hey gang, i have a small problem with my 2000 ext ranger, like the title says,shaking at higher speeds im not getting any inner or outer tire wear but it will cause the tread to become uneven, which i rotate often to keep the damage minimal, i realize that its probably ball joints or tierods so how do i determine which it is? is there any tests i can do to pinpoint the problem, btw it quits shaking below 65

 

It could also be warped brake rotors.

 

bad ball joints/tie rods will usually cause a car/truck to track really bad "follow the ruts" either way its easy to check. jack up the front of the truck, one tire at a time, once a tire is in the air wiggle it. if you can grab the top and bottom of the tire and move it in/out at the top and bottom you got ball joint issues. to check tie rods grab the tire at the front and rear wiggle it again, if you have much move ment you have tie rod issues. when testing for this i always start with the passenger side, it takes the most abuse because of curbs sharper turns, and pot holes.

given that your vibration is at speed you probably have some sort of balance issue, wheels, drive shaft, warped front axle if its 4X4. tires usually like to shake at 55+ when out of balance so that would be my guess. before you spend $ to get them balanced make sure you dont have any mud stuck to the inside of the rim.

 

Doubtfull as it is happening at highway speeds , he wasn't complaining about stopping.

 

A bad wheel bearing will cause the same problem.
So that's three things for you to check.

 

is there a way to test wheel bearings?

 

Grab the tire at 12:00 and 6:00 position and try to move the wheel.

 

my new ranger has always shook a little at 65 mph, just like my old one.

 

It could also be something as simple as the tires being out of balance. I know you said you rotate them, but never saw anything about getting the balance checked.

 

i am having some similar vibration at high speed and somewhat throughout the mph's over 30. its more of a tight vibration very rapid. not like mud on the rim or out of balance vibration thats a bit shakier. i feel it in the pedal, steering wheel and floor and vibrates other parts of the truck. I'm just trying to figure out if its wheel bearing or ball joints etc. it just got bad one day. guess its time to get at it


i was really hoping i could go a while without replacing lame stock parts, and spend money on sweet sas parts

 

if your having a 'very rapid" vibration i would suspect something that turns faster then the wheel i.e driveshaft. it could always be something as simple as mud stuck somewhere throwing stuff out of balance. i had a 70 dodge 3/4 ton crew cab that i used to wheel with and the rims were really bad for picking mud cakes, was kinda like having a massage chair on the way home.

 

Its probably the ball joints, my truck shook so bad on the highway my passenger seat would move side to side by almost 2inches (enough to make me feel unsafe at any speed above 65). Obviously it doesn't do it any more.
Its also partly the uneven treading of tires. But change the top and bottom ball joints in the front w/ new tires and everything should be well.

 

yeah its not so much a vibration like mud on the rims. had that before. but its almost like a buzzing vibration. that kind of rapid. doesnt shake anything just a buzzing i can feel coming from the front end

 

I'd check u joints. The driveshaft spins extremely fast. Any imbalance like mud or a bad u joint will cause a vibration. Don't just check the rotational play in the u joint but also push up and down on the yoke and see if you can get any deflection.

 

I missed the funny tire wear part. Is it feathering the edges or scalloping the tires?

 

If its a "buzzing" vibration, check the wheel bearings. I'm about to have to change mine the second time, and when they start to go I get a rapid "shimmy" around 70-75.

 

ok i finally got a chance to check the front end out and when i grab the tire at 12 and 6 i have zero movement but when i grab the tire at 9 and 6 i have lots of play! so does this mean i have a tierod problem vs ball joints?

 

scalloping the tires for sure with ni inner or outter wear

 

tire pressure is 35psi suspension seem tight, i took off the calipers and rotors to see if mud or rust had built up behind there and they are clean.
im leaning towards inner tierods but will be double checking the ball joints

 

quick update.... all four ball joints and one inner tierod are shot causing this problem. plus for those who may not know when checking the ball joints, place jack under the shock jack up the vehicle a few inches and place a bar under the tire and lift using the bar any significant play in the ball joints replace them. chances are you wont be able to move the ball joints grabbing the tire by hand.
thanks for all the replies everyone!

 

I can almost 100% promise you that you have a wheel balance problem ( i took a brake and suspension class at my college lol ) and my instructor says that 99.9% of the time if the truck shakes at a certain high speed, then fades away after your out of that speed range (i.e. 65-70) that means you have a unbalanced wheel. time for an alignment! lol

 

Wait, you took a class about it, and you still think that an alignment will fix an unbalanced wheel? Or is that what the instructor said?
Either way, they are two seperate things. Unbalanced wheel, tire shop for balancing. Tire lean, uneven wear, pulling to one side, twitchy steering, alignment shop for aligning.