Caution: Road test a vehicle under safe conditions and while obeying all traffic laws. Do not attempt any maneuvers that could jeopardize vehicle control. Failure to adhere to these precautions could lead to serious personal injury and vehicle damage.
Important: Before performing any road test, inspect the tires and wheels. Refer to Tire and Wheel Inspection .
The following road test procedures are the most informative and the most used:
• | Slow acceleration test |
• | Neutral coast-down test |
• | Downshift test |
• | Neutral run-up test |
• | Brake torque test |
• | Steering input test |
• | Standing start acceleration test (launch shudder) |
These tests will help to pinpoint the vibration. Perform all of the tests on a smooth, level road.
This test will be performed for ALL vibration conditions, unless the disturbance occurs with the vehicle at a stand still.
This test will identify conditions which are related to engine-speed or vehicle-speed. Additional tests may be necessary in order to determine the exact cause of the vibration.
Caution: Road test a vehicle under safe conditions and while obeying all traffic laws. Do not attempt any maneuvers that could jeopardize vehicle control. Failure to adhere to these precautions could lead to serious personal injury and vehicle damage.
• | The vehicle speed, km/h (mph) |
• | The engine speed (RPM) |
• | The frequency (if possible) |
Now perform the neutral coast-down test and the downshift test.
Caution: Road test a vehicle under safe conditions and while obeying all traffic laws. Do not attempt any maneuvers that could jeopardize vehicle control. Failure to adhere to these precautions could lead to serious personal injury and vehicle damage.
On a smooth level road, accelerate to a speed slightly higher than the speed at which the vibration occurs.
Observe whether the vibration is present in NEUTRAL gear.
If the vibration still occurs in NEUTRAL gear, then the vibration is definitely sensitive to vehicle-speed. At this point, the following components have been eliminated as a cause of the vibration:
• | The engine |
• | The transmission flywheel (automatic transmission) |
• | The torque converter |
Depending on the symptoms or the frequency, the repair will concentrate on one of the following components:
• | The tire and wheel assemblies |
• | The transmission output shaft |
• | The rear axle differential pinion |
• | The rear drive axle or the rear drive axle shafts |
Caution: Road test a vehicle under safe conditions and while obeying all traffic laws. Do not attempt any maneuvers that could jeopardize vehicle control. Failure to adhere to these precautions could lead to serious personal injury and vehicle damage.
On a smooth, level road, accelerate to the speed at which the concern vibration occurs.
Observe the engine RPM.
If the vibration returns at the same engine RPM, the following conditions are the most probable causes of the vibration:
• | Engine Driven Accessories |
• | The engine |
• | The transmission flywheel (automatic transmission) |
• | The torque converter |
Repeat this test in lower gears, and in NEUTRAL gear, in order to confirm the results.
In some cases, a vibration may also be sensitive to torque or engine load, as well as being related to a specific engine speed or vehicle speed. These vibrations can be most difficult to diagnose, and require additional testing. A systematic approach usually leads to isolating the problem.
This test is designed to identify vibrations which are related to the speed of the engine. Use this test when the customer has a concern with vibration at idle, or as a follow-up to the downshift test. This test probably doesn't apply when the complaint is related to vehicle speed only (appearing at the same vehicle speed regardless of the engine speed).
Caution: Road test a vehicle under safe conditions and while obeying all traffic laws. Do not attempt any maneuvers that could jeopardize vehicle control. Failure to adhere to these precautions could lead to serious personal injury and vehicle damage.
This test is designed to identify engine-related vibrations that were not uncovered with the Neutral Run-Up test. This test also works for vibrations that are sensitive to engine load or to torque. This test will probably not apply to vibrations which are related only to the speed of the vehicle.
Caution: Road test a vehicle under safe conditions and while obeying all traffic laws. Do not attempt any maneuvers that could jeopardize vehicle control. Failure to adhere to these precautions could lead to serious personal injury and vehicle damage.
Notice: Do not accelerate against the brakes for longer than 10 seconds. Do not overheat the engine or the transmission. Depending on the vehicle design, the engine will only accelerate to a certain point under these conditions. Also, care should be taken during diagnosis as some disturbances may be created during brake torque that normally do not exist.
One or more of the following tests maybe necessary for some unique vibration concerns that are either torque/load sensitive in addition to vehicle-speed or engine rpm sensitive:
• | Steering Input Test |
• | Standing Start Acceleration Test |
This test is intended to determine how much the wheel bearings and other suspension components contribute to the vibration, especially a vibration relating to noise, such as growl, grinding, and roaring.
Caution: Road test a vehicle under safe conditions and while obeying all traffic laws. Do not attempt any maneuvers that could jeopardize vehicle control. Failure to adhere to these precautions could lead to serious personal injury and vehicle damage.
• | The wheel bearings |
• | The hubs |
• | The tire tread |
The purpose of this test is to duplicate a vibration called launch shudder. In some cases, a powertrain mount or an exhaust ground-out may also be the cause of the vibration, depending upon the symptoms.
Caution: Road test a vehicle under safe conditions and while obeying all traffic laws. Do not attempt any maneuvers that could jeopardize vehicle control. Failure to adhere to these precautions could lead to serious personal injury and vehicle damage.
Other possible causes of launch shudder include the following:
• | Incorrect trim height. Refer to Trim Height Inspection in Suspension General Diagnosis. |
• | A worn or damaged drive axle CV joint |
• | A ground-out through the engine or transmission mounts |
• | Faulty exhaust hangers and mounts |