away. Then when at 60 put OD back on and smooth sailing. No clue what causes this. Have read the many threads here but nothing conclusive. No way to check tranny fluid, I did read somewhere that changing out the fluid helped. One of these days will run it by my shop.

kenwear. Welcome to the Forum. That sounds like you found a good work around.

 

[kenwear]

Thank you, for now everything is good. With 188k miles on the truck it runs good and interior is still great. Previous owner took good care of it changing the oil ever 3,000 miles and even came with the paperwork. Would like to fix this problem but do not want to sink $4,000 into it and have it not fixed. These things keep on ticking!

 

[ctanis]

I had this exact problem, that slowly got worse. My Mechanic was stumped, but some other forum posts helped me solve the issue.

I had my Mechanic Change the Transmission Fluid and Filter, and it cleared up the problem. A simple fix that costs about $300.