[Leo28a]

I have a 2012 xlt vibrating on low and high speeds
New Michelin tires with several alignments and many wheel balancing. But still vibrating...
The car is out of warranty so eventually I have to hunt this issue my self.
I’ve been trying to diagnose this issue since 2 years now but never nailed it.
Driveline has been inspected several times and had no nick marks or loose parts.
Ball joints and wheel bearings tested by experts and checked out ok.
Cv axles taken apart and inspected also were in good shape.
3 engine mounts physically inspected and were good too.

Put the car on the lift and put in drive and watch the tires and there she goes wobbling staring 10-20mph.
But could never pin point the cause of the wobble.
On highway it becomes obvious @ 65-70mph.
After that it disappears until 100-110mph.

Checked the front and back end suspension and found zero play in any part.

The vibration feels everywhere front to back that you can’t really tell exactly where to pin point a direction.
This vehicle has seen better days in sand dunes and rough roads and got stock many times and had been pulled out of sand by several vehicles.

Oh about taking it to the dealers, please don’t ask me, dealer knowledge is just a disaster! With their parts cannon trial and error on your pocket OfCourse.

Any ideas or directions please..?



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[elyk864]

Did you check the rack and pinion, my wifes 2006 Ford Fusion has the same issue. I am about 99% that is the problem on hers. Because it is no always consistent. I work in the tire and wheel industry (15+ years now) so I have balanced them many times and know it's not the tires. I have installed new tires and the problem persists. I have replace the front struts, upper and lower control arms, ball joints, tie rod ends, pads, rotors, and steering linkage. So pretty much the entire front end but the steering box/rack and pinion. So that has to be it.

 

[ExplorerPIU2013]

Aren't those electrical assisted steering as in non-power steering ?
Maybe there is a harmonic oscillation at different speeds with either system ?

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[elyk864]

Aren't those electrical assisted steering as in non-power steering ?
Maybe there is a harmonic oscillation at different speeds with either system ?

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Electronic or not, if there is play in the gears all it takes is a small bump to start the oscillation.

 

[Leo28a]

I strongly doubt it
The vibration is merely mechanical
It has to do with rotating parts only.
Because I can feel it clearly when lifted the wheels off the ground on low speed like 20-30mph
But not clear on these speeds when normal driving.


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[ExplorerPIU2013]

Terrible situation, not in the wheels but the drivelines or gearboxes.

That would take hours of "lathe" time testing the spin balance of each
part of the system at all ranges of rpm.

 

[Leo28a]

That's what I said in my initial post
I don't wanna go thru pulling the tranny, transfer case, nor the rear diff.
It's just not worth it
I believe it's a design flaw


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[ExplorerPIU2013]

Having 130K on the 2013 PIU AWD I must say the one we have rides smooth at all speeds.
Goodyear Ultra Grip Winters on it currently.

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[sze kan]

i would check the rack and pinion. i just bought a 2012 explorer and the ford rep said that most of these cars have rack and pinion problem. just remove the wheels and unscrew the outer tire rod and then move it up and down with your hand and rotate clockwise. if there is any sort of play, then it is rack and pinion.
i almost ended up changing my whole suspension parts but the funny noise and vibration just would go away. in the end it was the rack and pinion.

 

[Leo28a]

i would check the rack and pinion. i just bought a 2012 explorer and the ford rep said that most of these cars have rack and pinion problem. just remove the wheels and unscrew the outer tire rod and then move it up and down with your hand and rotate clockwise. if there is any sort of play, then it is rack and pinion.
i almost ended up changing my whole suspension parts but the funny noise and vibration just would go away. in the end it was the rack and pinion.

Thank you for your feedback..

Can you describe exactly what kind of shimmy you have experienced and @ what speed?
Was it felt in the steering wheel only or the whole car??
How do you measure the magnitude of it, like did you use a bottle of water sitting in cup holder or something similar ?
Thank you


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[sze kan]

Thank you for your feedback..

Can you describe exactly what kind of shimmy you have experienced and @ what speed?
Was it felt in the steering wheel only or the whole car??
How do you measure the magnitude of it, like did you use a bottle of water sitting in cup holder or something similar ?
Thank you


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i bought the car second hand and had no idea how it felt earlier...
1) steering was super soft to move... (after rack and pinion repair, it has become stiff)
2) for some reason, the coins in the console box, keys in the cup holders would make noise while driving (after repairs its super quiet)
3) car feels jerky at 100-120km/hr
4) on uneven roads, the car would make "klunk" noise but not consistent specially when one tire (right) would hit first.

like i said, the best thing is remove the tire, unmount the outer tire rod and then with a wrench move it , if there is play, its likely to be rack and pinion. even if this doesnt solve it, its good to check the RnP anyway because at early stage you can change the seals but if things go really bad, you will have to replace the unit and that will cost you an arm and a leg.