I have developed a light, knocking kind of vibration that occurs when the Jeep is moving that I can feel in the accelerator, the brake and the steering column. My initial thought was that it might be the torque converter issue (this TSB) as it has a slight "rumble strip" feel to it (not nearly as pronounced or quick as a rumble strip would be), but I'm feeling it whenever I'm moving, regardless of whether or not I am accelerating. It seems to be more present when I turn the steering wheel just slightly to the left. It occurs only when I am moving (even when I am braking) and subsides when the Jeep is stopped.

There is no wobble and my passengers can't feel it, but it is clearly a steady, knocking sort of vibration felt in the pedals and steering that seems to be getting worse with time. Any thoughts on what this could be?

 

Uneven tire wear?

 

That was one of my initial thoughts, too and might be the case.... although I do rotate every 3000 miles and run at about 28 psi to keep the wear right. I did just have the sidewalls flipped from white-out to black-out, so there would be a change in the wear pattern. But would I feel it all the way up in the steering column? Also, it feels a little more knocky that I would think uneven wear would feel like. Almost like something is a little loose or something.... but I'll look more closely at the tread wear and see if anything stands out.

 

I also rotate my tires 3K and rotate and balance every 6K. At 6K I got mine 5 tire rotated for the first time. I should've done it my self but didn't have the time. They put my spare on the drivers front. It would shake the whole car and definitely get vibes in the pedals and the wheel big time. Unfortunately, I drove it about 2K before I switched it back to where it should've been. Now I get vibes that are slowly going away. The tires are also very loud. I would say my KMs are wearing poorly and have a tendency to do show this before other tires I have had in the past would.

Unless you paid close attention to how you repositioned the tires when you flipped the pattern I can see you having the same issues.


I am no mechanic but that is my experience with mine.

 

Interesting.... I appreciate the insight. I definitely don't get any shaking or wobbling, but what you describe could still be the case. I'll look into it.

 

Did the vibs start when you had the side wall flipped? If so they may not have balanced it properly. You may also want to pay attention to the tread and look for possible tread separation.

 

There weren't any vibes after they flipped/rebalanced them... but the vibe has slowly become present since and has gotten a little worse as time has gone on. I'm going to go over the tires and see if I can find anything that's visibly noticeable.

 

Not sure the tire idea explains the tapping. Check the front axle joints for missing caps too.

 

How bout that steering shaft thing? Something about packing it with grease stops it. Some of the symptoms are exactly as you describe.

 

Give those U-joints a HARD look! Check them for play, not just visually.....