2001 windstar rear of van vibrates @ hi speed - Ford Forums - Mustang Forum, Ford Trucks, Ford Focus and Ford Cars

willdecletjr · 05-13-2009, 10:24

the current issue with my van is that when i cruise at highway speeds the rear of the van vibrates. i did replace both rear shocks less then a year ago because one of the shocks where blown. the axle appears to be ok. no bends,cracks or rust. rear springs appear ok but i'm not sure if they are 100%.
i will be getting the tires balanced this weekend to see if i get any improvments.can it be the rear wheel bearings? what should i be looking for. i do all the work on my van myself. i've worked on cars(not a mechanic) a long time. i've never encountered this problem before. my freind who is a mechanic is not sure what it is either but was the one who recommended getting my tires balanced first. any help is greatly appreciated. thanks in advance,
-Will D.

**jwko** · 05-13-2009, 10:32

I bet the rear tires need balanced. Have them check for possible tread separation also.

Sterling_Six · 05-13-2009, 18:31

Quote:

Originally Posted by willdecletjr

the current issue with my van is that when i cruise at highway speeds the rear of the van vibrates. i did replace both rear shocks less then a year ago because one of the shocks where blown. the axle appears to be ok. no bends,cracks or rust. rear springs appear ok but i'm not sure if they are 100%.
i will be getting the tires balanced this weekend to see if i get any improvments.can it be the rear wheel bearings? what should i be looking for. i do all the work on my van myself. i've worked on cars(not a mechanic) a long time. i've never encountered this problem before. my freind who is a mechanic is not sure what it is either but was the one who recommended getting my tires balanced first. any help is greatly appreciated. thanks in advance,
-Will D.

Hello and good day

I would have to agree with "Jwko"... I would say your tires first...
Do you hear any Scraping, or Metal to Metal Sound??? If the Wheel Bearing is going you would Hear something...

Have you had a wheel alignment after the replacing the Shocks??

How is your Rear Brakes??

**360ci** · 05-13-2009, 18:34

You can easily check for bad wheelbearings: First, raise the tire/wheel in question about an inch off the ground. Just to be safer, use an axle stand and rest the vehicle on the stand with the jack still in place taking some of the weight. Next, place one hand under the tire and the other on top. If you can move the tire toward you (if it moves around when you shake/move it) then the wheel bearing is undoubtedly shot. The wheel should turn freely and NOT move at all when you pull/push/shake the tire. Wheel bearings are generally associated with a loud, whine type noise that gets worse the more you drive.

If there is no noticeable noise, as jwko mentioned, the best thing you can do is to balance the tires and rotate them, back to front.

thefonz · 05-13-2009, 19:38

An inch off the ground and put your hand under the tire?..... I think 360ci wants to see some skinned knuckles. :)

**jwko** · 05-13-2009, 19:40

Sounds like it. Maybe he's got skinny fingers. lol

thefonz · 05-13-2009, 19:47

No pain= no cuss= no get fixed and no learn!! :)

willdecletjr · 05-14-2009, 12:53

Thanks for the help guys. I rotated the tires on my lunch break. Used the forklift. Got it done in about 20mins. Now I need to get them balanced tommrow.

willdecletjr · 05-14-2009, 15:01

gI drove the van home this afternoon and rotating the tires helped out alot. I am going to have to buy tires now.thanks for the help everyone.

**360ci** · 05-16-2009, 18:27

Actually, my hands are quite large. Unless you're wheel bearings are that far gone an inch of room is fine. Besides, you could always jack it up higher...you FRUITS. lol.