# 2011 Hd Vibration



## RWRiley (Oct 21, 2009)

I have been working with the dealer on a vibration in my new crew cab gasser.
The 2011s have a stiffer frame, and in my reading, I have come across some saying that a stiffer frame can lead to more vibes in the cab.

I notice it more with the trailer hooked up. Chevy engineer came and put vibration equip on the front, middle, and back of (2 piece) drive shaft and say it's well within spec.

It's minor, but I still feel it. It's my 1st 4.10 rear end. Is it possible they are not as smooth as my old 3.73 (1/2 ton Tahoe) ? My other thought is tires, because they are at 80lbs in the back. More noticable if I'm on the gas.

Any insite greatly appreciated.

Rich


----------



## clarkely (Sep 15, 2008)

RWRiley said:


> I have been working with the dealer on a vibration in my new crew cab gasser.
> The 2011s have a stiffer frame, and in my reading, I have come across some saying that a stiffer frame can lead to more vibes in the cab.
> 
> I notice it more with the trailer hooked up. Chevy engineer came and put vibration equip on the front, middle, and back of (2 piece) drive shaft and say it's well within spec.
> ...


I have read on dieselplace forums that the drive shaft angle when the trailer is hooked up may need to be shimmed......... heard/read of some having this fixed....... One other thing that can contribute is the Stabilitrack traction control. Turn off the traction control and see if it does it........ if not then what you are feeling is the stabilitrack pulsing on off.....

I also have come to find out/see that they took away the steering stabilizer shock ........ there are mounting brackets for it......... i also heard if you do have a vibration and steering wheel travel bad, that you can get a stabilizer for it....... from chevy under warranty.......... I have an email in with my service friend to get to the bottom of that one.....

Hope that helps,
Clarke


----------



## Bob in Virginia (Jul 15, 2010)

Have you tried dropping the tire pressure down some when not pulling the camper? I know when I have 80 psi in my rear tires and 55 psi in the fronts it is a pretty harsh ride when empty. I tried dropping it to 50 in front and 65 in rear and that helped quite a bit. I am running a Silverado 2500HD Crew cab Duramax with 6.5 foot bed and stock tires.


----------



## Nathan (Jan 2, 2007)

Does the dealer have another gasser on their lot? Not suggesting they swap it, but if you can feel it in both trucks, it might be a design issue. If it's only in yours then it's manufacturing variability and that means it should be correctable (Not saying how easy it would be....).

Don't suppose you got a chance to ask the 'engineer' (he was probably a technician) if your level of customer complaint was "well within specs"?


----------



## RWRiley (Oct 21, 2009)

Tried tire pressure early on. When that didn't fix it, they replaced the driveshaft (with a hand picked, balanced one), and then a new rear differential/axle assembly. They installed a vibration damper on the carrier bearing - which helped a lot.

Tried the traction control just today - no change.

It's not horrible - but pretty annoying - especially since it's a new truck. Been chasing it for 2 months, and I'm just plain worn out. Dealer has done a great job chasing it too, and without the trailer on it's pretty good now. Not sure I would have noticed it if it was this way at delivery.

But, when I put the trailer on it becomes more pronounced. I can feel it steady at 50. When I take my foot off the gas, it goes away. Have not tried it at higher speeds since the latest new parts - figured I would give it a few miles to wear in. It will get a workout this weekend though.

If it's a design problem the dealer will never be able to fix it.

Rich


----------



## TexanThompsons (Apr 21, 2009)

Nathan said:


> Does the dealer have another gasser on their lot? Not suggesting they swap it, but if you can feel it in both trucks, it might be a design issue. If it's only in yours then it's manufacturing variability and that means it should be correctable (Not saying how easy it would be....).
> 
> Don't suppose you got a chance to ask the 'engineer' (he was probably a technician) if your level of customer complaint was "well within specs"?


X2. I would take this route to see if now that they've tried all these steps, is it similar to what others on the lot feel like. Also, you could check various diesel forums to see if others are having this problem. I am not familiar with teh GM diesel forums as I have a PSD.

I hope you get it fixed soon. Annoying to have a truck only a few months old only to find that it has some issues that aren't leaving you with a good feeling.


----------



## RWRiley (Oct 21, 2009)

TexanThompsons said:


> Does the dealer have another gasser on their lot? Not suggesting they swap it, but if you can feel it in both trucks, it might be a design issue. If it's only in yours then it's manufacturing variability and that means it should be correctable (Not saying how easy it would be....).


X2. I would take this route to see if now that they've tried all these steps, is it similar to what others on the lot feel like. [/quote]

The dealer does not have another 2500HD gasser on the lot. There are a couple of dealers close by that do, but they are all 3.73 rear ends. My thought is that I should really compare with another 4.10 (and crew cab so they have a 2 piece drive shaft). Plenty of crew cabs around, but no 4.10s - dealers just don't seem to stock those.

Rich


----------



## clarkely (Sep 15, 2008)

http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/showthread.php?t=388761&highlight=vibration+towing

See the above link, sounds similar to what i read there........


----------



## thefulminator (Aug 8, 2007)

Do you only feel it at the one speed? My dad had a similar problem. There would be vibration but it would change pitch as the tranny shifted. I always told him that it had to be in the tranny or forward because the noise was in sync with the engine speed. He didn't notice it but I did.


----------



## RWRiley (Oct 21, 2009)

thefulminator said:


> Do you only feel it at the one speed? My dad had a similar problem. There would be vibration but it would change pitch as the tranny shifted. I always told him that it had to be in the tranny or forward because the noise was in sync with the engine speed. He didn't notice it but I did.


