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2008 Ford Kuga diesel 4X4 - Shudder under acceleration - Feersum Endjinn

Good day all, hoping some of you ford guys may be familier with this fault.

2008 model year Ford Kuga diesel 4X4 shudders under acceleration, most prominent at 54mph, fault clears when you back off the throttle so no issues with wheels and tyres. a visual exam of driveshafts and propshaft reveal no obvious issues. The shudder is not through the steering but through the floor. subjectivley id say more from the front than the rear. I cant feel any abnormal play in the prop or driveshafts. so before i start the expensive route of diagnosis by component substitution i thought id chuck the problem out to you guys.

Thankyou in advance

2008 Ford Kuga diesel 4X4 - Shudder under acceleration - Metropolis.
auto or manual?
2008 Ford Kuga diesel 4X4 - Shudder under acceleration - madf

If it's an auto, it will be the Poweshift at fault.

If it's manual, try nothing: get a competent garage to assess it properly. It could be anything..

Rotate all wheels first.

2008 Ford Kuga diesel 4X4 - Shudder under acceleration - Feersum Endjinn

Its a manual transmission

2008 Ford Kuga diesel 4X4 - Shudder under acceleration - elekie&a/c doctor

Possible clutch /Dual mass flywheel issue?

2008 Ford Kuga diesel 4X4 - Shudder under acceleration - gordonbennet

Presumably there is no engine running problem here, ie does this vibration happen in all gears that could be used at that speed? Checking this should also give you an idea if the clutch/DMF is playing up, because the speed its turning will vary depending on gear.

If it isn't there, and you've checked the transmission oil, a separate level check for the transfer box? then it might be somewhere in the drivetrain, and yes swapping the tyres round is worth doing because its free takes a short time and it should alter the sensation if there is a tyre/wheel issue, also you can check the brakes are in good order and no signs of binding or other issues whilst the wheels are off.

Whilst you may not have found any play in any of the driveshafts, thats not to say you haven't got a CV joint (inner or outer, inners tend not to rattle on turns) lacking enough lube.

Don't forget to check the centre bearing on the longest of the front driveshafts, if you're car has one.

It would cost not very much to get a set of boot clips, the correct crimping pliers and a tub of CV joint grease, and to go round each joint peeling back the large end of the boot and repacking the joint with some fresh grease and resealing...even if this doesn't cure the problem it is very good long term maintenance which should see your driveshafts last the life of the vehicle.

Another possibility is a UJ or slip joint on the propshaft(s), no doubt these things are sealed for life (one would hope they are greasable but most unlikely), so the only way you are going to check for a semi seized or failing joint is to undo a prop at one end and work the joints whilst listening and feeling for stiffness or wear, i presume the front drive shafts come straight out of the final drive.

Edited by gordonbennet on 04/12/2017 at 09:19

2008 Ford Kuga diesel 4X4 - Shudder under acceleration - Feersum Endjinn

Thankyou guys

2008 Ford Kuga diesel 4X4 - Shudder under acceleration - Craig Dow
Hi
I’m having the same problem with my ford kuga 2008didyou find out what the problem was ? As garage carnt find the problem with mine , thanks for any help
2008 Ford Kuga diesel 4X4 - Shudder under acceleration - Rebecca R

Hi there. Appreciate this was a while ago now, but did you manage to find and resolve the fault at all? I'm having the exact same issues with mine and really stuggling to get it diagnosed! Thank you