I Got the Shakes at 65!

[David S.]

Over the last few days, I have been getting a bad shake when I hit around 65 mph. The alignment is fine; I let go of the steering wheel and it tracks straight. Sometimes when I go around curves at hwy. speeds, the shakes seem to go away. The ball joints were recently replaced and the tires were rotated and balanced last week. I did go hunting this last week and I may have knocked a weight off a wheel. I will have the tires re-balanced this week to rule out that possible cause. What else could it be? I am also thinking about the radius arm bushings...how difficult are these to do yourself with common tools?

 

[BislamJoe]

Honestly, I don't know what causes this vibration problem in the first-generation Explorers. When I got my BFG's, I had them balanced and aligned all at the same time, and it still shook pretty bad at around 60-65. I finally did get rid of the shakes though, but it was very expensive. I managed to bend my passenger-side I-beam (not the one with the diff, the other), as well as that radius arm, did lotsa damage to front suspension components. After a few weeks in the shop and insurance stepping in, I got it back with a new I-beam, new radius arm, new coils, new draglink, and the shakes are gone.

 

[OL Crony]

U-Joint?

I know that when mine was going bad, it would shake at highway speeds. At first it was subtle, like I talked myself into thinkin' that it was the road surface. Then greater, where I also thought that it was an out of balance tire or some other front end catastophe. Finally, it got so bad that I had to take it in and it was the u-joint. Worth a check.

az

 

[Mr. MuD]

That happend to me also, Only It was a day after I got my truck out of the mud overnight. IT shook for like a week straight at 65+mph. It finally went away, and I think it was just caked on mud fookin up sheet.

Jus for your info...


Mud

 

[Bill Kemp]

Perhaps less caffeine...


Sorry, I could'nt help myself....

 

[TarHeel085]

HAHA, thats some funny shizot. oh well thats what i would say, that its either the mud, or your tires went WAY out alignment or they became unbalanced for some reason. i dont know im retarded so dont listen to me.

 

[01EB5.0]

The early explorers were prone to that 60-65 MPH shimmy. thats why the newer ones all have that "third shock" from the frame in the back to the pumpkin