I'm deep into troubleshooting my CR-V because it shakes pretty badly between 50 - 85 MPH. It begins slightly at 50 and gets very bad (feels like a wheel is falling off) at around 70-75. It fades away above 85 MPH. Also, it is only present if accelerating. At any speed, if you stop applying thrust the shaking disappears.
I have:
The dealer said the rear driveshaft u-joints are starting to bind slightly and it should be replaced at some point - but it's not the source of the shaking. When I removed the driveshaft I found the same to be true. I reinstalled the old driveshaft for now until I figure out the shaking. The dealer also said they see these CR-V's develop bad driveshaft u-joints from time to time. The dealer also said that shaking at these speeds is not really what the TSB is for. They said it's for lower speed shaking, like 45 MPH or so. They applied the software update for me anyway, which I appreciated.
One gripe I do have at this point is the unbelievable cost of OEM parts for this system. I was quoted $3400 to replace the rear driveshaft, and
$1,300 to replace the front right CV shaft. Those figures include labor, which is not too involved, all things considered. I get it that OEM parts are expensive, but $3400 for a driveshaft on a 10 year old car is hard to understand. I'm not sure how that even makes sense in terms of raw materials, manufacturing and handling. The parts costs seem absurd to me.
Now I'm replacing the driver's CV shaft. It should be here tomorrow. My hope is that it was shaking so violently at the higher speeds that it actually damaged the boot. Hoping this will fix the problem. I'm concerned at this point, that I could be looking at a torque converter issue, which would be very disappointing since I've been very good at changing fluids regularly and taking good care of the car in general.
I've made three videos to help others through this project if they deal with it. I recommend a similar troubleshooting approach before just throwing parts at it. That's why I sought help from the dealership, in addition to the TSB issue. I was hoping that if I spent the money for diagnosis, I would not have to replace unnecessary parts.
Here's the video for rear driveshaft removal:
Right side CV Shaft:
Left Side CV Shaft:
I hope this can help someone else out there.
I have:
- Re-Balanced all four tires -- no change
- Inspect all usual parts under the car: ball joints, tie rods, front wheel bearings for looseness, CV shafts and driveshaft for looseness and leaks. Nothing noted.
- Found TSB 15-086 and asked dealership to inspect, diagnose shake, and perform TSB.
- Dealer performed TSB, but states the shake is in the front right CV Shaft -- I replace that -- no change
- I remove rear driveshaft (dealer already did this, but now I'm skeptical of their recommendations) and drove the car without it -- no change
- I swapped over to my winter wheels to rule out my summer wheels/tires causing the problem -- no change
- I re-inspect driver's side (where my wife feels the vibration the worst) and now I can see that the inboard CV boot is now spewing grease out.
The dealer said the rear driveshaft u-joints are starting to bind slightly and it should be replaced at some point - but it's not the source of the shaking. When I removed the driveshaft I found the same to be true. I reinstalled the old driveshaft for now until I figure out the shaking. The dealer also said they see these CR-V's develop bad driveshaft u-joints from time to time. The dealer also said that shaking at these speeds is not really what the TSB is for. They said it's for lower speed shaking, like 45 MPH or so. They applied the software update for me anyway, which I appreciated.
One gripe I do have at this point is the unbelievable cost of OEM parts for this system. I was quoted $3400 to replace the rear driveshaft, and
$1,300 to replace the front right CV shaft. Those figures include labor, which is not too involved, all things considered. I get it that OEM parts are expensive, but $3400 for a driveshaft on a 10 year old car is hard to understand. I'm not sure how that even makes sense in terms of raw materials, manufacturing and handling. The parts costs seem absurd to me.
Now I'm replacing the driver's CV shaft. It should be here tomorrow. My hope is that it was shaking so violently at the higher speeds that it actually damaged the boot. Hoping this will fix the problem. I'm concerned at this point, that I could be looking at a torque converter issue, which would be very disappointing since I've been very good at changing fluids regularly and taking good care of the car in general.
I've made three videos to help others through this project if they deal with it. I recommend a similar troubleshooting approach before just throwing parts at it. That's why I sought help from the dealership, in addition to the TSB issue. I was hoping that if I spent the money for diagnosis, I would not have to replace unnecessary parts.
Here's the video for rear driveshaft removal:
Right side CV Shaft:
Left Side CV Shaft:
I hope this can help someone else out there.
