Rtittsworth

For a few months I've noticed a vibration while I drive. It started off only doing it a few times a week and now vibrates several times a day while driving. I have a 2010 JKU with 124K. It doesn't matter if I slow down or accelerate, the vibration is still there. The steering wheel does not move around when this happens. I was told that it was more than likely u-joints. This may show my auto ignorance, but when I look under the jeep at the drive shaft, where I figured the u joint would be, I see two bolted ends and rubber boot in the middle. Are the u-joints that need replaced under the rubber boot?

resharp001

That rubber boot is just covering the splines where the DS compresses/extends. The front DS has a CV joint on the TC side, and a u-joint on the diff side, but that u-joint is actually not replaceable. The rear DS has CV joints at both ends. Other than that, you have a u-joint in each front axle shaft.

When I say the front DS u-joint is not replaceable, I mean it doesn't have retaining clips and it's meant to be replaced. There are a few that have found a way to do it, but honestly, it's not worth the effort.

I would start by searching a couple youtube vids that will show you how to check a u-joint for play. This is something you can crawl under the jeep and shake the DS there by the u-joint and tell if you're feeling any play or not.

Usually when a u-joint goes bad, you'll start to hear it clicking.

Rednroll

As an FYI, this is what a U-Joint looks like. The part that typically needs replacing is the "+" shaped part that holds the "U" sections of each side together (ie U-Joint).


Pic of U-Joint


Vibrations, are typically tied to a problem with the drive shaft, so U-joints on the front drive share are a good guess without actually inspecting it. Depending on how the vibration feels and given your 124K mileage, I'ld say wheel bearing hubs may be another possible concern for vibrations from the front. However, with that said if the wheel bearing hubs needed replacing I'ld suspect you would have seen some lights on your dash light up.

Pic of Wheel bearing hubs

Rtittsworth

Thanks for the input guys. I haven't had a chance to look into this but it's good to know what I'm looking for. I'll update once I figure out the problem.

jeepmojo

i know i covered this topic before . lol you can not replace a u joint in drive shaft on a 2012 or later maybe prior years maybe but i know on a 2012 forward the whole drive shaft would need to be replaced the u joint can not be replaced a factory front drive shaft is upwards of 800 .00 and id imagine rear would be close ( a aftermarket would be best option or find a good used one from some one who lifted there jeep maybe 3 " or higher ) best of luck

Mark Doiron

Just to ensure you're not headed off on a wild goose chase, let's return to the problem. Does it vibrate when you're stopped? Would you describe this vibration as similar to the movement you get in one of those pay a quarter, vibration mattresses in a cheap motel (okay, maybe that's showing my age and proclivity for cheap motels)? Does the vibration sometimes occur when first starting the vehicle, after it's been parked overnight? Does the vibration last roughly five to fifteen seconds, then stop? If you're answering yes to those questions, then it may be a bad intake manifold (somewhat common) or head (less likely) gasket. Coolant gets into the cylinders and interferes with smooth running of the engine, causing intermittent, high frequency vibration. You may be noticing coolant level is dropping over time, if so.