I have recently replaced most of my front end. Within past few months, I've done my:
~rotors
~pads
~LCA's
~shocks/struts
~new tires
~hub and bearing assemblies
~sway bar links
~tie rod ends
A few days ago I had all tires balanced and aligned. I am still experiencing vibration at around 55-60mph while accellerating and coasting. It stays pretty consistent after that speed. I notice a slight rythmic low pitch "whoosh" (sorry, but thats the best description I've got) and the vibration stated above. I have no clicking or clunking while turning, and thought it would definitely do this if it were bad. The car is a 92 and has 130K on it. Any thoughts? Should I just replace the CV shaft anyway on a car with this milage?

 

A failing CV joint can cause everything you described.
Typically however, a cv will not cause a vibration that changes with speed.
Also be mindful of the intermediate shaft on the drivers side.
This shaft has a carrier bearing that could cause similar problems to a worn CV.

Remove the drivers side axle, unbolt the housing from the block and check for free play in bearing housing.
It should also spin freely and quietly.
If it binds or spins with resistance then replace it.

You can also try and confirm a faulty CV by locking the wheel in a tight turn and driving in reverse.
Often this will aggravate a borderline joint into making the familiar 'clack clack'.

If you do replace your axles, be sure to inspect the shaft input seals on the transaxle housing.
If they go overlooked and are original you will almost certainly have a trans fluid leak afterwards.
To change them is simple, just pop them out with a flathead screwdriver, then tap the new one in.

Good luck.

 

thanx for the input dglass.....i already did the reverse test with wheel locked in both directions. There was no clicking or indication to speak of. I have heard of a carrier bearing, but have never come across one and was unaware that my car had it???
Now, just to be clear...you said to remove driver's side axle...then, UNBOLT THE HOUSING FROM THE BLOCK??? Are you talking about the driver's side axle itself, or where the axle inserts into the transmission? Sorry about the confusion.

 

The bearing I am talking about is contained within the intermediate shaft body, that is what bolts to the block.
Have you ever noticed how much longer the passenger side axle is?
That's because the drivers side uses the intermediate shaft to mate with the transmission.
The actual ds axle itself doesn't mate with the trans, it attaches to the int shaft, which then goes into the transmission.
Here's a pic to better illustrate.

 

sounds like a bad inner joint

 

good pic...and I understand better what you were saying. My 92 axle does not bolt into the block though. The setup looks a bit different. My axle has an inboard and outboard joint, and is only held into the trans with a c-clip. I would imagine what you say would still applyfor the most part, just figured I would give that input. Also, I said earlier that I do not have that "clicking" that is the tell-tale sign of a cv joint, but as far as I know, that is the sign for a bad "outboard" joint....would a bad inner joint also make that noise??? Is there a way to test the inner joint on the car? How would I know which side had a bad inner joint if it were bad, but didnt click while turning???

 

clicking is an outer joint. the bearings on the outer an inner joints are different construction so they have different failure characteristics. inner joints do not click, every one that i have had fail just caused bad vibration under load usually only at certain speeds.
it also sounds like you have an automatic transmission which does not use the halfshaft in the above pictures.

i wish i could tell you which one it is, but the only way you may be able to do it is have the car on a lift and bring it up to speed and visually look at the axles as they spin...when i had no access to a lift i just put aside $160 and got 2 new axles.

 

That's very good info...thank you. And yes, my car is auto. I think I will have to do just that and replace both sides, as it is not too expensive. Not to beat a dead horse, but my car is not only vibrating under load. If I am coasting around the same speeds (~60-75mph) I still have the same intensity of vibration. Would it be a legit test for the inner joint to put the car in neutral at that speed to see if the vibration eases up any?

 

just an update...today I replaced my passenger side cv axle. It took about two hours at a very relaxed pace. My car (unexpectedly) already seems to be handling much better. I only got up to about 60mph on the highway, and it's still not butter smooth, but it does feel noticably better with much less vibration. I was not expecting my steering to be affected as much as it seems it was by a worn cv joint...and barely noticed how sloppy my handling was before the repair. I will be replacing the driver's side this weekend, and will report back for anyone who may have similar issues.
...on a side note...when removing the original axle, I gave a very slight tug on the shaft to pull it away from the trans after breaking the axle loose with a pry bar. When doing that the inner cv joint pulled right apart. The boot stayed in tact, but the joint itself was all over the place. I know this happens if you pull on the axle, and thats why it's not advised, but it seems that this one came apart way too easy. I have a feeling the inner joint was close to gone. If that is the case, then the driver's side probably isnt far off either, which is why I will be replacing it.

 

thanks for all the information guys