VIDEO - JL JOURNAL : A BAD VIBE - Tracking Down & Fixing Driveshaft Vibrations

wayoflife

Administrator
Staff member
There are few things more annoying than driving a Jeep with driveline vibes - basically, a driveshaft that's vibrating. It's that oscillating hum that comes and goes and comes again like a rolling wave and one that you can almost feel in your body more than you can hear. Of course, because it can be somewhat subtle, it can also be hard to tell just how loud it really is or how quite your Jeep used to be. Over time, it can not only make you feel like a rusty nail is getting gently pounded into your skull, it can actually lead to real problems like fractures in your transfer case. In this episode of the JL JOURNAL, you'll get to see how Cindy and I tracked down and finally fixed the bad vibes we had on our Jeep JL Wrangler. We hope you enjoy.


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ravencr

Member
I have the most annoying vibrations I equate to buffeting similar to on a motorcycle with a poorly adjust windshield or a car with only one window down. It drives me absolutely nuts. Did you ever experience a similar thing on your jk?

Chris
 

wayoflife

Administrator
Staff member
I have the most annoying vibrations I equate to buffeting similar to on a motorcycle with a poorly adjust windshield or a car with only one window down. It drives me absolutely nuts. Did you ever experience a similar thing on your jk?

Chris

Sorry, I'd need to know more about what you're hearing to say for sure.

Did you really say “six guys deep to get there shafts”?

:shock: :cheesy: Did I say that out loud? :cheesy:

So many Puns in this video... lol

:cheesy: Unintentional I can assure you but funny none the less. :crazyeyes:

I'm impressed at how you got the shaking "Hummmmmm" text sync'd to the audio so well in the video. LOL!

LOL!! Cindy's handy work.
 

pop2tu

Active Member
Great video, I have learned just becuase something is new doesn’t mean it is good. Glad you got those shafts balanced
 

-AINOKEA-

Hooked
I’m pretty sure I have this same problem on my front d/s as well. 90% of it goes away when I pull it. Problem is we don’t have a local shop to balance or fab one here.... very frustrating. Glad you got yours fixed though!


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Seahawkfan

Hooked
Great video, I have learned just becuase something is new doesn’t mean it is good. Glad you got those shafts balanced

I agree. I have a vibe at 62 to 65 mph. I'm getting mine checked soon. Thanks for the great info Eddie and Cindy.
 
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Fionayeti

Guest
So let me start off saying I’m a big fan! I enjoy your videos, especially the travel ones where you explore trails and talk about the history of the areas you visit. And I always learn alot from you and the people on this forum. So please take what I’m about to say as curiosity, not criticism.

In case of your driveshaft issue, I have some questions. I’m not here to defend Adam’s or any other maker, as it seems you’re not a big fan of branded shafts with cool stickers. I like to support my local vendors too and quite frankly, I’ve had more issues with local 4x4 driveline shops than the big brands.

If I follow your build sequences, it seems you had a short Evo lift, then a Rancho lift and then an even taller Rancho lift. Before the last lift, somewhere in there you put on the new Adam’s shafts and it sounded like you were happy. Do you think with all the lift changes, pinion and caster changes, not to mention the new front axle, all those things combined had an effect on the Adam’s shafts performance? It sounds like (obviously) the Adam’s shafts you bought weren’t sized properly for the new lift and axle changes. Is it then Adam’s fault the shafts were over-extended and not performing well because of the change in lifts, axle, pinion and caster? Did your local driveline shop confirm that the Adam’s shafts were not balanced properly? But if that’s true then how were they working well before the new lift? Are shafts balanced per lift height?

Why didn’t you give Adam’s a call (Maybe you did) and tell them your problem and give them a chance to make a wrong a right? If you did call them, did they not want to help you fix the problem? I doubt if you had an issue with your new Dynatrac axle you would have gone to your local axle shop and have them fix it and then say Dynatrac screwed up. You’d let Dynatrac or any of the other brands stuck to the side of your Jeep make the wrong a right. Which as respected brands, they should, especially when you support their products.

I suppose now I‘ll get lots of forum backlash coming to your defense! Ha! Seriously, I’m just trying to understand. I trust your judgement and professionalism. I run some of the brands you support, because I see them work on your Jeep, therefore, I’m less skeptical, so I trust that they’ll work for my applications.

Keep up the great work!
 

OverlanderJK

Resident Smartass
So let me start off saying I’m a big fan! I enjoy your videos, especially the travel ones where you explore trails and talk about the history of the areas you visit. And I always learn alot from you and the people on this forum. So please take what I’m about to say as curiosity, not criticism.

