Vehicle noise/Vibration - U Joint replacement

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goblue90
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Postby goblue90 » Thu Apr 21, 2011 8:23 pm

slavabon wrote:Hey guys,
Is it possible to get the rear driveshaft out of balance after replacing u-joints. Everyhtiung is marked and went back in the same way, but not it gets a high-frequency vibration/resonance. definitely was not this bad before the u-joints were replaced.
Did you ever find the cuase of your high-frequency vibration/resonance?


Cliff_Jumper
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Location: Maryland

Postby Cliff_Jumper » Sat Apr 23, 2011 5:14 am

SPICOLI wrote:The good news: Did the front shaft U-joints yesterday. The process was fairly painless, but I did need a BFH to persuade the U Joints out.
How easy is it to replace the u-joints? I'm in the process of replacing mine as it vibrates around 70MPH. Thanks

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ShipFixer
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Postby ShipFixer » Sat Apr 23, 2011 7:09 am

slavabon wrote:Hey guys,
Is it possible to get the rear driveshaft out of balance after replacing u-joints. Everyhtiung is marked and went back in the same way, but not it gets a high-frequency vibration/resonance. definitely was not this bad before the u-joints were replaced.
Yes...I went through this with the front driveshaft. They replaced the U joint but the truck still shook like it wanted to come apart over 60 mph. They put it up on the lift and ran it to up to speed and could see the shaft vibrating.

It was covered under warranty, although they did look really closely to see if I'd hit anything. Of course judging by where the front shaft goes I'd have to try reeeaally hard to pin it on something, even without skid plates...

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ShipFixer
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Postby ShipFixer » Sat Apr 23, 2011 7:10 am

slavabon wrote:Hey guys,
Is it possible to get the rear driveshaft out of balance after replacing u-joints. Everyhtiung is marked and went back in the same way, but not it gets a high-frequency vibration/resonance. definitely was not this bad before the u-joints were replaced.
Yes...I went through this with the front driveshaft. They replaced the U joint but the truck still shook like it wanted to come apart over 60 mph. They put it up on the lift and ran it to up to speed and could see the shaft vibrating.

It was covered under warranty, although they did look really closely to see if I'd hit anything. Of course judging by where the front shaft goes I'd have to try reeeaally hard to pin it on something, even without skid plates...

goblue90
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Postby goblue90 » Sat Apr 23, 2011 12:03 pm

ShipFixer wrote:
slavabon wrote:Hey guys,
Is it possible to get the rear driveshaft out of balance after replacing u-joints. Everyhtiung is marked and went back in the same way, but not it gets a high-frequency vibration/resonance. definitely was not this bad before the u-joints were replaced.
Yes...I went through this with the front driveshaft. They replaced the U joint but the truck still shook like it wanted to come apart over 60 mph. They put it up on the lift and ran it to up to speed and could see the shaft vibrating.

It was covered under warranty, although they did look really closely to see if I'd hit anything. Of course judging by where the front shaft goes I'd have to try reeeaally hard to pin it on something, even without skid plates...
Thanks ShipFixer... I'm going through this right now. I replaced the ujoints myself last fall and have had a harmonic vibration around 30-40 mph through the floorboard, and a little vibration at highway speeds. I called a Nissan dealership in the area and spoke with one of their service leads. He said it was highly unlikely that it's a bad driveshaft and more likely the non-OEM ujoints that I used. I have a new driveshaft that I ordered from factorynissanparts.com that I'm going to install, but it's a PITA trying to get the bolts off of the existing driveshaft when you don't have a lift.
Last edited by goblue90 on Sat Apr 23, 2011 6:44 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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ShipFixer
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Postby ShipFixer » Sat Apr 23, 2011 4:11 pm

Part of the U joint replacement in the service manual is checking the shaft for straightness...I think now I know why!

Doubt it's the after market U joint, especially since the stockers aren't such awesome pieces of equipment anyway and I think nearly all U joints in Ameria come from just a couple of manufacturers. It's not a flux capacitor, it's a handful of bearings...

Anyway, my driveshaft story is one of nuisance...I'm pretty sure that shop didn't check shaft run out when they finally did the U joint.

When my rumbling noise first came up I had Sears balance the tires...no luck. Reached up and felt play in the U joint itself and knew it was bad. Then I took it to Nissan in XXXXXXXXX and dropped it off for them to replace the U joint. Came back and was greeted with "Good news, we balanced your tires!"

