Re: IML: My 65 Le Baron is vibrating!!

[RandalPark@xxxxxxx]

If you only feel this when you are driving, it probably isn't engine related. Broken motor mounts would cause vibration anytime it is running, as would tune up and carb issues. It could be more pronounced when the car is in gear, but driving down the road should have nothing to do with it. 

The rear transmission mounts in these cars break. The result is an odd heavy "bump" sensation when going around a corner, or shifting the weight of the car from side to side. If this has been incorrectly fixed, then there may be a direct connection between the transmission and the frame. Before these mounts were being reproduced, some shops simply bolted through the mount to hold everything together. The resulting feeling is not more pronounced on one side of the car, but is a droning vibration at highway speeds.

A vibration can happen if the exhaust system is "grounded" to the body or frame. Check to make sure that your clearences are correct all around, particulary in the area of the crossover pipe and the transmission support member. Again, though, it shouldn't only happen when you are driving down the road. It would happen all the time, or at least whenever the car is in gear.

If the vibration only happens when you are driving, then you need to look at your wheels and tires. It is also possible that your driveshaft is out of alignment, or that your u-joints are bad.

I replaced the engine mounts in my '65 Imperial twice. This is not an uncommon problem with those cars. Usually one will break, and the engine will drop on one side. This is usually due to oil and heat damage to the vulcanized rubber, or buying very old NOS parts that have been sitting around for a long time. It should result in the fan hitting the fan shroud on acceleration, or going around corners. If the engine doesn't look level, then one mount may be broken. Only by brand new mounts. There is a vendor selling freshly made mounts for our cars.

I also should mention that Imperials will vibrate at certain speeds if the drive shaft angle is incorrect. This can happen from changing the strength of the rear springs, broken rear axle support struts, or removing the shims installed by the factory and not putting them back in place.

Good luck, you will get to the bottom of it, but it may take a lot of troubleshooting.

Paul

In an email dated Thu, 10 2 2005 8:35:12 pm GMT, commenace@xxxxxxxxxxxx writes:

>Just dropped in a newly rebuilt engine, trans, and steering gear box. ?When I drove it home, the passenger side area seemed to vibrate with the RPM's (the entire car actually, but it is rreally pronounced on the passenger side), as if the engine is somehow rubbing against the frame. ?I haven't given it a serious look yet, though I intend to this weekend.
>
>Any Ideas what I should look for? ?Is it possible I installed the motor mounts incorrectly, of course it's possible, how can I tell?
>
>Any help would be greatly appreciated.
>
>Thanx.
>John.
>1965 Imperial Le Baron.
>
>
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