In case of your driveshaft issue, I have some questions. I’m not here to defend Adam’s or any other maker, as it seems you’re not a big fan of branded shafts with cool stickers. I like to support my local vendors too and quite frankly, I’ve had more issues with local 4x4 driveline shops than the big brands.

If I follow your build sequences, it seems you had a short Evo lift, then a Rancho lift and then an even taller Rancho lift. Before the last lift, somewhere in there you put on the new Adam’s shafts and it sounded like you were happy. Do you think with all the lift changes, pinion and caster changes, not to mention the new front axle, all those things combined had an effect on the Adam’s shafts performance? It sounds like (obviously) the Adam’s shafts you bought weren’t sized properly for the new lift and axle changes. Is it then Adam’s fault the shafts were over-extended and not performing well because of the change in lifts, axle, pinion and caster? Did your local driveline shop confirm that the Adam’s shafts were not balanced properly? But if that’s true then how were they working well before the new lift? Are shafts balanced per lift height?

Why didn’t you give Adam’s a call (Maybe you did) and tell them your problem and give them a chance to make a wrong a right? If you did call them, did they not want to help you fix the problem? I doubt if you had an issue with your new Dynatrac axle you would have gone to your local axle shop and have them fix it and then say Dynatrac screwed up. You’d let Dynatrac or any of the other brands stuck to the side of your Jeep make the wrong a right. Which as respected brands, they should, especially when you support their products.

I suppose now I‘ll get lots of forum backlash coming to your defense! Ha! Seriously, I’m just trying to understand. I trust your judgement and professionalism. I run some of the brands you support, because I see them work on your Jeep, therefore, I’m less skeptical, so I trust that they’ll work for my applications.

Keep up the great work!

You’re a fucking idiot.


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WJCO

Meme King
So....blah blah blah........

Did you watch the actual video and pay attention to it?

SUMMARY:

Test drive in the beginning verified a driveline vibration.

Front shaft was removed and vibration was still there but quieter. So they also removed the rear shaft.
Both shafts taken to driveline shop and rebalanced both and the front also had to have length changed.

Rear put back on, quiet as can be. That fixed the rear vibration.

Front put back on, again quiet as can be. That fixed the front vibration.

The only variable removed from the equation and repaired was the drive shafts. That's what was wrong with it.
 

wayoflife

Administrator
Staff member
Great video, I have learned just becuase something is new doesn’t mean it is good. Glad you got those shafts balanced

It's tough because you would think that something new would NOT be the source of a problem. Makes finding said problem that much harder. But, all is good now :yup:

I’m pretty sure I have this same problem on my front d/s as well. 90% of it goes away when I pull it. Problem is we don’t have a local shop to balance or fab one here.... very frustrating. Glad you got yours fixed though!

Well that sucks that you don't have anyone local to work with. But, before you do anything, I would confirm that your caster is set to 4°. More than that and that can give you vibes.

I agree. I have a vibe at 62 to 65 mph. I'm getting mine checked soon. Thanks for the great info Eddie and Cindy.

As mentioned, be sure to verify that your caster is set to factory 4° and that your rear pinion is in line with your drive shaft. If all that checks out, THEN look into getting a rebalance.

Great info. Are those king bump stops on the side table for Jet[emoji848][emoji848][emoji848]

LOL!! Good eye. :cheesy:
 

Brute

Hooked
I’ve had a bad rear driveline vibration before...it appeared that I knocked off a weight on the trail (Rubicon) and had to drive back to Seattle while trying to find the perfect speed that minimized the vibration...it sucked.

Thank you for the informative video...it had a good vibe...
 
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Fionayeti

Guest
Yup I watched. Just wondering why Adam's didn't fix the problem. Sorry to offend that SoCal libtard and yourself. I don't think calling people F-ing idiots is helpful. Just trying to understand.
 

WJCO

Meme King
Sorry to offend that SoCal libtard and yourself.

I'm far from offended.

As far as SoCal libtards, not sure who you're referring to, but if it's Overlander, he's probably the furthest thing away from a libtard on that political spectrum.
 

benatc1

Hooked
Yup I watched. Just wondering why Adam's didn't fix the problem. Sorry to offend that SoCal libtard and yourself. I don't think calling people F-ing idiots is helpful. Just trying to understand.
He changed pinion angle and caster a bunch so im pretty sure that means he was trying to dial in with his lift height. Plus, while I may be wrong, the 3.5 Rancho is the only lift he's ran with aftermarket driveshafts on Jet Li. On top of all that, knowing Eddie, I would assume be would go with what he knows and can get him going fast and correctly, rather than weeks off drawn out time for the manufacturer to hopefully get it right, it's one thing when you know and trust them to fix it..I also don't think he was so much griping about the cost to fix as much as the difference in original cost, just my thoughts though.

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