Bad, but not as bad as "Oh...and that loud rumble is still there though."

Pathfinder2005
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Postby Pathfinder2005 » Tue Aug 14, 2012 5:13 pm

My 05 Pathfinder whet into the shop because the blower motor stopped working for the 2nd time and needed to be replaced. While there, I had them spot weld the heat shields because they rattled when I started my truck up and upon acceleration. I also had them check the vibration coming through the gas pedal between 38-42mph. Upon inspection, they came back and told me I needed a new radiator and transmission. Radiator internally failed causing intermix with transmission fluid causing transmission failure. Both replaced. Still, the gas pedal vibrated. Back to the dealership, only to find that both front and rear brakes are shot. Replaced both front and rear brakes, rotor pads and hardware. Also, replaced both rear driveshaft U-Joints and rebalanced tires. I love my truck and give up good mpg to keep it. However, the vibration is still there, between 38-42mph. BTW: my truck is still under warrantee until 09/12. How lucky the blower motor went when it did. ll of the above was fixed at no cost (except heat shields) I will check to see if the gas pedal is loose and tightening it will resolve the problem. Until then, I'll check back if anyone has any feed back that I should be more concerned the vibration could lead to more serious issues.

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volvite
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Postby volvite » Tue Aug 14, 2012 6:44 pm

Are you 4x4? If you are 4x4 did they look at the front driveshaft U-joints?

Pathfinder2005
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Location: Northeast

Postby Pathfinder2005 » Tue Aug 14, 2012 6:59 pm

Yes, LE 4WD and yes, front U joints replaced about a year ago.
My truck was making these weird noices at no particular time.
Searched it on the web and found suggestions pointing to U Joints.
My truck only has 60k miles. Maybe time to trade it in?

redwing
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Location: Alma, Michigan

Postby redwing » Sun Aug 26, 2012 1:50 pm

Just got my front u joint fixed. Got this really bad vibration at 55mph plus it started squawking like a duck. $82.12 installed. Now I can sell this beast. Mileage is killing me, plus the $1400 ac fix, and now the left rear fender is starting to rust really bad.

alecsey
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Path 2006 Vibration Rumble problem

Postby alecsey » Mon Oct 15, 2012 12:55 pm

OK I have same problem on pathfinder 2006 with 93000 miles. At about 45 mph while accelerator is pressed I begin to hear annoying audible vibration/rumble that seem to come from the back of the car. I inspected radiator cap and it seems to be clean and covered with clear liquid.

I am addressing this issue right now. I am looking for ward to share my story

alecsey
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DIY U-joint replacement

Postby alecsey » Mon Oct 15, 2012 9:44 pm

I just came across a diy (with pictures) on how to replace u-joints on 05 exterra. should be the same for pathfinder, right?

http://www.thenewx.org/forum/showthread.php?t=19209

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smj999smj
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Postby smj999smj » Mon Oct 15, 2012 10:16 pm

SHould be the same for all R51 Pathfinders, 05-12 Xterras and Frontiers.

Aerodan
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Re: Vehicle noise/Vibration - U Joint replacement

Postby Aerodan » Mon Aug 10, 2020 7:29 pm

alecsey's link two posts above is a good one. Also, searching YouTube for Pathfinder / XTerra u-joint replacement is worthwhile.

Just in case anyone here is in the same situation as me and winds up needing to replace their universal joints, RockAuto.com has the Spicer u-joints for under $15. They also have the greaseable variety. They're listed under the Heavy Duty category of universal joints for your vehicle.

Non greaseable
"Dana 51310X" (front shaft) https://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo.ph ... cc=1433013
"Dana 51330X" (rear shaft) https://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo.ph ... cc=1433013

Greaseable
"Dana 513101X" (front shaft) https://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo.ph ... cc=1433013
"Dana 513301X" (rear shaft) https://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo.ph ... cc=1433013

Although RockAuto has them filed under the Dana brand, the product description clearly says Spicer Life Series part.

Note the universal joints are cheaper through RockAuto than Northern Drivertrain.

Lastly, one thing to consider is using a 6-point (not a 12-point) closed ended wrench with an 'off-corner loading design' to break the stubborn nuts loose. 14mm for the front driveshaft, 17mm for the rear drive shaft. The 'off-corner loading design' might be just a sales gimmick (I haven't tried it yet), but it in theory doesn't touch the corners of the bolt, so it is less likely to round the bolt. An example wrench is the 14mm GEARWRENCH 81762 (google it or search Amazon).


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