90 b2200 intermittently shudders at 70 mph

[admiral]

90 b2200 200,000 +
at 70 mph the truck feels like its shuddering.this is intermittnet. the speed stays the same. if i put the peddle to the floor and it kicks out of overdrive, the shuddering goes away as the truck excellerates. around 75 it goes away. sometimes it goes away all by itself and smooths out. has anybody had this problem in the past or any idea what's causing it.

thanks
greg

[smuryof]

Greg,

For what it's worth, my truck shuddered like a scared rabbit at those speeds until I changed the tires. How are your tires? Recently replaced? Balanced?

Another question, do you notice any slop or wandering in steering? Could be tie rod ends acting up.

-Jim

[admiral]

Greg,

For what it's worth, my truck shuddered like a scared rabbit at those speeds until I changed the tires. How are your tires? Recently replaced? Balanced?

Another question, do you notice any slop or wandering in steering? Could be tie rod ends acting up.

-Jim
[/b]

jim
thanks for the reply... new tires 2000 miles ago and wheel alignment. think its a tire problem ??

thanks
greg

[smuryof]

jim
thanks for the reply... new tires 2000 miles ago and wheel alignment. think its a tire problem ??

thanks
greg
[/b]

Hi Greg,

Actually, I read a little more closely, and this sounds like a tune-up issue, what with kicking out of overdrive to solve the problem. Misses / cylinder problems show up when under torque at lower RPM's.

When's the last time you've had plugs/wires changed? Timing checked?

With that many miles, it could also be a compression issue. Compression testers aren't all that expensive or difficult to use. If you don't think it could be plugs / wires / timing, you might check the compression.

In order of least to most expensive:

• Check timing
• Check plugs, re-gap, look for corrosion & wear, replace if in doubt
• <EDIT>Check distributor cap and rotor for wear, replace if in doubt
• Check compression, check / replace wires

[admiral]

Hi Greg,

Actually, I read a little more closely, and this sounds like a tune-up issue, what with kicking out of overdrive to solve the problem. Misses / cylinder problems show up when under torque at lower RPM's.

When's the last time you've had plugs/wires changed? Timing checked?

With that many miles, it could also be a compression issue. Compression testers aren't all that expensive or difficult to use. If you don't think it could be plugs / wires / timing, you might check the compression.

In order of least to most expensive:

• Check timing
• Check plugs, re-gap, look for corrosion & wear, replace if in doubt
• <EDIT>Check distributor cap and rotor for wear, replace if in doubt
• Check compression, check / replace wires

[/b]

tune up about year ago.... the shuddering will go away without doing anything. there are times when the shuddering doesn't happen...i take it out of overdirve because its annoying.. its something that is resenent at that speed. drive shaft ?? tranny ??? if it were tire balance i would think it would be constant and not go away. when shuddering steered right and left. doesn't make a difference.....

thanks
greg

[smuryof]

tune up about year ago.... the shuddering will go away without doing anything. there are times when the shuddering doesn't happen...i take it out of overdirve because its annoying.. its something that is resenent at that speed. drive shaft ?? tranny ??? if it were tire balance i would think it would be constant and not go away. when shuddering steered right and left. doesn't make a difference.....

thanks
greg
[/b]

With your last tuneup about a year ago, it is probably worth checking spark. For starters, you can pull the plugs, be sure to keep the wires in order, and look at the coloration. Check for discrepancies, you want all 4 plugs to have a light, tan color on the inner tip. (there are plenty of color charts available online - here is one: http://www.dansmc.com/Spark_Plugs/Sp...s_catalog.html )

At least that is free, doesn't take long to do, and could be a starting point to find fault with one particular cylinder.

I don't think it is a tire issue. Bouncing down out of overdrive wouldn't remedy a tire issue.