Propshaft vibration

[martinperry]

2000 p2 v70 XC 150K MILES
Pretty sure my propshaft is going sick.
Vibration thru floor from walking pace - smooths out at speed and once warm
Presumably a centre mount / CV or both!
My main question is how long it will last like this, and, also, when it does fail, will it disable the car?
Im about to drive 1600 miles to Switzerland (2 weeks time) and would rather wait till after.
Any thoughts?
Thanks

[Astro14]

You're going to worry about this thing the entire way there and back...and it's a long drive...so why the delay getting it looked at?

Your diagnosis is likely correct. Could a failure of the propshaft disable the car? You bet! Depends on the failure mode, of course, but if you lose a joint, the shaft comes loose...best case, it is rotating under the car unconstrained and smacking into everything...Floor pan, exhaust system, etc...worst case, well, is worse...I've seen a u-joint failure on a driveshaft take out a floor pan in addition to stranding the car. That driver ignored the vibration from the dying u-joint.

Granted, this is AWD, so if you lose the driveshaft, you'll still be able to move the car, but a loose driveshaft would cripple it...limiting your speed to a crawl....

Even if it's just the hangar bearing, it's not going to get better...it will start vibrating more often and with greater force.

Will it make it on the trip? Yeah...probably, they usually take a while to fail to the point of breakage...and it will remind you the whole way that it is failing...but why wait to find out? Take the worst case into account and get it looked at before starting a 1600 mile drive. Don't start a long trip with a known defect in the car...

[vova]

If you are 100% sure that propshaft is your problem, and you are short on time/money to fix it then why not simply disconnect it? You would be able to complete your trip and then take care about the rest.

[martinperry]

Thanks guys!
You are of course absolutley right.
Just checked it, and as I thought, centre bearing gone.
Coming off in a minute - the suns come out so I can face the job!!

[Astro14]

Haven't done a hangar bearing on one of these, but on a Volvo 245, it wasn't too bad...

Cheers,:)

[JRL]

NA for these

[martinperry]

Just got prop off - bearing loose but intact.
Test drive - vibration is still there:mad:
Definitely speed related. Not directional. No noise and feels like coming from underneath.
Wheels all rebalanced - no problems there
Suggestions?
Thanks

[Astro14]

Well...I am at a loss to explain. Thought it was a propshaft from your explanation....vibration that is proportional to speed...but only two things rotate proportional to vehicles speed: wheels and axles. You've removed one possibility by pulling driveshaft.

Time to take a hard look at the wheels/tires and other axles.

Not to be pedantic - but are you sure it's speed proportional? If there is a vibration at low speed that goes away at high speed or once warm - could it be related to when the engine is under load when cold? In which case, I would take a good look at engine mounts...especially the torque mount and upper engine mount...

At 150K, there are a lot of things that could be going south...

[Aviator]

but only two things rotate proportional to vehicles speed

This is correct, but there are also wheel bearings to consider. You can have a wheel bearing causing a drivetrain vibration without any other symptoms such as noise or excess movement.

Here's the key statement
Vibration thru floor from walking pace - smooths out at speed and once warm

I highly doubt that wheels or axles are going to be moving very fast to be of any consideration at a walking pace!!! I'd be taking a good look at engine mounts - particularly the one at the right side of the car behind the RF wheel. Its looks can be deceiving and it can look perfectly alright despite being totally thrashed. Check upper torque mount, as well as the upper torque bar bushings where they attach to the strut towers. Check lower torque mount as well.

Dave.

[RockitShip]

Start replacing engine mounts/torque mounts... both top & bottom, and trans. mount. I'm in the same predicament as you with a hard to diagnose vibration, however I need to explore my AWD (bevel gear, etc.) system as it's currently non-functional. I will in the meantime replace all my bushes.

There's a chance it could be one of the CV joints... also the front-right CV joint has what looks like an additional bearing/mount. You may also what to explore the angle/bevel gear.

Good luck,

[martinperry]

Had a good play, and Im now leaning to engine mounts - Upper and tourque rod have been replaced. If I rev hard, it gets really harsh and oscillates in and out.
I can waggle the engine around pretty well, and am leaning toward the front (RHS) engine mount under the pulleys.
Will replace and update. Fingers crossed!

[martinperry]

Dave,
Just reread your post. I think youve hit the nail on the head - thanks.
Martin