Rhythmic vibration 1955 T-Bird | Ford Thunderbird club group 1955-2005 T-Bird models

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Rhythmic vibration 1955 T-Bird

  • Thread starter Thread starter zeroroadkill
  • Start date Start date
zeroroadkill

zeroroadkill

BlackBird Fly
Gold Member
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133
Thunderbird Year
1955
<div class="bbWrapper">New U-joints<br /> Balanced drive shaft<br /> Output shaft seems tight<br /> I get a rhythmic vibration at 50mph you can feel in the seat of your pants<br /> New tires, balanced, aligned <br /> Motor stabilization new bushings and no engine weight on them <br /> Engine runs smooth <br /> Neutral stops it so not running gear or rear end<br /> <br /> ideas?</div>
 
<div class="bbWrapper">I would think an engine compression check is in order.<br /> <br /> If engine compression checks out then problem likely with ignition system, possibly defective plug(s), spark plug wire arcing to engine or frame, defective/worn out distributor cap/rotor, defective condenser, worn out coil, short in system. Some of these cars, and I&#039;m not clear on which ones, came with a transistorized ignition system. Is that the case with this car, or does it have points ignition system? My &#039;64 had points and the engine would misfire at higher revs. I installed the Pertronix III ignition module, hotter coil and MSD spark plug wires and no more misfires and engine has more power.</div>
 
<div class="bbWrapper">All 115-125lbs <br /> Pertronix<br /> New plugs, wires, rotor, cap, coil<br /> Runs smooth, idle smooth, great power, no misfires.</div>
 
<div class="bbWrapper"><blockquote data-attributes="member: 11142" data-quote="64ZCODE" data-source="post: 65203" class="bbCodeBlock bbCodeBlock--expandable bbCodeBlock--quote js-expandWatch"> <div class="bbCodeBlock-title"> <a href="/goto/post?id=65203" class="bbCodeBlock-sourceJump" rel="nofollow" data-xf-click="attribution" data-content-selector="#post-65203">64ZCODE said:</a> </div> <div class="bbCodeBlock-content"> <div class="bbCodeBlock-expandContent js-expandContent "> If engine compression checks out then problem likely with ignition system, possibly defective plug(s), spark plug wire arcing to engine or frame, defective/worn out distributor cap/rotor, defective condenser, worn out coil, short in system. Some of these cars, and I&#039;m not clear on which ones, came with a transistorized ignition system. Is that the case with this car, or does it have points ignition system? My &#039;64 had points and the engine would misfire at higher revs. I installed the Pertronix III ignition module, hotter coil and MSD spark plug wires and no more misfires and engine has more power. </div> <div class="bbCodeBlock-expandLink js-expandLink"><a role="button" tabindex="0">Click to expand...</a></div> </div> </blockquote>No they did not come with transistorized ignition in 1955. You will not see that in Fords until well into the 60s.</div>
 
<div class="bbWrapper">You say neutral stops the vibration if that&#039;s correct then clearly it&#039;s in the engine possibly the transmission.so please clarify if you were driving at 50 mph and the vibration was occurring and you pushed in the clutch or shifted the transmission into neutral the vibration would immediately stop. is that correct?</div>
 
<div class="bbWrapper">Sounds like a flywheel out of balance or even the harmonic balancer. There are rebuild ads all over the place to rebuild harmonic balancers. I&#039;ve never had the problem but there must be a reason for an advertised market.</div>
 
<div class="bbWrapper"><blockquote data-attributes="member: 10721" data-quote="Douglemmo" data-source="post: 65212" class="bbCodeBlock bbCodeBlock--expandable bbCodeBlock--quote js-expandWatch"> <div class="bbCodeBlock-title"> <a href="/goto/post?id=65212" class="bbCodeBlock-sourceJump" rel="nofollow" data-xf-click="attribution" data-content-selector="#post-65212">Douglemmo said:</a> </div> <div class="bbCodeBlock-content"> <div class="bbCodeBlock-expandContent js-expandContent "> You say neutral stops the vibration if that&#039;s correct then clearly it&#039;s in the engine possibly the transmission.so please clarify if you were driving at 50 mph and the vibration was occurring and you pushed in the clutch or shifted the transmission into neutral the vibration would immediately stop. is that correct? </div> <div class="bbCodeBlock-expandLink js-expandLink"><a role="button" tabindex="0">Click to expand...</a></div> </div> </blockquote>Yes</div>
 
<div class="bbWrapper"><blockquote data-attributes="member: 10721" data-quote="Douglemmo" data-source="post: 65212" class="bbCodeBlock bbCodeBlock--expandable bbCodeBlock--quote js-expandWatch"> <div class="bbCodeBlock-title"> <a href="/goto/post?id=65212" class="bbCodeBlock-sourceJump" rel="nofollow" data-xf-click="attribution" data-content-selector="#post-65212">Douglemmo said:</a> </div> <div class="bbCodeBlock-content"> <div class="bbCodeBlock-expandContent js-expandContent "> You say neutral stops the vibration if that&#039;s correct then clearly it&#039;s in the engine possibly the transmission.so please clarify if you were driving at 50 mph and the vibration was occurring and you pushed in the clutch or shifted the transmission into neutral the vibration would immediately stop. is that correct? </div> <div class="bbCodeBlock-expandLink js-expandLink"><a role="button" tabindex="0">Click to expand...</a></div> </div> </blockquote>That&#039;s how a worn or defective U-joint behaves. Vibrates under load.</div>
 
