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vibration at 20 mph or 2500 rpm fwd with cvt

5.7K views 15 replies 5 participants last post by  3pats  
#1 ·
So recently replaced all of the suspension on my 08 patriot fwd with auto cvt. the first noticable part was the jeep raised up a solid 2 inches. Needless to say the oem struts had seen better days. After picking it up from the mechanic I noticed a vibration while accelerating only at 20mph or 2500 rpm and then it goes away. I thought cv axle or axles but no distinctive clicking. I obvioulsy had the full alignment done to no avail. I even put new tires on because I noticed the tires were cupped because of the bad suspension. still no change. I just changed the trans fluid becasue I was hearing the dreaded whining noise after the trans warmed up.no change in vibration. So here I am at a loss. I noticed alot of other people speaking on same issue but I never seem to find that anyone dialed in what the issue turned out to be for them. Does anyone have any suggestions? the motor seems fine no crazy shake as if a mount would be bad. Trans does not grab hard or anything akward so im guessing trnas mounts fine. To clarify this vibration only appeared to me after replacing all the suspension and my mechanic who is a close friend of mine said the replacement of parts went just fine with no issues.
 
#2 ·
Worn inner CV joints can cause vibration, where worn outer joints are more known for clicking on a tight turn.

Your situation reminds me of what sometimes happens after a 2" lift kit is installed and the angles on the inner joints are changed / increased.

You can try checking the inner joints for grease leaks and see if they have excessive play:
 
#3 ·
thank you @Sandstone for the response so I just went out and checked the axles and passenger side is solid as a rock no leaks no play. Driver side has the most (minimal) amount of play i mean ALMOST nothing and no leaks. Would you still lean towards the fact that it could be the culprit? also to reinnerate the suspension that went on was strictly oem replacements no lift kit or anything that would warrant the angles to be out of wack froma spec standpoint. Thanks in advance for any other responses or ideas
 
#4 ·
What I was getting at is the change in angle from where the joint was running to where it is now, like after you add a lift.
With old, sagging springs the axle sits in more of a straight line; the new suspension parts act like adding a lift, raising the car 2" from where it was and increasing the angle.

In the vid below, he shows the excessive play due to worn needle bearings around 3:22, and talks about how the play changes the rotation pattern of the axle from circular to off-center / wobble-ish which causes the vibration.

You could ask the mechanic if they could put it on a lift and run it to see if they can nail it down.
 
#8 ·
It's hard to say because of the fact of you having a different car. I know everything that I've put into my vehicle since owning it and there would be nothing else left to do that would cause that issue. If your car has low miles and is newer I would like to think that it's not the transmission. But unfortunately nobody's really going to be able to diagnose the issue unless I check engine light comes on. I guess I would tell you to go to a transmission shop that is very well known in your area and let them take it for a drive
 
#10 ·
I have literally replaced all suspension components, no change. I have checked all motor mounts, trans mounts and bushings etc.... No change.Cv axles and wioth the new upgraded passenger side 1 piece axle no change. I even had a priest shake holy water on it no change. I brought it to an actual Jeep tech and had him drive it and his opinion was that it is the trans I also had two other mechanics I personally know check it out and they came to the same conclusion .The cvt I guess is notorious for issues. I drained and replaced the trans fluid which did help get rid of a whiny noise i had while accelerating and maybe the vibration became a smidge less noticable however it is still there trnas also overheated 5 times while making a 3 hour drive in summer last year as well. I will say this is the absolutely worse vehicle i have ever owned in 30 years. its a shame because I do like driving the vehicle but I will never own another jeep product in my life. I have done nothing but chase issues for 3 years. I just wrapped up repairs with replacing the oil pan seal as well a fixing a coolant leak and then a week later replacing the crankshaft seal because oil was pissing out all over my driveway. Between those three leaks my driveway looks like i just stood there and poured quats of oil and collant all over. I am driving this thing til it explodes or I ghost ride it off a cliff. Hope this helps. My honest opinion is that if youre in a position to sell it get rid of it ASAP. oh and keep in mind my jeep on has 120k and all of these issues started at 90k