First Order Propshaft Speed Related Vibrations

First order propshaft speed related vibrations cause one shake or disturbance for each revolution of the propshaft. On standard 4-wheel drive or all-wheel drive vehicles, don't forget that the front propshaft can also cause this same type of vibration. Shift the vehicle in and out of four-wheel drive in an attempt to verify and isolate the concern.

Note: Some vehicles equipped with an automatic transfer case can still have the front propeller shaft rotate in two-wheel drive; however, it will not rotate at the same speed as it normally would in four-wheel drive. Shift the vehicle into four-wheel drive during diagnosis to eliminate the this potential diagnostic problem.

The following diagnostics apply to front and rear propshafts.

IMPORTANT: Anything that is out of balance will only cause a first order vibration, never any higher order vibrations.

NOTICE: The following items should be checked in the order shown.

First order propshaft vibrations are usually caused by:

A component rotating the same speed as the propshaft that is out-of-round. - click here to diagnose.
A component rotating the same speed as the propshaft that is out-of-balance. - click here to diagnose.
Drive axle problems. - click here to diagnose.

This page was last modified Thursday, March 05, 2009 09:02:31 PM