<div class="bbWrapper">As i stated<br /> New U-joints<br /> Balanced drive shaft</div>
 
<div class="bbWrapper">So zeroroadkill, when did this vibration start? Was it after replacing components as you outlined above? Or is this a long term problem you&#039;ve been pursuing fixes for?</div>
 
<div class="bbWrapper">The problem was there that’s why I decided to replace the U-joints and have the driveshaft balanced</div>
 
<div class="bbWrapper"><blockquote data-attributes="member: 15868" data-quote="zeroroadkill" data-source="post: 65190" class="bbCodeBlock bbCodeBlock--expandable bbCodeBlock--quote js-expandWatch"> <div class="bbCodeBlock-title"> <a href="/goto/post?id=65190" class="bbCodeBlock-sourceJump" rel="nofollow" data-xf-click="attribution" data-content-selector="#post-65190">zeroroadkill said:</a> </div> <div class="bbCodeBlock-content"> <div class="bbCodeBlock-expandContent js-expandContent "> New U-joints<br /> Balanced drive shaft<br /> Output shaft seems tight<br /> I get a rhythmic vibration at 50mph you can feel in the seat of your pants<br /> New tires, balanced, aligned<br /> Motor stabilization new bushings and no engine weight on them<br /> Engine runs smooth<br /> Neutral stops it so not running gear or rear end<br /> <br /> ideas? </div> <div class="bbCodeBlock-expandLink js-expandLink"><a role="button" tabindex="0">Click to expand...</a></div> </div> </blockquote>Since you said that you can feel the vibration in the seat of your pants and in neutral the vibration stops, I would check where the exhaust pipes pass through the frame. I had a similar problem a few years back and it turned out to be the rubber exhaust hanger strap had stretched from age, causing the exhaust pipe to contact the frame under certain load and torque conditions. Replacing the rubber hanger straps corrected the vibration problem.<br /> <br /> Since a picture is worth a thousand words, see the attached pictures.<br /> <br /> doug7740<br /> 1955 Thunderbird Blue<br /> <a href="https://forums.fordthunderbirdforum.com/attachments/exhaust-hanger-jpg.13683/" target="_blank"><img src="https://tbird.fordthunderbirdforum.com/data/attachments/32/32237-5c05e3d1ec24fda1f7396c6321cf0d59.jpg?hash=XAXj0ewk_a" class="bbImage " style="" alt="Exhaust Hanger.jpg" title="Exhaust Hanger.jpg" width="723" height="480" loading="lazy" /></a><a href="https://forums.fordthunderbirdforum.com/attachments/exhaust-through-the-frame-jpg.13684/" target="_blank"><img src="https://tbird.fordthunderbirdforum.com/data/attachments/32/32238-3564beaed57cd2513e0c4beb0bffe1e1.jpg?hash=NWS-rtV80l" class="bbImage " style="" alt="Exhaust Through The Frame.jpg" title="Exhaust Through The Frame.jpg" width="916" height="480" loading="lazy" /></a><a href="https://forums.fordthunderbirdforum.com/attachments/hitting-on-the-frame-jpg.13685/" target="_blank"><img src="https://tbird.fordthunderbirdforum.com/data/attachments/32/32239-7d0cfed41433e98f1700921cd4c2ce31.jpg?hash=fQz-1BQz6Y" class="bbImage " style="" alt="Hitting on the Frame.jpg" title="Hitting on the Frame.jpg" width="603" height="480" loading="lazy" /></a></div>
 
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<div class="bbWrapper"><a href="https://forums.fordthunderbirdforum.com/members/7362/" class="username" data-xf-init="member-tooltip" data-user-id="7362" data-username="@doug7740">@doug7740</a> I inserted the photos as full-size images into your post. <br /> Tutorial if you want to see how-<br /> <div class="bbMediaWrapper" data-media-site-id="youtube" data-media-key="X4cSR9-w2DA"> <div class="bbMediaWrapper-inner"> <iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/X4cSR9-w2DA?wmode=opaque" loading="lazy" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe> </div> </div></div>
 
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<div class="bbWrapper">OK, if you haven&#039;t figured out your vibration yet here&#039;s something else to think about. If the transmission and differential are not parallel it can give you a harmonic vibration under load that pulses from fainter to stronger every second or so. They can get out of whack with bad engine or trans mounts and if the rear axel has rotated a bit on the springs. Place car on level floor and use level to check tranny pan and differential. (Diff is tough but they usually have a small flat on the bottom near the pinion shaft) . At best they should both be level with the floor or at least the same amount off in the same direction (parallel). They make a fairly cheap ($20 on Amz) magnetic digital level that works great.</div>
 
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