2002 mustang 3.8 vibration even with drive shaft out . is this a engine or transmission problem

SOURCE: 2002 ford Ranger 3.0 v6 (auto) rear end noise when accelerating on curves.

Grab the bed of the truck and vigorously rock the vehicle from side to side. If you hear clunking in the axle, you probably need to check the carrier bearings in the differential. I had the carrier bearings, wheel bearings, and seals replaced in my mother-in-law's 1991 Ranger for $280, and it rides like a new truck. Well, ok, it rides like an 18 year old truck with a new rear end. I provided the wheel bearings and seals to the shop, and they provided the carrier bearing, lube, and labor. While the axles are out, check the surface where the axles ride on the bearings. If they are worn, there are undersized bearing available, but it is usually cheaper and easier to just by new axles.

SOURCE: Van rumbles and vibrates

Does this van have a carrier bearing in the center of the driveshaft? If it does this could be your culprit,you can tell if it has a carrier bearing by looking at the drive shaft in the middle it will around the driveshaft and bolted to floor support of the van.

SOURCE: 2002 f250 shake

You have identified the problem when you pulled the drive shaft and the shake was gone. So you know it is between the tranny and the rear end. If it is not the universal joints, then you have a warped drive shaft.

SOURCE: 2000 ford exploorer v-8 awd eddie bauer edition

Hello, I see you may a lot of changes and replaced a lot of parts. We leased an Explorer the same Year as yours. In our case there was a slight noise as well as vibration. The problem was the Front Hub bearings, They were bad at 18000 miles.

There are a few things I want to suggest. The spinning of the wheels on the lift will not load the bearings. A Dyno table can get everything turning with a load on it. As your vehicle is a 4x4, most Dyno's were 2 wheelers. You would have to call to find one for a 4x4.

Next, if the new Hubs do not help, have a look at the rotors. They are also balanced. You can spin balance the Wheel and rotor as a unit with a floor motor. It's not the best way to Balance because tire rotation or even shifting the Wheel on the lugs will UNbalance it. But this method CAN pinpoint a problem if a Balanced tire does not spin true when bolted to the vehicle. You will know the Rotor is off-balance and which axle is causing the problem.

Would be interested to see a Post of what you found.

SOURCE: noise & vibration in front end

Check your Suspension. Front Sway Bar end links have a tendency to wear and or fail after time and can cause front end vibration at high speeds and or poor cornering issues at higher speeds. Usually is the culprit and cheap to fix. Also inspect the rest of your suspension, u-joints and ball joints for wear or leaks but first check out the end links.