Vibration in motor

1996 CHEVROLET TAHOE
180,000 MILES • 5.7L • V8 • 4WD • AUTOMATIC
Avatar
LAVON7
  • MEMBER
  • 3 POSTS
Hi, my SUV seems to have a jerking motion front to rear when the RPM's are over around 1,500. It feels like it’s in the motor but not sure. I’ve had the injectors and mass air flow sensor replaced recently along with a new air filter and fuel filter and didn’t help. It’s been doing this for a few years but has recently gotten worse. I’ve replaced the plugs and wires around two years ago as well. Any suggestions would be much appreciated!
Feb 4, 2019 at 9:53 PM
Advertisement
Avatar
SCGRANTURISMO
  • CERTIFIED EXPERT
  • 4,897 POSTS
Hello,

This could be a wheel weight that has been thrown from your tire. When was the last time you had your tires re-balanced. When you purchase your tires a lot of retailers offer lifetime balancing and rotation. There are a couple of other things that could be causing this like u-joints going bad or a wheel bearing going out, but I would start with balancing the tires. Here are a couple of links that might be helpful. Let us know what you find out.

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/how-u-joints-work
https://www.2carpros.com/articles/how-to-replace-front-wheel-bearings-and-seals

Alex,
2CarPros
Feb 4, 2019 at 10:32 PM
Avatar
LAVON7
  • MEMBER
  • 3 POSTS
Hey Alex, thanks for the input. It’s been doing this for a few years and I have the tires balanced frequently. Do you believe it could be the crankshaft position sensor by chance? It only does this around 1,500 RPM or so. A guy I know has a high end scanner and it showed on a graph that there wasn't much air flowing through the MAF sensor so I replaced it. Still having the issue. Maybe a connector is bad? Again, thanks for your input. I’m at my wits end.
Feb 5, 2019 at 8:53 PM
Advertisement
Avatar
SCGRANTURISMO
  • CERTIFIED EXPERT
  • 4,897 POSTS
Hello again,

Have you inspected your motor and transmission mounts? down below I've included a probable diagnosis for your issue and the fix. Let me know what you find out.

Thanks,
Alex,
2CarPros
Feb 5, 2019 at 10:59 PM
Avatar
STRAILER
  • CERTIFIED EXPERT
  • 53,854 POSTS
If I may jump in here. can you please shoot a quick video with your phone so we can hear the engine noise? that would be great. You can upload it here with your response. Also, is the vibration notable in park if you rev the engine?
Feb 6, 2019 at 12:48 PM
Avatar
LAVON7
  • MEMBER
  • 3 POSTS
The vibration isn’t going to be noticeable in a video. I wish otherwise. It’s not a violent shake or the like. It’s simply a what seems like a slight front to rear jerk that’s not consistent, unfortunately. When I’m park, I can rev the RPM's and it doesn’t jerk, only under a load (in gear driving). I honestly don’t think it's an engine mount, though. not rattling or clunking, no noise just the jerking.
Again, I appreciate the help.
Feb 7, 2019 at 7:01 PM
Avatar
STRAILER
  • CERTIFIED EXPERT
  • 53,854 POSTS
Can you tell if the engine is misfiring causing the jerk or does it feel more like drivetrain? Can you video the jerk part so we can hear/see?
Feb 8, 2019 at 12:50 PM