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Old Mar 15, 2012 | 04:47 PM
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Driveshaft issue? Speed related Vibration

My car just recently developed a weird vibration issue at high way speeds. At only speeds above 60+ mph, the car has a speed related vibration. The faster I go, the greater the vibration. This problem came on suddenly last week. Handling is not affected and the car does not shimmy. I dont believe its a wheel or tire issue, since none of those things were touched before the problem arose. Along with the vibration, there is also a low frequency hum that also gets louder with increased speed. The vibration has a really high frequency such that it vibrates the rearview mirror and makes the image blurry.

I know it's not engine related because the sound and vibration is not affected by RPM and remains constant with the car in neutral. I'm suspecting a driveshaft issue. Has anyone experienced something similar?
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Old Mar 15, 2012 | 05:48 PM
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At the speed you witness this, I am going to assume it's a high RPM issue, which in case, like you mentioned, possibly a drive shaft issue. Possibly a worn U-joint, throwing the shaft just a slight bit out of balance.
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Old Mar 15, 2012 | 05:58 PM
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My camaro hummed from 60+. Replacing the stock steel DS with an aluminum one raised the resonant frequency some. The amplitude at lower speeds went down some, and it wasn't until about 75-80 that the car started humming. I never did get it resolved.

If your car is under warranty, have them fix it.
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Old Mar 15, 2012 | 08:37 PM
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i had this exact same problem with my 08 maxima...happening at highway speeds from 55-70mph. above 80 it disappeared for some odd reason.

as it turned out, it was a defective wheel bearing. had it changed out and voila...gone.
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Old Mar 15, 2012 | 10:04 PM
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Originally Posted by Mattster
i had this exact same problem with my 08 maxima...happening at highway speeds from 55-70mph. above 80 it disappeared for some odd reason.

as it turned out, it was a defective wheel bearing. had it changed out and voila...gone.
Was it front or rear bearings? Did your bearings make any sounds? I'll definitely look into the bearings as the source of the problem.
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Old Mar 15, 2012 | 11:17 PM
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Originally Posted by Modme
Was it front or rear bearings? Did your bearings make any sounds? I'll definitely look into the bearings as the source of the problem.

i believe it was the front passenger bearing. the sound was a high pitch whine/squeek under 55mph, then over 55mph i got the vibration that turned the mirrors blurry until about 75mph...then it was gone. the squeeking wasn't all the time, but it was there. when it was there, the squeeking got faster with increased speed.

good luck.
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Old Mar 16, 2012 | 01:33 AM
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I would suspect a bad wheel bearing before the drive shaft. Try going from side to side a bit at speed, just enough for the weight of the car to transfer from one side to the other, but not enough to crash lol. If the vibration and noise changes as the weight transfers it is more than likely a wheel bearing. Good luck!
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Old Mar 16, 2012 | 06:27 PM
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Doesnt appear to be a wheel bearing problem. I jacked up each wheel and tested for free play. There was no free play in any of the wheels. Also, I have no noise coming from any of the wheels.
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Old Mar 16, 2012 | 11:43 PM
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So I think i confirmed its a driveshaft issue. I jacked up the rear and ran the car with the wheels in the air. The vibration is still there. The wheels are spinning perfectly straight. It was hard to tell but it looked like the driveshaft had some vibration/run out.
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Old Nov 21, 2012 | 09:59 PM
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I don't want to be a thread grave digger, but I have a similar problem, how did you manage to fix it?
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Old May 1, 2013 | 10:36 PM
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Originally Posted by Modme
So I think i confirmed its a driveshaft issue. I jacked up the rear and ran the car with the wheels in the air. The vibration is still there. The wheels are spinning perfectly straight. It was hard to tell but it looked like the driveshaft had some vibration/run out.
Hate to bump an old thread but I'm having this same issue and its driving me insane please help with what you did to resolve your problem.
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Old May 1, 2013 | 10:41 PM
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one of my driveshaft bolts fell out. I replaced all 4 bolts and the problem was gone.
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Old May 1, 2013 | 10:53 PM
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Originally Posted by Modme
one of my driveshaft bolts fell out. I replaced all 4 bolts and the problem was gone.
One bolt can throw it out of balance!!
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Old May 1, 2013 | 10:54 PM
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What part of the drive shaft front or rear ? I've narrowed my problem down to: drive shaft or motor mounts I really don't think it's a wheel bearing , and I don't think the rear diff bushing would cause this either
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Old May 1, 2013 | 10:59 PM
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Originally Posted by TVPostSound
One bolt can throw it out of balance!!
My old camaro would hum at speeds above 55 mph (was down right nasty at 75 mph). Replaced it with an aluminum one which didn't really solve the problem, but move the harmonic up to a higher speed.
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