Shakin' all over

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Hello, and help!

I've just purchased a Fourtrak DX (G reg, 1990) with 131,000 miles on the clock.
It's generally in pretty good nick but between 55 & 60mph the whole thing shakes really badly. However, this shaking disappears when you get up to 65mph and beyond. Very strange and rather disconcerting!

I got the wheels balanced, then swapped them around one by one, but to no avail. Thinking it was going to be more serious driveshaft/axle problem, I took it to a local 4x4 garage. However, they told me that it was a characteristic of Fourtraks and that some of them do it, some of them don't, but most of all they don't know what causes it! They could operate on the car (at great expense) to reduce the shaking, but it would never be cured completely.

Does anyone have any ideas/advice? Do I ignore it and drive everywhere at a hooliganical 65mph (Officer...), or is there something I can do simply and cheaply with a spanner!

CHEERS!
Vicki C

Hi Vicki c, Have you tried g

Hi Vicki c, Have you tried getting your shock absorbers checked? It may sound simple but if it only vibrates on bumpy roads and not perfectly flat one's such as a motorway, that could be your problem. Are all your steering linkages and ball joints tightened up correctly, as well as all your suspension mounts. Try getting every possible nut and bolt tightened as the problem could be a culmination of a few problems and not any one in particular which is why they are often so hard to pinpoint. Hope this helps.

Hi Vicki c. If either of the

Hi Vicki c. If either of the rear uni joints have been replaced or the prop shaft refitted the "mechanic" may not have done it incorrectly. The yokes and sleeve and prop shaft all have mate marks usually in the form of a dab of white paint. Check this out first - if you cannot find them have the shaft re balanced. I had major vibrations between 55 & 57 mph and now it is smoooothe - well as smoothe as a 85 model can be.

I agree with Geoff...get unde

I agree with Geoff...get under the car and grab hold of the rear prop..give it a good pull in all directions..there should be no or very little movement..if there is then U joints need replacing.As Geoff said it might be that the prop has been off at some point and not refitted properly...the props have to be balanced..small weights can be fitted to the prop to balance it.This can be done cheaply !
There may be backlash due to worn crown and pinion in the rear diff..unlikely but possible.The mechanic who told you its characteristic of some Fourtraks should look for an alternative career cos he's talking absolute poo !! Dont take your trak back to them..look for a professional to look at it for you.
I had exactly the symtoms you describe and it was the U joints that were gone.Replacements cost about £10-15 ...the old ones have to be pressed out and new ones pressed in..any small engineering firm will do the job for you for £20..if thats what the problem turns out to be.

wheel wobble

this could just be down to buckled wheels, i had this prob it was on suzi i switched wheels with a mate for elimination purposes problem disappeared, if its had a hard offroad life (farms or the like)could be worth a ganders....dean

You got passed 65 in a fourtr

You got passed 65 in a fourtrak???!!! Anywho, wobly fourtrakes, they do that. Especally if, the shocs are knackered, the suspecion bushes have perished away, or like the others have said the props are knakered or out of line. Even a prop with new UJ's needs to be put back together in line. The armes of the yok at one end of the main shaft, should be pointing ecactly the same way ase the arms of the yok on the other end of the main shaft. (ie, if you were to take the prop off, remove the end flanges and UJ's, and look at it from one end, the arms of the farther yok would be hiding behing the arms of the closer one). Hope that makes some sort of sence?

Any veiws expresed in this thread by me are purely from my own experience, and (sometimes) falible memory. Hope my comments help, but please don't take them as gospel.

Hi Vicki Vibration ?

My fourtrack had bad vibration above 50 and i found my rear propshaft u/j was shot.when i changed it i discovered someone had welded the yoke to stop movment!!!!.Not suprised it vibrated.P S u/j cost £12.Good luck Ian Brown.