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Ghost Engine vibration

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Old Oct 31, 2016 | 02:30 PM
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Default Ghost Engine vibration

L76 engine oscillating vibration. Moving or stopped.
Engine tuned/runs Perfectly.
Engine vibration in neutral or in any gear.
With water pump and alternator belts removed, still have vibration.
Push in clutch. Less vibration & Clutch whine but still there.
Vibration worsens as road speed increases .

Thoughts??

Last edited by actionguru; Oct 31, 2016 at 02:31 PM.
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Old Oct 31, 2016 | 03:04 PM
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Originally Posted by actionguru
L76 engine oscillating vibration. Moving or stopped.
Engine tuned/runs Perfectly.
Engine vibration in neutral or in any gear.
With water pump and alternator belts removed, still have vibration.
Push in clutch. Less vibration & Clutch whine but still there.
Vibration worsens as road speed increases .

Thoughts??
Put the transmission in gear and push in the clutch. Vibration get better? Gone?

Could be a worn pilot bushing letting the clutch disc run off center.
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Old Oct 31, 2016 | 03:34 PM
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What kind of clutch? Centerforce?

Gerry
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Old Oct 31, 2016 | 05:09 PM
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Default vibration

Originally Posted by actionguru
L76 engine oscillating vibration. Moving or stopped.
Engine tuned/runs Perfectly.
Engine vibration in neutral or in any gear.
With water pump and alternator belts removed, still have vibration.
Push in clutch. Less vibration & Clutch whine but still there.
Vibration worsens as road speed increases .

Thoughts??
Never had clutch out of car. Not sure of make.
Whine from area lessens with clutch pushed in.
Shifts good, no chatter or slippage.
But vibration above 45 mph escalates.

Last edited by actionguru; Oct 31, 2016 at 05:11 PM.
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Old Oct 31, 2016 | 05:58 PM
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MikeM is right in nearly every case.....

But, to cover all the bases, I would check for misfires, correct plug firing order and motor mounts in addition to what he says... If the firing order checks out then pull one wire off a time and look for about a 200 RPM drop with the car idling...the cylinder that does NOT cause the drop is suspect...
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Old Oct 31, 2016 | 06:38 PM
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Did this just start happening, or has it always been the case? Was any work done before the vibration started?
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Old Oct 31, 2016 | 07:01 PM
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NO knocks??
Oil pressure fluctuation?
Other symptoms?
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Old Oct 31, 2016 | 07:10 PM
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Had similar symptoms... turned out to be cracked motor mounts.
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Old Oct 31, 2016 | 08:05 PM
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Default vibration

engine work includes new spark plugs, plug wires, cap & rotor, points, new carburetor, new intake manifold gasket, valve adjustment, timing set.
vibration feels like it comes and goes every few seconds . Starts at idle all the way up through RPMs.

revving engine does not raise up from motor mounts

oil pressure 60 lbs
no knocks or dead miss


Last edited by actionguru; Oct 31, 2016 at 08:07 PM.
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Old Nov 1, 2016 | 12:11 AM
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Harmonic balancer tight? Outer ring not moving around? Check with a timing light.
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Old Nov 1, 2016 | 03:48 AM
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I think that Mike is on to something regarding the pilot bushing. I base this assumption not so much on the vibration as to the fact that you've mentioned something about a "whine" a couple of times.

Gary
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Old Nov 1, 2016 | 07:16 AM
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Originally Posted by actionguru
engine work includes new spark plugs, plug wires, cap & rotor, points, new carburetor, new intake manifold gasket, valve adjustment, timing set.
vibration feels like it comes and goes every few seconds . Starts at idle all the way up through RPMs.

revving engine does not raise up from motor mounts

oil pressure 60 lbs
no knocks or dead miss

Was the vibration present before the work was done?


Gerry
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Old Nov 1, 2016 | 10:09 AM
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See post 6....
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Old Nov 1, 2016 | 10:29 AM
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Originally Posted by GTOguy
See post 6....
I know. He didn't answer your question yet so I thought it should be asked again.


Gerry
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Old Nov 1, 2016 | 01:04 PM
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And it's the key to the whole thing!!
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Old Nov 1, 2016 | 04:07 PM
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Yes.
Vibration was there before work was done.
Tried to cure vibration but no luck.
Whine is louder in neutral than should be as well.
pushing in clutch cuts sound of whine in half but still there
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Old Nov 1, 2016 | 04:13 PM
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Originally Posted by actionguru
Yes.
Vibration was there before work was done.
Tried to cure vibration but no luck.
Whine is louder in neutral than should be as well.
pushing in clutch cuts sound of whine in half but still there
The whine is likely gear whine, common to worn Muncie transmissions. If you hear the whine with the clutch in and the transmission in gear, it's not gear whine.

If you have the transmission in gear and you don't hear the whine but put it in neutral with the clutch in, I'd guess your pilot bushing is worn, the clutch disc is still turning to make the noise. If that's the case, when you let the clutch out, the pressure plate can clamp the disc a little off center and make a vibration.
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Old Nov 1, 2016 | 04:14 PM
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had a 61 had the same problem years ago (but was an automatic) found it had a 400 flexplate (extra weight on it) maybe yours has a 400 balancer?? found problems with big blocks the same, 427 w/454 stuff and vice versa, also found 301 balancers on Pontiac 400's...all cause a balance problem.
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Old Nov 1, 2016 | 09:54 PM
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I agree with Mike's pilot bushing. If the clutch has been replaced some time before you, and you have always had some vibration, I'm betting the clutch is out of balance. Over time, that will wear the pilot bushing and make it all worse.

Pressure plates are frequently out of balance by several grams, even when new. Most never notice or complain. But when you get a new pressure plate, you should have it balanced either with the flywheel and marked or have each balanced separately.

I bet a shop owner a free balance once if the plate was more than five holes off, because he swore it was balanced as it was new. When it came back, there were ten drill marks in it to balance it.

Also, people frequently surface a flywheel but never balance it. Surfacing theoretically should not affect balance, but it does.

Last edited by Procrastination Racing; Nov 1, 2016 at 09:54 PM.
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Old Nov 2, 2016 | 04:32 PM
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Thanks to all for your advice & input.
Appears I will be dropping the tranny very soon.
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