A B737-500 CAPT RPTS ON ENG RUN PRIOR TO TKOF #2 ENG VIBRATION INDICATION ABNORMAL. ADVISED BY MAINT CTLR ITEM IS A CARRY FORWARD DEFERRED ITEM NOT ENTERED IN LOGBOOK.

Narrative

DEPARTING RWY 16R AT ZZZ ARPT WITH MODERATE SNOW AND 1 MI VISIBILITY. DURING 70% N1 ENG RUN-UP; #2 ENG INDICATED AN ABNORMAL LEVEL 3 VIBRATION INDICATION. WE ACCOMPLISHED THIS PROC 2 TIMES ON THE RWY BEFORE CANCELING OUR TKOF. WE FOUND A DRY SPOT ON THE TXWY THAT ALLOWED US TO RUN UP THE ENG AND VERIFY WE DIDN'T JUST HAVE ICE CONTAMINATION ON THE FAN BLADES. AFTER CONTACTING MAINT; WE RETURNED TO THE GATE FOR A MAINT INSPECTION OF THE #2 ENG. UPON CALLING THE ACR MAINT ENG CTLR; I WAS TOLD THAT THERE WAS A PREVIOUS HISTORY OF THIS PROB AND IT HAD BEEN DEFERRED USING THE CARRY FORWARD DEFERRAL PROCESS. AFTER ONCE AGAIN REVIEWING THE MAINT RELEASE; DIL AND MAINT LOG HISTORY; I DISCOVERED THAT WE DID NOT HAVE ANY KNOWLEDGE OF THIS CRITICAL DEFERRAL. THERE WAS A LOG ITEM IN THE LOGBOOK ON NOV/01 INDICATING THE PREVIOUS VIBRATION PROB; BUT WAS NOT ON OUR PAPERWORK. I WAS TOLD BY MAINT THAT IN THIS CASE NOTHING HAD BEEN ENTERED INTO THE METERED SECTION; WHICH WOULD HAVE CREATED THE CARRY FORWARD DEFERRAL IN OUR DIL/LOG HISTORY. IT IS MY UNDERSTANDING THAT THE CAPT IS REQUIRED TO HAVE THE ABILITY TO DETERMINE THE MAINT STATUS OF THE ACFT; WHICH DOES NOT OCCUR USING THIS CARRY FORWARD DEFERRAL PROCESS. I WOULD SUGGEST CREATING OF DEFERRAL SECTION ON THE MAINT RELEASE OR ENTERING THEM INTO THE LOGBOOK.