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1964 Ambassador Vibration HELP |
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FSJunkie
AMC Addicted Joined: Jan/09/2011 Location: Flagstaff, AZ Status: Offline Points: 4742 |
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Just have somebody drive alongside you on the highway at the 55 MPH you say you experience the vibration. They can watch the rear axle and wheels to see if they are bouncing up and down and whether they do it after hitting bumps only or do it even on smooth roads. If the tire, wheel, and drum assemblies are in balance then your problem is likely shocks or tire construction. Tom J recommended increasing the tire pressure in your rear tires to make the tires stiffer and simulate the reaction of bias ply tires. I second that, as increasing the pressure of my old radials helped keep the rear end from bouncing around. However, it made the ride STIFF and resulted in poor traction. Bias tires rode softer than any radial at any pressure and did an even better job of keeping the rear end from bouncing around. They did a better job of keeping the car "glued to the road". |
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1955 Packard
1966 Marlin 1972 Wagoneer 1973 Ambassador 1977 Hornet 1982 Concord D/L 1984 Eagle Limited |
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990V8
AMC Addicted Joined: Oct/07/2016 Location: Gloucestershire Status: Offline Points: 789 |
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What speed is the vibration? Engine speed or wheel speed?
If the latter, have the wheels balanced on a stud fixture, so they don't depend on the centre hole being central. Cured a problem on my Silver Shadow. Ivor |
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63 Canadian Ambo 990 V8 327
74 LandRover Lightweight V8 SIII Shopping Trolley |
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darrylrae
AMC Apprentice Joined: Mar/11/2012 Location: Canada Status: Offline Points: 35 |
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I put the car up on axle stands and had a friend run the car up to 50mph. I can feel the vibration clear as day at the front of the torque tube. I had a spare tube and a rebuilt drive shaft so I replaced both to see what would happen...... no difference. As I feel closer to the rear or front of the car on jack stands the vibration becomes less noticeable. Is there anything in the back of the flash o matic transmission that can cause a vibration?
Thanks for the help guys! |
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1975 Hornet
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Lucas660
AMC Addicted Joined: Apr/16/2012 Location: Vic, Australia Status: Offline Points: 1344 |
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How is the output bush on the transmission? If it is worn it could be an issue. I have not replaced one on a rambler but have on many other borg warner transmissions. Is it leaking atf at all?
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990V8
AMC Addicted Joined: Oct/07/2016 Location: Gloucestershire Status: Offline Points: 789 |
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There's the torque convertor, if one of the balance weights has fallen off. Hopefully not.
Ivor |
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63 Canadian Ambo 990 V8 327
74 LandRover Lightweight V8 SIII Shopping Trolley |
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vinny
Supporter of TheAMCForum Joined: Jan/05/2012 Location: Calgary Status: Offline Points: 2837 |
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If for sure it is coming from the front of the torque tube ignore this but know that bad carrier bearings cause a lot of noise. I replaced them in a 66 Ambassador rear end from the junk yard and now it runs really quiet and smooth.
I am not familiar with the M12 transmission but on the T35 there is the governor that runs on the tail shaft and it could be seen through an inspection cover. Edited by vinny - Dec/10/2017 at 8:24am |
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farna
Supporter of TheAMCForum Moderator Lost Dealership Project Joined: Jul/08/2007 Location: South Carolina Status: Offline Points: 19692 |
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What about the bearing in the middle of the torque tube... was it replaced? Another often overlooked item is the rubber mounts on each end of the transmission crossmember. Check those while on a lift. There is a channel on each end and the crossmember should be between the channel sides (top and bottom), not on or almost on the bottom channel side. Galin's has replacements. This is as important as the trans mount -- probably more so. AMC was the only manufacturer I know of to use rubber mounts on the ends of the crossmember, one reason they are usually overlooked. There could be an issue with the output shaft bushing being worn, but unless the car has well over 100K on it I'm doubtful that could be the issue. You mentioned a rebuilt driveshaft, but was the cushion on the end of the torque tube replaced? If that isn't compressed snugly it can cause a vibration at the front of the tube. Vibration in the rear axle may be traveling up the tube as well, so it could be axle or carrier bearings. More likely it would be outer axle bearings, as they carry all the load. You might want to get a stethoscope or a long screwdriver and check for noise in the bearings.
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Frank Swygert
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CamJam
Moderator Group Joined: Jan/04/2014 Location: Arizona Status: Offline Points: 6553 |
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Perhaps the Rambler is different, but my Opel GT also has a torque tube. It has U-joints and the pinion angles are still important. Bad transmission mounts, motor mounts that are too tall or an incorrectly installed rear diff can all change the pinion angles on the Opel. You can also change the height of the torque tube in relation to the other components by using washers as spacers. FWIW, i just traced the vibration on my '72 Javelin to a broken transmission mount. It looked normal at first glance, but the rubber had broken away from the backing plate, and the rear of the transmission was sitting a good inch lower than it should have been.
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'73 Javelin 360 (current project)
'72 Baja Bronze Javelin SST '69 Big Bad Orange AMX (2018 Teague Heritage Award) SOLD |
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farna
Supporter of TheAMCForum Moderator Lost Dealership Project Joined: Jul/08/2007 Location: South Carolina Status: Offline Points: 19692 |
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Some torque tubes, especially later models (like later than 70 or so), still have two universal joints. The Rambler torque tubes have a straight slip joint at the rear axle, so the driveshaft is always in-line with the pinion shaft. They just use a single universal at the front, so pinion angle doesn't matter -- it's always straight.
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Frank Swygert
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