It's hard to tell without the trailer, because to really make it show up I have to have my foot in it a little bit, and it comes and goes pretty quick between 45 and 55. But, the best that I can tell is that is does NOT change with engine speed. I will check that with the trailer on this weekend.

Rich


----------



## Duanesz (Jul 10, 2009)

You say that its only with the trailer? Could there be a vibration in the trailer that is transferring through the hitch back to the truck. Just a shot in the dark is there another trailer that you can hook up to and see if it makes the same noise?

Duane


----------



## RWRiley (Oct 21, 2009)

Duanesz said:


> You say that its only with the trailer? Could there be a vibration in the trailer that is transferring through the hitch back to the truck. Just a shot in the dark is there another trailer that you can hook up to and see if it makes the same noise?
> 
> Duane


There is a similar/brief vibration under aceleration without the trailer.

And the vibe with the trailer stops if I come off the throttle.

Rich


----------



## Carey (Mar 6, 2012)

Sounds like the differential pinion angle needs a slight adjustment. Also check the phase of the unjoints. Some mfrs are screwing with this. They use to be perfectly inline. Nowdays they add a slight offset if they have an inert vibration issue. Most always they never get rid of the vibe even when twisting the phase.

OR the best fix would be to go to a driveline shop and have a 1 piece aluminum shaft made. Prolly cost 6-800.

Its very common to have slight vibrations using 2 piece driveshafts. Why in this day do they still use these? $$

My dually had the same problem. Dodge was sick of the complaints so they engineered an aluminum shaft in the new trucks. I bought one.. All vibes gone.

I would buy a 1 degree shim and loosen the leaf spring bolts and slide it in. See what that does.

Your vibe is all driveline angle related. That can be changed with pinion angle, or shimming the carrier bearing or putting a 1 piece shaft in.

Carey


----------



## clarkely (Sep 15, 2008)

Colorado~DirtBikers said:


> Sounds like the differential pinion angle needs a slight adjustment. Also check the phase of the unjoints. Some mfrs are screwing with this. They use to be perfectly inline. Nowdays they add a slight offset if they have an inert vibration issue. Most always they never get rid of the vibe even when twisting the phase.
> 
> OR the best fix would be to go to a driveline shop and have a 1 piece aluminum shaft made. Prolly cost 6-800.
> 
> ...


You mean i was right







sounded like what i read and posted above!!







:notworthy:







Carey







:notworthy:









Hope all is well, i havent seen you on as much.... I have been in and out on here as of late as well........


----------



## RWRiley (Oct 21, 2009)

Colorado~DirtBikers said:


> Sounds like the differential pinion angle needs a slight adjustment. Also check the phase of the unjoints. Some mfrs are screwing with this. They use to be perfectly inline. Nowdays they add a slight offset if they have an inert vibration issue. Most always they never get rid of the vibe even when twisting the phase.
> 
> OR the best fix would be to go to a driveline shop and have a 1 piece aluminum shaft made. Prolly cost 6-800.
> 
> ...


They put a vibration damper on the carrier bearing early on, but I'm not sure that is the same thing you are talking about. It is about 1/8" thick.

I looked at a 2011 GMC Z71 crew cab, and it had a 1 piece aluminum drive shaft straight from the factory. If a 1 piece will fix the problem, it is worth the $800. But, Chevy would probably void my warranty.

Rich


----------



## thefulminator (Aug 8, 2007)

I am wondering if it is the weight from the trailer or the trailer itself. You might want to try loading the back of the truck with approximately the same weight as the hitch weight of the trailer and see if the vibration comes back. You could have something like a slightly irregular wheel bearing that only has a problem with weight on it. Maybe your trailer has a bad bearing or bent axle. At least then you will know if it is the trailer or not.


----------



## Carey (Mar 6, 2012)

RWRiley said:


> Sounds like the differential pinion angle needs a slight adjustment. Also check the phase of the unjoints. Some mfrs are screwing with this. They use to be perfectly inline. Nowdays they add a slight offset if they have an inert vibration issue. Most always they never get rid of the vibe even when twisting the phase.
> 
> OR the best fix would be to go to a driveline shop and have a 1 piece aluminum shaft made. Prolly cost 6-800.
> 
> ...


They put a vibration damper on the carrier bearing early on, but I'm not sure that is the same thing you are talking about. It is about 1/8" thick.

I looked at a 2011 GMC Z71 crew cab, and it had a 1 piece aluminum drive shaft straight from the factory. If a 1 piece will fix the problem, it is worth the $800. But, Chevy would probably void my warranty.

Rich
[/quote]

I wouldnt think it would hurt the warranty at all. I bought a OEM one fro my dodge for 525 with shipping. Its about the size of a sewer pipe. Like 6-8 inches, lol I even gained mpg from losing a good 30 or so pounds of rotating mass. If it would fit it may be cheaper than you think from chevy. Find an online dealer.

It will fix all of your problems. Try making a new post on a chev forum. Maybe a guy might know if it will work. If its too long, a driveshaft shop can shorten it easy and pretty cheap.

I havent been around as much cause im making a big change Clark.

Look for a new post I will write here in a sec and I'll tell ya about it.

Carey


----------



## RWRiley (Oct 21, 2009)

Made a long trip to Illinois this weekend, and noticed that some roads made it worse than others. On one stretch of road it was perfect, no vibs, no vibe sounds in the cab. Makes me believe I'm hearing/feeling the road. That is what the dealer thinks - of course. He may be right.

Even if he really is right, this is my LAST 2 piece drive shaft.


----------

