Another memorable “can’t be fixed” vehicle was a new full-sized Ford F-150 4X4 Truck.
The newer Ford F-150 trucks have a front suspension that is slightly lower than the truck’s rear suspension for increased aerodynamic efficiency. This vehicle had been sold new by a local dealership; the customer had a front-end leveling kit installed for visual appeal, then it had a vibration problem. The service department tried several things to fix the vibration but could not. That is when I received a phone call from the service manager asking for help.
The service manager described the history of this vehicle, including the fact that a front suspension leveling kit had been installed. In an attempt to repair the vibration, I learned that the dealership service department balanced the tires several times but did not know what else to do to correct the vibration concern.
I told the service manager that the leveling kits would change the angles of the front CV joints on each end of the half-shafts coming out of the front axle. I informed him that CV joints rotate at a constant velocity only when their working angle is less than 50% of the maximum working angle limit. The leveling kits may be causing the 50% limit to be exceeded, causing the CV joints to pulsate as they rotate. The only way to fix this vehicle is to remove the front suspension leveling kit.
There were no bad parts on this vehicle; aftermarket parts (the leveling kit) caused the vibration. The unhappy customer has to choose between having a level truck or a tire speed vibration.
Hundreds of dollars were wasted on attempted repairs, many hours of labor were wasted because nobody knew how to diagnose a vibration problem; they were guessing!
Get the NVH app today by clicking on the link below.
What the app can do
The NVH app is designed to automatically detect the type of vibration your vehicle is experiencing, provided the instructions of the road test procedure are followed.
There are 14 types of vibrations the NVH app can automatically detect:
- Tire speed-related (1st, 2nd, and 3rd order vibrations)
- Driveshaft speed-related (1st, 2nd, and 3rd order vibrations)
- Engine speed-related (0.5, 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th order vibrations)
- Electric Motor Speed Related (1st order vibrations)
Each type of vibration has unique causes. A vibration type is not the same thing as a vibration source. There are many possible causes (sources) for each vibration type. The NVH app includes step-by-step instructions on locating the vibration source once the app has identified the type of vibration.
What the app cannot do
- The NVH App cannot automatically tell you the source of a vibration
- Although the NVH app is excellent at identifying the type of vibration your vehicle is experiencing, you or someone else will need to follow the diagnostic steps described in the app help files to identify the exact cause or source of the vibration.
There are almost 300 possible sources of vibration concerns in today’s vehicles
THE NVH APP IS HERE!
Turn your Phone or Tablet into a Vibration diagnostic tool! Purchase our new App to use the internal sensors of your Phone or Tablet to diagnose the type of vibration your car or truck is experiencing. There are close to 300 individual vibration sources on a typical vehicle; the NVH App knows each one of them and can guide you through the entire diagnostic and repair procedures for each one of them.
