I've had my '05 Equinox for about a year. For the past few weeks I've been occasionally feeling a vibration and since I'm sure it won't happen if I take it in to the shop, I'm trying to get some ideas of what it might be so I can check things myself or ask them to check them.

It seems to come in spurts. Yesterday it happened almost throughout my entire drive home from work. Today it hasn't happened once in 30 miles of driving. Sometimes it'll happen once or twice during a trip. In the first 11 months I'd owned the car it happened a couple times, during heavy rains.

It feels kind of like going over rumble strips but not as severe.

When it happens, it occurs when accelerating, starts about 20mph and fades out about 35mph.

It doesn't seem to be related to engine RPM since I've had it continue after an upshift.

I thought maybe it was related to the driveshaft carrier bearing, but if so, why would it only occur sometimes?

 

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Louis
GM Customer Service

 

The only aftermarket stuff is some of those window shields (that were there when I got it). I haven't asked anyone to look at it yet because of the difficulty in repeating the problem. I'm trying to get as much information before taking it in anywhere as I can to improve the odds of fixing it even if they can't replicate it at that time.

 

If its occurring in rain; could it be a engine misfire? If you take your foot off the accerator when its occuring; does it stop?

If yes, check all your plug wires and plugs for carbon tracking and cracked insulators.

 

Yes, if I take my foot off the accelerator when it happens, it stops (until I put my foot back on the accelerator).

It could be a misfire. I had new plugs and wires put in about 6 months ago when the check engine light had come on and that's what they said it needed (it was about time anyway). It's possible that that didn't solve the problem. But what strikes me as odd about that is a couple things - why isn't it happening more regularly, and why does it stop at about the same speed (and not reoccur if I slow back down, only when I start from a stop)?