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.
Notice: Proper flywheel installation requires carefully WALKING the flywheel onto the crankshaft and stagger-tightening the bolts. Proper torque converter to flywheel installation then requires gradually WALKING the torque converter to be flush with the flywheel, prior to installing the bolts. Do not draw the torque converter to the flywheel with the bolts. If these precautions are not followed, warping or bending of the flywheel and/or damage to the transmission torque converter may result.
Engine vibration is usually due to one or more of the following conditions:
• | First-order engine imbalance |
• | Inherent engine firing sequence |
• | Inherent shaking engine forces |
• | Engine-driven accessories |
Because these vibrations are engine-speed related, they are also normally torque sensitive. These vibrations may appear and disappear at different vehicle or road speeds, but will always appear at the same engine speed.
For example, if a customer states that a vibration is present at 40 km/h (25 mph), 64 km/h (40 mph), and again at 104 km/h (65 mph), and that the symptoms of the vibration are similar at all of these speeds, the vibration is probably engine-speed related. Any disturbance or vibration that is present during the following road tests would be considered engine-speed related:
• | The Neutral run-up test |
• | The downshift test |
• | The brake torque test |
Any vibration that is present during the Neutral Coast-Down test is not engine-speed related. The engine-related vibrations covered in this diagnosis are engine-speed sensitive only.
Engine imbalance is a condition that exists when a component that rotates at crankshaft speed is either unbalanced or has excessive runout. In rare cases, the crankshaft may be unbalanced. In any case, balancing the component or correcting the runout may bring the disturbance to an acceptable level.
The following list contains symptoms that are typically exhibited from a first-order engine imbalance.
• | Vehicle shake at low engine speeds of 500-1200 RPM, or 8-20 Hz |
• | Roughness and BOOM at higher speeds of 1200-3000 RPM, or 20-50 Hz |
• | Vibration detected during the Neutral run-up test |
Inspect the following:
Repeat this step with the torque converter in all three positions until the vibration is minimized.
• | Correct factory indexing. |
• | Warping |
• | Balance |
Firing frequency is a term used to describe the pulses created as the engine fires each cylinder. All engines have a firing frequency. However, the object is to keep these disturbances from entering the passenger compartment. Perform the following steps:
• | Ensure that the engine and the exhaust system are mounted in a relaxed position. |
• | Ensure that all of the engine mounts, transmission mounts and exhaust hangers are in good condition and correct for the application. |
• | Ensure that no hoses or lines are contacting the frame or the body. |
The frequency of these disturbances will depend on the number of cylinders. The engine order will always be equal to one-half the number of cylinders. This is because a four-stroke engine requires two complete revolutions of the crankshaft in order to fire all of the cylinders.
For example, a V6 engine will fire cylinders 1, 3 and 5 on the first revolution. Cylinders 2, 4 and 6 will fire on the second revolution. This results in three firing pulses per revolution of the crankshaft, or third order. A V8 engine will fire cylinders 1, 3, 5, and 7 on the first revolution. Cylinders 2, 4, 6, and 8 will fire on the second revolution. This results in four firing pulses per revolution of the crankshaft, or fourth order.
3.1. | Press RECORD. |
3.2. | Select a snapshot tag number. |
3.3. | Press ENTER in order to begin recording. |
• | The vibration may be torque sensitive. |
• | The vibration is engine-speed related. |
• | The vibration is heard as a boom or a moan. |
• | The vibration is felt as shake, roughness, or buzz (depending on the number of cylinders). |
• | The vibration excites the resonance of a system or a component, causing the system or the component to have a narrow engine speed (RPM) range. |
Correct these types of complaints by isolating the vibration from the passenger compartment or the body.
Important: Some residual vibrations may be normal. Compare the complaint vibration with a similar vehicle to validate that the vibration is abnormal, preferably with the customer present. Also, refer to bulletins for updates on the use of mass damper weights for specific applications.
• | Remove the exhaust system hangers one at a time. |
• | Adjust or replace any faulty exhaust system hangers as needed. |
• | Isolate the hoses from the body. |
• | Install the retainers. |
• | Loosen the exhaust system and powertrain mounts and hangers. |
• | Tighten all fasteners with the powertrain in the relaxed position. |
Just like firing frequency, some engine disturbances are the result of normal operation. Some engines can have additional inherent vibration due to the cylinder arrangement, the design, and the firing order.
The key to resolving an inherent engine disturbance is to isolate the vibration from the passenger compartment. Follow the same procedures as described in Diagnosis and Repair of Engine Firing Frequency-Related Vibrations.
Engine Order | V6 60° and V6 90° |
---|---|
1/2 Order Torque Sensitive | Single Cylinder Misfire or Bank-to-Bank EGR/Fuel Variation |
1st Order Imbalance | Abnormal |
1.5 Order Torque Sensitive | Bank-to-Bank EGR/Fuel Variation |
2nd Order | Normal |
2nd Order Torque Sensitive | -- |
3rd Order Torque Sensitive | Normal |
4th Order Torque Sensitive | -- |
Important: Some vibrations may be normal. Compare the complaint vibration with a similar vehicle that is operating normally to validate that the vibration is abnormal, preferably with the customer present.
Diagnosing engine driven accessories that exhibit vibration pose some special challenges. For example, most engine accessory drive belts can no longer be removed one at a time in order to isolate the condition. If removing the belt eliminates the vibration, reinstall the belt and operate each accessory one at a time in order to see which has the most effect on the vibration. However, one component may affect another because the drive belt drives all of the accessories. Verify that the accessory load is not exciting the engine firing frequency.2.1. | Install the drive belts. |
Important: The drive belts drive all of the engine accessories. Therefore, one component may affect another. |
2.2. | Operate each accessory one at a time in order to see which has the most effect on the vibration. |