2" OME lift cause vibration?

[craig]

I installed a 2" OME lift on my 99 Disco 2 about a month ago. Everything was great until yesterday when I started feeling a vibration that was most noticable when accelerating usually around 2100-2500 RPMs, and over 35 MPH.

I didn't expect the OME lift to cause any vibrations since it is so mild. Being nothing more than an amateur mechanic I am having trouble diagnosing the problem on my own. Am I likely on the right track in assuming that it is probably my U joint that is going bad, or is there something else that I am completely failing to consider as a possibility.

My local Land Rover mechanic said he can't feel it over my Mud Terrain tires. I tried to tell him that the M/Ts don't vibrate that much, that what he was feeling was the vibration in question, but he didn't seem to believe me. I know I am right, as I have driven with these tires for over 20k miles, and know exactly what they feel/sound like. This is a new vibration. Any help in diagnosing this would be really helpful.

Should I be immediately concerned, or should I wait until it is more noticable before fixing it? It is subtle now.

--Craig

 

[Andrew Homan]

I got some out of my 2" lift on my 95. Make sure u-joints are good. mine still has a little but hasn't caused any problems and I have used it very hard.

 

[LostInBoston]

None on my 00 D2 for over a year w/2" lift. None with 3" lift either, for a few months, but i did eventually upgrade to new shafts.

 

[noee]

If I were you, I'd go ahead and have the front driveshaft rebuilt (ujoints and cardon) if you haven't already. Then, when it's off, lock the CDL and drive around. If the vibe is still there, most likely it's the rear ujoint at the tcase. Or, your rotoflex could be going bad too. This might give you a good idea of where to start looking.

-Mike

 

[ptschram]

The CV joints in DIIs are notorious for failing catastrophically. Depending upon the mileage on your truck, it may well be worth it to have your front driveshaft rebuilt before it causes significant carnage.

 

[Disco Mike]

Check your front double cardon joint at the t/case, if there are no grease fittings, which is normal, they are probably fried. Also how long has it been since you balanced out your tires, they will loose it as they wear out.
Mike J.

 

[craig]

Check your front double cardon joint at the t/case, if there are no grease fittings, which is normal, they are probably fried. Also how long has it been since you balanced out your tires, they will loose it as they wear out.
Mike J.

The truck has 89k on it.

It has actually been too long since my last tire rotation/balancing. We just moved, and it was forgotten in the commotion.

--Craig

 

[Iron Boots]

if you lift your rig and get a vibe 2 weeks later (assuming you have been driving vibe-free) you need to look at ujoints, alignment and tire balance for your answer.

 

[craig]

How loud or magnified are the vibrations when the U-joints, front double cardon joint, rotoshaft etc start going out? I am concerned by the comment made that D2 CV joints tend to suddenly and catastrophically fail. Is it common for failing CV joints to take other items with them as they die?

I use this truck to go alone pretty deep in the woods, and to haul around a very young family from time to time. It is a lot easier to avoid breakdown than anything else. I suppose however, I could always engage the CDL and limp home.

 

[craig]

if you lift your rig and get a vibe 2 weeks later (assuming you have been driving vibe-free) you need to look at ujoints, alignment and tire balance for your answer.

k. Thanks for the help. I will start with the alignment / tire balancing since it needs to be done anyway. Then move on to the u-joints.

--Craig

 

[Apexdisco]

I installed a 2" OME lift on my 99 Disco 2 about a month ago. Everything was great until yesterday when I started feeling a vibration that was most noticable when accelerating usually around 2100-2500 RPMs, and over 35 MPH.

I didn't expect the OME lift to cause any vibrations since it is so mild. Being nothing more than an amateur mechanic I am having trouble diagnosing the problem on my own. Am I likely on the right track in assuming that it is probably my U joint that is going bad, or is there something else that I am completely failing to consider as a possibility.

My local Land Rover mechanic said he can't feel it over my Mud Terrain tires. I tried to tell him that the M/Ts don't vibrate that much, that what he was feeling was the vibration in question, but he didn't seem to believe me. I know I am right, as I have driven with these tires for over 20k miles, and know exactly what they feel/sound like. This is a new vibration. Any help in diagnosing this would be really helpful.

Should I be immediately concerned, or should I wait until it is more noticable before fixing it? It is subtle now.

