steering vibration, but goes away?

[devon.818]

i get the shakies!
steering wheel gets some decent vibrations at higher speeds, it comes and goes which really confuses me. this is something new also. last month or so, but i can tell it is getting worse.

also at low speed it feels like the car is going over bumps, i thought i had a bent wheel, but traded with my friend for a few days only to find that it still does it, just not as much(both vibration and strange low speed bumps).

friend thinks it is in the steering column coupler area. i think it has to do with tie rods.


what should i inspec? what should i test?

[bernzpeed]

tie rods or end links from sway bar. mine did that at 70 mph replaced it and no more shaking.

[devon.818]

i was thinking endlinks too!
glad i was on the right tack, have a lightly used set of tie rods i'll throw in this weekend. i will need an alignment after correct?

and yeah, it gets sketchy at about 70. i am usally comfortable cruising at 110, but no way like this!

[jlevie]

A vibration that comes and goes when maintaining a constant speed is almost always caused by out of balance and/or out of round tires. Worn shocks, control arms, or tie rods will exagerate a minor problem with the wheels.

[Zasz]

^ I'm having the same problem as devon.818, but would like some more information on wheel balancing.

Would an unbalanced/badly balanced wheel sound like loose lugs? Is there a possibility that it's a wheel bearing issue as well?

[jlevie]

^ I'm having the same problem as devon.818, but would like some more information on wheel balancing.

Would an unbalanced/badly balanced wheel sound like loose lugs? Is there a possibility that it's a wheel bearing issue as well?

If there are worn suspension parts an out of balance wheel could cause noise similar to that made by a loose lug.

[Zasz]

Very helpful, thank you.

[E30_fiend]

There is a few things it could be. Wheel balance tends to give you a steering shake at 35-45 then smooth, then again at around 60-70. What year is your car?

My guess? you have a late model with an airbag steering column. where the two parts come together, there is a sliding nut. I believe its 32mm. My guess is that has come loose. Especially if the shake isnt dependent on speed and only comes and goes.


Taylor

[devon.818]

It is between 72-80 mph and is always at that. Is it more likely unbalanced wheels?

[jlevie]

I suspect that out of balance or out of round tires are a part of this, but there may be wear in the front suspension that also contributes. An inspection of the front suspension and possibly repairs along with having the tires checked should be your actions at this point.

To check ball joints, squeeze the joint with a large (as in 24") pair of
channel locks and pry on the joint. Any motion whatsoever in a ball joint is
cause for replacement. Check rubber bushings by prying on them with a 24" pry
bar. More motion than there should be (this is where experience comes in play)
or any cracks are cause for replacement. You can figure on bushings being good
for about 6 years or 80k.

With the car up in the air, grab each front wheel at 9 & 3 o'clock and try to
wiggle the wheel. Motion along that line will be worn tie rods. Motion when
wiggling the wheel at 6 & 12 o'clock will be bearings or control arm ball
joints. Spin each wheel and listen for roughness in the bearings. If the
brakes drag, remove the caliper (and on the rear wheels the parking brake
shoes) to eliminate sounds from dragging brakes. Any roughness when spinning
the wheel is cause for bearing replacement.

The rear suspension of an E30 isn't adjustable. Worn Rear Trailing Arm
Bushings or bad subframe bushings will result in improper alignment of the
rear wheels. In addition to degraded handling, problems there will accelerate
wear of the rear tires.

Shocks have a more limited life than will be apparent from the way the car
feels. Figure on about 60k for OE type shocks and perhaps 80k from
Bilsteins. Koni SA shocks will go a lot further as rebound can be adjusted to
compensate for wear. Upper strut/shock mounts can only be assessed for wear
out of the car, but they will normally outlast the shocks. When replacing
shocks, just replace the upper mounts and you won't have to worry about them.

The rear shock mounts on an E30 or E36 are a weak item. I always replace them
with uprated mounts from Rouge engineering.

[devon.818]

jlevie you the man.
after this hurrican passes i will do a full inspection of everything. i have a friend who can check the balance of the wheels so that is going to happen also.

someone should turn your response into a sticky forsure!
so much useful info, bookmarked!!!!

[kunt_masha]

im in the same boat


at around 65+ it shakes for ~20 seconds then rolls perfectly smooth for 5 seconds... repeat