Is this normal?

[nancielovesmark]

I have a 2000 XLT w/4.6L 4WD. It only has 80,000 miles on it, and has been properly maintained since I bought it it early 2003.
In the last 12 months, I have replaced the Idler Arm, rear wheel bearings, and all 8 coil packs. Now I have a mysterious vibration between 64 and 67 MPH, but goes away before 70. Is this a sign of more to come?

 

[jimboh247]

Sounds like a tire out of balance.

 

[nancielovesmark]

I will check those..............

What I wanted to know is if anyone else has had trouble like this, and is this common for Expeditions even if they are properly maintained and not abused with low mileage. Anyone?

 

[nancielovesmark]

Does this look blue to you?

My title says it's blue, but I beg to differ..............

 

[Rfreels]

I have paid big money for Michelins before and never got a pefect balance. It is possibe that you have had a wheel weight fly off. Just go to your local tire store and have them rebalanced. I recommend a type of balance called "Road Force" balance. This is a high tech machine that applies a roller to the thread that simulates the tire going down the road with the weight of the vehicle applied. It also rules out a bad wheel. Expect to pay around 14.00 a tire for this service. I don't recommend a local Supercenter for tire balance, I have had bad luck with underpaid tire pro's. A trained tire man can see the need to "spin" the tire on the rim for a better balance than simply relying on the computer saying that it is balanced. If the tire is out of round from the factory it will never balance out, kind of like balancing an egg.

 

[Craig Wood]

The mysterious vibration could be on of your universal joints starting to seize up. At 80000 miles, if you have not changed the u-joints start thinking about doing both the fromnt and rear, and put in the ones you can grease.

 

[jimboh247]

I guess to better answer your question, it's all a crap shoot. Sometimes you get lemons, sometimes you get lemonade. I've got 114000 on my 99 and have had very little trouble out of it (knock on wood), but some owners of 03's have had nothing but trouble. My Expy replaced a Grand Voyager minivan that was the biggest piece of crap I have ever owned.
Having to replace all 8 coil packs is nuts! I think you got hosed on that deal. Do you trust your mechanic? I've never heard of having to replace all of the coil packs for any reason.

 

[jimboh247]

BTW, I can believe the truck is blue, and I really like those wheels.

 

[nancielovesmark]

Thank you!

I will take into consideration all of your wonderful advice. I replaced all 8 coil packs because I was charged $336 and some change just to change ONE at the local "good" mechanic, only to have the problem re-occur two months later. When I took it back to the ******* who promised the problem was history, he said it was probably the next ONE in line that went out. I told him that I wanted an estimate and that I would be contacting him. I took my rig home and marked all the coil packs, as I don't trust mechanics (even if the whole freaking town does) and being female (sorry guys) guys tend to take advantage. Fortunately, I know my way round' an engine compartment, thanks to my Daddy. To make a long story short, I took it back to him and told him to replace the bad ONE, and $400 later I took my rig home only to discover that they had just moved the bad ONE to a different location and the problem persisted after I had driven it home.
Needless to say, I stopped payment on the check and directed their phone calls to my lawyer. They dropped it, and I went and bought the remaining 6 coil packs and replaced them. Turns out they charged me $180/HR for labor when it only took about a minute to unscrew the one screw and unplug the plug to remove it and then reverse the process to install the new one. I also replaced all 8 spark plugs at the same time. They also charged me $100 per coil pack when I got the same exact thing at Schucks for $69! I hate mechanics and I'd rather pay my cat to do it.
I am getting ready to put 22's on my rig, so hopefully that will alleviate any vibration, and I will be sure to replace the U-joints too. I just haven't found any 22's that everyone else doesn't have. I like to be original.

Thanks for all the great advice!