--Craig

another suggestion for you - inspect the shocks themselves for anything out of the ordinary. I discovered my front OME had a busted post at the top. This went unnoticed for a few months. Could be the cause of some vibes.

 

[Lutzgaterr]

While you are getting your Toe set (alignment), just ask the mechanic if he sees any indication of U-joint issues since you are sensing vibes. If I were you, I would have the U-joints checked as the first priority since if they fail, you could easily have some other damage, like your ******, oil-pan. Not meaning to scare you, but there have been several on this board that have suffered such damage from u-joints failing.
89K on the same joints, I think that is good, but now with a 2" lift, hmmm, be wise please.
If you can wrench, drop the shaft and take to a local shop for u-joint replacement.
Saves you some cash and helps you isolate the vibe culprit if the vibes dissappear when the shaft is removed.
Good luck

 

[craig]

I took it in today and had the tires rotated / balanced. Well, I rotated all 5 (including spare) and the two on the front were balanced.

It turns out that because I missed my usual rotation schedule that the front tires had some pretty serious cupping. The tires with the cupping were put on the rear, so they can wear back even again. Hopefully I should start notice an improvement over the next 1-2k miles.

I also put the truck up on a rack, and inspected the driveline with the mechanic at my local shop. We didn't find anything that looks worn at all, so hopefully it is just the tires and things will start to look up soon.

I am assuming that a thorough visual inspection with a more knowledgable mechanic than myself is enough. Is there anything else I should do at this point to "be safe"?

I didn't have an alignment done. It tracks very straight. I didn't have one after I lifted it either (per the advice here and on EE's forum), which surprised me because if you lower a car you always get an alignment. So, I will ask again, "Should I get an alignment even though it is tracking straight?"

Finally, I have HD springs up front, but don't have my new bumper/winch on yet. Would HD springs without the extra weight cause any unusual behavior on the front end? It does drive a little bit light right now.

Thanks for all the input. I genuinely appreciate it.

--Craig

 

[noee]

I am assuming that a thorough visual inspection with a more knowledgable mechanic than myself is enough. Is there anything else I should do at this point to "be safe"?

Craig, it's hard for me to discern from this thread if your front driveshaft/ujoints have 89K on them or not. If so, do as was suggested, get those ujoints rebuilt and get a new cardon joint kit (GBR). IMO, a visual inspection is not sufficient on the LR D2 front driveshaft to determine if the joints are good or not, especially if it has not been removed from the truck. There are too many stories of ATs being destroyed by broken front driveshafts to take such a chance with it.

 

[craig]

Well, the truck has 89k, and I have owned it since it had 52k. As far as I know, the u-joints are still the factory original.

I will look into having the U-joints rebuilt, etc. :-(

--Craig

 

[craig]

Anyone have a link to the double cardon joint kit? I went to great basin rovers, and can't find it anywhere in the catalog.

Edit: Nevermind, from the website, "We also supply numerous items that are not currently listed on the site - such as custom driveshafts" -- duh

Thanks,

--Craig

 

[craig]

Well... apparently my problem wasn't just the cupped tires. The vibration has become noticeable worse over the weekend, and when I drive very slow I hear a "chirp chirp chirp" sound from the center of the vehicle (sounds like it is just below the AT shifter).

At this point, I want to upgrade my driveline substantially. I guess I will drive my other car until I figure out what I want to put in it, and get the parts in.

--Craig

 

[rovrjnky]

Craig,
I just skimmed this string so if this has already been discussed; disregard.

If your 99 is a DI and you have a rotoflex on the back drive shaft that's where the vibration is coming from.
I just went through all this, replacing the front drive shaft first and still having the vibration. After going through two, I finally converted the rotoflex to a u-joint and have completely eliminated the vibrations.

Good Luck!

 

[craig]

It is a disco 2.

It blew a hole this morning on the way to get the u-joint replaced. It is in the shop right now getting the damage evaluated.

My question now is, "What is the optimum driveline setup for a lifted disco 2?"

I am happy to put a little bit of money into it now in preparation for future mods. Down the road I plan to put ARB lockers in it, and GBR axles. The lockers are primarily for getting unstuck in the snow on the way in/out of our cabin in the mountains. I am joining my local rover club, so I am sure that they will get used occasionally the rest of the year now too. I am not trying to build a serious rock crawler, but I am trying to build a robust reliable and capable truck for moderate off-road and deep snow covered road use.

--Craig