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Topic: Steering wheel vibration (Read 1418 times) previous topic - next topic

Steering wheel vibration

Ok, i have a steering wheel vibration at around 55 MPH and above, as well the whole car shakes too.

I jacked the car up and checked for play in the front end, all is tight. All the brake pads are worn evenly, so no sticky caliper here. I pumped the break a few times then rotated the tires by hand, all is smooth and consistent. Everything seems tight in the front end, no squeeks are noises of any kind, drives straight on the highway.

There was a tiny bit of play in the tie rods, front to back of the car rotation, is this normal???

Also my 10 hole mustang rims had a ton of rust and buildup on the inside of the rim, the part that mates to the rotor, i cleaned all the shiznit off the best i could, and now the problen seemed to get worse, and a more consistant vibration???

Could a rim with a bad rim to rotor mateing surface cause this kind of shimmy, or am i barking up the wrong tree??

Jeff

Steering wheel vibration

Reply #1 –
It sounds to me like a broken belt in a tire. The mating surface could cause it to vibrate but i think you would feel it all the time and at lower speeds. Try driving slowly and see if it feels like it is wobbling. I had a bad tire on my civic and when going slow sometimes you could feel the back of the car going side to side.

As long as the play in the tie rod isnt really bad(in PA your allowed 1/4" play at the edge of the tire for inspection) i wouldnt worry about it. You could change them for safety but i dont think its the cause of the vibration.

Steering wheel vibration

Reply #2 –
Being a tech....at the sears hair care and tire center..

i'd have to aggre with the above comment,

but at the same time. just because the vehicle drives straight, doesn't mean that the alignment isn't correct.

belts are a huge issue in vibriation, but it's more of a stong wobble, and would start at about 15 mph,

Balancing the tires may help for vibrations above 40 MPH,

would need to know more,

does the car shake side to side ish... or up and down... ish

is it more like a pulsation or a quick vibration ?

take it into a sears or some thing .... i'm not sure if they all do it ...but get a susp. eval for free...

tell em it vibrates, and then go from there

Steering wheel vibration

Reply #3 –
Every time i have had a vibration,on my own personal cars as well as customers cars, at about 40 MPH and above it was usually fixed by changing the tire. That doesnt mean that it isnt something else of course but that is just my experience and the first place i would look to.
If there is a place nearby that has a Road Force Tire Balancer, you can take it and they will be able to tell if there is something wrong with the tires.
I have seen brand new Goodyear Assurance tires that were bad and caused a vibration.



Andrew

Steering wheel vibration

Reply #4 –
I have had the vibration for over a year now, sometimes its violent sometimes not too bad. I got the tires roadforce tested last year, all was fine, since then i have done multiple rotations as well as re balanceing.

My ten hole rims have seen atleast 250,000 Kilometers, and thats not including what happen before i got them.

i am thinging of getting a few turbine or ten hole rims and put them on the front to see what happens.

If i still have the vibration, then its the car.

Jeff C

Steering wheel vibration

Reply #5 –
so, try.... jacking up the rear wheels and supporting them, and run the car, take it up to the speed that it normaly vibrates at,

That'll let you know if it's in the drivetrain or rear end setup,

or front end ......

if uhh .. it vibrates....take the wheels off, MAKE SURE YOU BOLT THE DRUMS BACK ON !!! and run the car again...

give or take you'll greatly narrow down the vibration problem !!

Steering wheel vibration

Reply #6 –
Here is an update om my vibration problem. I took it in to the mechanic today (Midas Mufler) It turns out one rotor was worped as well the caliper was toast, so i got new rotors brakes and a new caliper. My vibration is still there, as well the mechanic rotated and balanced all the tires.

I then went out and used my full size spare tire on all 4 sides of the car, the vibration is still there.

The mechanic says that even though the front end all looks good, it is possible the ball joints are bad and under pressure and they will cause the vibration, as well they are the original ones on the car 270,000K on them.

Would the ball joints be the next logical step to take?????

Again its a vibration over 55MPH left to right and up and down in the steeringwheel, not always consistant, and sometimes you can feel it in the car. As well sometimes when i apply the break it will make the steering whell vibrate harder, but no brake peddal vibration.

Thanks
Jeff
 

Steering wheel vibration

Reply #7 –
tbirdboy88:

May I suggest having the front struts and mounting plates checked out!  I too was an automotive technician.  If your strut bearing plates haven't been replaced in a while, this may be the cause.  But tire separation could still be the problem.  Eventhough you had the wheels balanced.  Just a thought!