Front wheel driveshaft

Have your wheels balanced while on vehicle. Not all places do it but worth it as could even be a weight missing from a drive shaft ?

check the u-joints in the drive shaft. With engine off and shifter in park with e-brake engaged Climb under truck and locate driveshaft Try turning the driveshaft back and forth normally shaft will move about 1/4 inch while turning shaf, look at u-joints both front and rear for wear.

There are many things that can induce a vibration in the truck, but it seems that most of the common vibration problems are centered in two areas, balance and wheel/tire defects.


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Have the drive shaft balanced

First, I wouldn't be at a dealer

I mark all my drive shafts, as installed, and take
them to a driveshaft shop that,makes or repairs them

I have ALL driveshafts balanced

I have a Lincoln LS ,so I'm guessing your
newer MKZ is front wheel drive ??

Having once owned a trans repair shop, your
transaxle ,if that is what you have, will have to
be stripped clean, to do the bearings your talking
about

On a rear drive, such as my LS, you still have to
remove the rear differental case and strip it, for
brgs

The $700 sounds like a dealer fishing for a solution
to a rear wheel drive vehicle with a vibration

They try a new drive shaft,why not,only your money

SOUNDS LIKE A BAD HUB TRY THIS TO DIAGNOSE THE PROBLEM

Put the transmission in park, set the parking brake and raise the chassis so one of the front wheels is off the ground while the other is still on the ground. When the transfer case is in two-wheel drive, the hubs should be released allowing the wheels to turn freely when spun by hand. If the axle shaft turns when you spin the wheel, it means the hub has not disengaged.
To check engagement, rotate the axle shaft backwards. This should lock the hub. Try turning the wheel by hand again. The axle shaft should now turn with the wheel if the hub is locked. If the hub fails to lock, the hub will have to be disassembled and inspected or replaced.
To check release, hold the axle shaft steady and rotate the wheel backwards. You should hear a click as the locking mechanism slides back out and disengages the hub. Rotate the wheel forward again and it should turn freely.
Another way to check the hubs is to raise the vehicle on a frame contact lift so all four wheels are off the ground. Then start the engine and place the transfer case in four-wheel drive and the transmission in drive. If the front wheels don't turn, look at the front axle shafts. If both shafts are turning, but one wheel is not, the problem is a bad hub on the wheel that isn't turning. If the front driveshafts are not turning when the transfer case is in four-wheel drive, the problem is inside the differential (broken side gears) or the transfer case (broken chain, shift linkage, etc.). If the driveshaft between the transfer case and differential is turning, the problem is in the differential. If the driveshaft is not turning, the vehicle is going to need repairs to the transfer case.
Hope this helps.

they might have the transmission not lined up properly causing the drive shaft to be at an angle from the rear axle

Sounds a lot like a wheel balance problem, Does vibration go away over 55? In checking driveshaft joints...If you looked at them with the vehicle in park with the wheels on the ground, the shaft is "loaded" and cannot be correctly checked. To do this properly, vehicle should be in neutral with both rear wheels off the ground. Sometimes a joint can appear to be tight but still be bad. Check for traces of powdered rust around the rubber boots right where the end caps meet the cross on the inside. Any rust there indicates lack of grease and the likelyhood that the joint is frozen.
Check both balance and joints. Good luck.
Don't forget to rate my answer after you find the problem.

Place vehicle in 4wd (high or low). This will hold the front drive shaft still for the rest of the test. Jack up the front end of the vehicle. Remove the actuator. Have a buddy spin the right front wheel while you use a long punch or screwdriver to try to manually engage the diff. The left front wheel should spin in the other direction if the diff is good. Also before you check the diff you need to grab the front driveshaft and make sure it is locked, If it spins freely when the truck is in park and in 4wd with the front end raised then problem is in transfer case. If you can't make the diff engage manually with punch then the problem is in the diff. If front diff engages manually then the problem is the actuator. Hope this helps..

I did run the vehicle on the lift in 4wd. The actuator is trying to engage. I removed the right side axle housing and found the shim on the end of the shaft had fallen out of place. The small roller bearing in the shaft was damaged as well. This may have happended on a previous axle seal replacement. A new shim, and bearing fixed the problem. Thanks for our reply