cvz_finezt

take 15 minutes and do a check from the ground up. feel around ur tires to see if there is any cupping or uneven wear, next look at ur brakes and see if they are warping (ripples in the rotor) if u have drums in the back u'll have to jack it up and pull the tires and drums off to see if there is anything a miss. if u ever rode with ur park brake on for a long distance/time tht would cause it too. u could tell ur rear shoes and drums would be grooved to hell.

roush360r

Is the vibration from the motor like a skip or is it a chassis vibration? usually a vibration on accel is a u-joint. you'll need to take out the d/s and move the u-joints and feel for play or a tight spot. But you cant visibly see if a rotor is warped, you need a micrometer to check for runout. The ripples in a rotor are pretty normal for rotors with some miles on them. i actually got a u-joint starting to go now i think i just need to get the time to check them.

HungryBearCub

ok taking out the ds and changing out the u joints... that sounds hard and expensive not to mention time consuming. What is involved? How much am I looking at? I am willing to do the work I am just very ignorant when it comes to servicing my truck so I need details and lots of them.

roush360r

well the easiest way would be just to take the truck to a shop but that would be the most expensive. another route is to just take your drive shaft out and bring it to a napa. i know theres a few in my area that will press them in for like 10$ plus the cost of the u-joint. or you could do it your self. they can be kind of tricky though if youve never done them before. you just need a impact socket and a hammer and you'll be able to drive them out.

benbailey84

i had a bad shutter at 40 mph and higher, i thought it was the torque converter, the pinion bearing was shot so i replaced the whole rear end (easier and not that much more expensive) and cured the shuttering. i said all that to say it could be your pinion bearing in your rear end. but most likely torque converter shutter, check the quality of your tranny fluid, if its not a bright red then it needs to be changed, change it and add this in http://www.lubegard.com/~/C-177/LUBEGARD+Highly+Friction+Modified+ATF+Supplement if its red then use this http://www.lubegard.com/~/C-230/Dr.+Tranny+Instant+Shudder+Fixx
i have used both in a 97 mountianeer and it cured the issue. the first is a friction modifier. if you need to change the fluid make sure you use the mercon V fluid. it has an extra amount of the friction modifier needed for these ford trucks.

BigIrish

Its not really that hard (you don't even have to jack the truck up), it can be time consuming. Here are the steps:

1) Park on level ground, chock the wheels and engage 4x4 if equipped.

2) Get a 12 point 13mm wrench or socket and crawl under the truck.

3) Find the rear drive shaft and follow it back to where it attaches to the pinion flange. You will see 4 twelve point bolts. They're in there tight, but keep with it and they will loosen up.

4) After removing the bolts, use a large screw driver and pry the drive shaft forward slightly. The shafts aren't press fit or anything, but crud and corrosion keep the shaft in place unless you pry it off.

5) Put a catch pan under the back of the trans / t-case and pull the shaft down and back. Some fluid will come out of the trans / t-case at this point.

6) Take the shaft to the bench and check the u-joints. Hold the shaft solid and try to twist either yoke relative to the shaft. Also, pull and push the yoke and look for play. There shouldn't be any slop in any direction. IF there is, the joint is toast and requires replacement.

7) Remove the spring clips from the u-joint caps with a good set of pliers. These are little pieces of metal that kind of look like lower case "e".

8) Get 2 sockets, one slightly smaller then the cap and one slightly larger. Place the smaller one on the one cap and the larger one underneath the opposite cap. Smack the socket with a large hammer to drive out the joint.

9) You should now be able to remove the caps and tilt the joint to remove the yoke. Repeat the process to remove the joint cross from the shaft.

10) Repeat 8 and 9 for the other end.

11) Install the new joint by removing the caps and placing the cross in the ears of the shaft. Position one cap on a slightly smaller socket with both under one ear of the shaft. Pound on the opposite ear until the cap goes in just past the grove for the snap ring.

12) Install the snap ring, turn the shaft over and repeat 11. You may need to tap the joint from each end to center the caps. Install the next spring clip.

13) Repeat 11 and 12 three times to finish the first joint and install the second.

14) Pump the joints full of grease.

15) Re-install the shaft.

HungryBearCub

OK, I did a lil research and saw a vid that is exactly how you described the process. I will be doing this procedure at any rate but that is not my problem. The check engine light came back on and it is my o2 censor on bank 1 lower i think. Any way I am back to vacuum leak. I went and bought a fog machine from the party supply in town and will be checking soon. I just have a few questions about using it but nothing I cant figure out with a little playing with it like does the engine need to be running but logic says yes... so like I said nothing I shouldnt be able to figure out on my own. I will try and replace the u joints on Sat providing I have found the leak and I have someone there in case the truck falls on me..

HungryBearCub

I found the problem I think. Will be at least 2moro before I can replace it tho. The air box housing was not installed correctly last time i took it off. As a result it warped and no longer had a good connection. As a result air was going in to the engine from there and not passing by the air flow sensor. It is like a $12 part from ford website.

BigIrish

Sounds good. Use some duct tape to seal it up for now until you get a new part.

HungryBearCub

Well I got the new part and it worked great... Ok so I still have the problem but it didnt happen till I put the truck under a load now it is back to same problem. I have a few questions. Is there some kind of vacuum line for the gas pedal? It seems like when I push the gas there is a burst of air type sound under the dash and it is sluggish to actually rev the engine. Also, I disconnected the battery while I installed the new manifold. The check engine light went off (was a code for bank 1 lean P0171). I was wondering if there was something else I would have to do to get the computer back on track of how much air was moving. What I mean is do i need to repressurize the lines or hit some magic universe reset switch or something? Also, the test with the fog didnt go so well due to all the moving air caused mainly by the radiator fan. I put the fog machine to fog in the air intake snorkel and watched for fog. someone said that it would only go through the engine and not enter the vacuum lines while another told me that the other person was wrong and that it would work that way. I did see a little fog but not enough to really tell where anything was coming from. Is there some way to hook it up to the vacuum lines directly? I do have 1 spot on a hose that is dry rotted and I plan on replacing it in the morning but I doubt that is the only place I would be looking. Is there some way to test the lines without the engine running so that i can HEAR the leak i saw a vacuum line tester and brake bleeder at the store the other day. Is that something I should use? If so how do I use that? I dont want to test each line individually due mainly to I dont know where half of them are. Sorry for all the questions but this has gone on for too long. I think considering all the problems I am having I might have preferred to have left the dang heater core alone and stayed cold on my 10 min drive to work. Would a dirty pcv cause this problem? I used a whole can of carb cleaner and did not hear a change in engine idle.