Author: admin

There are several different possible causes for a driveline vibration. Your wheels, tires, axles, driveshaft, transmission, clutch or torque converter and engine components are all rotating at a high rate of speed, and any one or more of these components can create a vibration if they are worn or out of spec. Worn or broken engine or transmission mounts can transmit normal vibrations that usually aren’t ever felt, and accidental body contact with the engine, transmission, or exhaust can also be misinterpreted as a driveline vibration. The first step in diagnosing a classic car vibration is to determine exactly when and under what conditions the vibration occurs.

There are three basic types of vibrations:

1. Engine RPM related – If the vibration is related to engine RPM, it will occur in all gears (and possibly even sitting still) at a particular engine RPM or above. This vibration usually can be attributed to the engine itself or anything else that turns at the same speed as the engine, such as the harmonic balancer, flywheel or flexplate, pilot bearing, pressure plate, torque converter, or transmission input shaft. It is also possible for body contact with the engine, transmission, or exhaust to cause an engine RPM related vibration. Worn or broken engine or transmission mounts can contribute to this problem. When driving the vehicle with the vibration present, maintain vehicle speed and try shifting to a lower or higher gear. If the vibration changes or goes away while maintaining the same vehicle speed, then the problem is not related to engine RPM.

2. Vehicle Speed related – If the vibration is related to vehicle speed, it will not be present until you reach a certain speed, and then it will usually start gradually and then become worse as speed increases. In some cases, it will decrease at some point, and then come back again at a higher speed. This type of vibration could be related to your wheels, tires, axles, differential, driveshaft runout, balance, or angles, universal joints, or transmission output shaft. Try the same driving test as above. If the vibration is present in third gear at 50 mph, but shifting to fourth gear at 50 MPH makes the vibration go away, then it is not going to be vehicle speed related and you can usually rule out any rotating component that is further back than the transmission output shaft. At a given MPH, your output shaft, driveshaft, axles, wheels and tires are all turning at a constant speed, no matter what gear the transmission is in.

3. Accel/Decel/Cruise related – A vibration that changes depending on whether you are accelerating, decelerating, or cruising at a steady speed could have quite a few different causes. Generally, this will be related to driveshaft angles or a worn or broken part, instead of something being out of balance. Think about what changes when the engine is under load. The engine and isolator mount loads shift; the load on the pinion bearing changes; your driveshaft angles change, possibly more than they should due to a broken engine or transmission mount; your exhaust, shifter, transmission, etc. could be contacting the body only on accel or decel; if the car has been lowered (or raised), your suspension snubbers could be contacting the body prematurely.

A vehicle works as a system, and you have to understand the relationships between all the different parts when you are trying to diagnose a driveline vibration. Determining if the vibration is related to engine speed, vehicle speed, or engine load will help you narrow down the list of possible culprits, and keep you from wasting your time looking in the wrong places.

At some point or another it happens to everyone, and if it hasnt happened to you yet, rest assured it will. You know precisely what Im talking about, the day that you accidentally lock yourself out of your car. That in itself is bad enough, but what about the time that you lock a child or pet within the vehicle? That can be very irritating, and in some cases deadly. So what exactly can you do? You cant break a window, thats certainly a last resort, and youre not that guy that can just pick the lock with a coat hanger and call it done. Fortunately there is something that you can do to alleviate this problem, and its actually pretty simple.

All that you need to do is call for a locksmith. Just think about it, youre coming out of the store having bought a bunch of groceries, and it suddenly starts to downpour. You get to your car only to realize that you keys are sitting in the ignition. At first you panic, and then you smile because you know that you can call your nearest locksmith provided that you didnt leave your cell phone in your car as well. If you did, then there is probably a nearby good Samaritan with either a cell phone or a slim jim that will be more than happy to help you out.

So at this point youre probably wondering exactly who you call to have your car unlocked. Fortunately a lot of people have this exact problem, and because of that the locksmith industry is pretty huge. You can find them on just about every single corner and many of them are open all day and night. Their logic is that people are going to make mistakes at any hour of the day, so they can make money at all hours of the day. So all you need to do is dial information from your phone, or simply grab a phone book. Either way youre going to find something that will work in your favor!

This service is not cheap however, in some cases you might find a locksmith that will charge around $75, but in most cases you will discover that it can be $100 or more. While this may be slightly inconvenient, just think about the peace of mind it will give you when you know that there is someone you can call any hour of the day to get you out of a jam.

You will lock yourself out of your car eventually, and there may even be someone you love trapped inside, but this doesnt mean that all hope is lost, and you certainly dont have to panic. Help is going to be there when you need it, so calm down, dial your phone, and be on your way home soon!

6. Get a recommendation. If you can, ask people you know and trust who theyve used in the past. Theyll be able to tell you who in your area is a good, trustworthy locksmith and who should be avoided.

7. Does your locksmith have a shop? It might be a good idea to avoid locksmiths that work out of their homes or cars. A long standing locksmith with a lot of business will generally have a physical address and a shop that customers can visit. While a locksmith with no store isnt always untrustworthy, you should definitely take time to find out how long he or she has been in business and whether or not complaints have been registered.

8. Ask whether youll be getting served by the locksmith or by employees. All employees should be bonded, certified and insured, as well as the owner. Know who will be helping you with your problem.

9. Ask about references. A good locksmith is going to be willing to give you references, especially if youre asking for business service. Other businesses should be happy to recommend a good locksmith.

10. Price is important. While price isnt the biggest thing youll want to think about, a very cheap locksmith could be suspect. Be willing to pay a little more to get a locksmith youre comfortable with and can trust.