at 60+ on the highway, sometimes the steering feels loose and it feels as if the wheels are shaking. other times the steering will feel good and like i have control but still a little shaky. i had the wheels balanced thinking that was the problem. the cv joints look to be in good condition. the boots are in tact and there isnt any grease anywhere. there arent any wierd noises like clunking or anything. any suggestions as to what i can look into. ive been searching for an answer but cant really find anything.
gotta be bent if they are all balanced
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2003 Cavalier LS Sport "SHOCKWAVE"
Patrick Myers wrote:gotta be bent if they are all balanced
Not really, at all. That should have been found when they were balanced, and it would vibrate all the time, not just every now and then.
I would say get your tie rods and ball joints checked.
1983 Camaro Z28
Maybe uneven tire wear? Is the cars alignment good?
ling427ttvette wrote:I would say get your tie rods and ball joints checked.
how would you go about checking them?
ShiftyCav wrote:ling427ttvette wrote:I would say get your tie rods and ball joints checked.
how would you go about checking them?
If you're not sure how to do it, I recommend taking it to a shop and having them check them. It will be free, or it is at any place I've been to/heard of/where I work. It also goes easier if there are 2 people doing it.
And, if they tell you that something is loose, tell them you want to see it loose, to make sure they are not messing with you.
1983 Camaro Z28
jz wrote:Maybe uneven tire wear? Is the cars alignment good?
Uneven tire wear is a possibility, but I don't think an out of alignemt car would vibrate, unless it was really far out but then it wouldn't be safe to drive.
Did the shop road force your tires or anything? What kind of balance did they do, and how big are your wheels?
Edit: If you have after market wheels, do you have hub centering rings?
Edited 1 time(s). Last edited Monday, April 09, 2007 5:48 PM
1983 Camaro Z28
to check the ball joint lift the car up a lil bit and slide a long bar under the wheel put more weight back on the tire and try to lift up
you have to jack the front of the car up a lil off the ground then go as follows to check the tie rod grab wheel at 3 and 9 and try to move back and forth no play no problem
We Ride Together, We Die Together...... J-Bodies For Life!
SPONSORED BY: Showstopper Tuning, JM Graphics
2003 Cavalier LS Sport "SHOCKWAVE"
Patrick Myers wrote:to check the ball joint lift the car up a lil bit and slide a long bar under the wheel put more weight back on the tire and try to lift up
you have to jack the front of the car up a lil off the ground then go as follows to check the tie rod grab wheel at 3 and 9 and try to move back and forth no play no problem
Sometimes there can be movement in the ball joints that can't really be felt, but it can be seen. If he doesn't know what to look for, it's probably best to take it to a shop.
And, if there is play in the parts when he moves the wheel side to side, he then has to determine if it is the inner or outer tie rod, or possibly a loose bearing as well. Without a second eye to look, it's impossible.
1983 Camaro Z28
true
We Ride Together, We Die Together...... J-Bodies For Life!
SPONSORED BY: Showstopper Tuning, JM Graphics
2003 Cavalier LS Sport "SHOCKWAVE"
i have stock steelies. i dont think the alignment is off, the car doesnt drift to any one side. it handles the road. the tires dont seem to be wearing unevenly.
as for balancing, i have no idea what kind of balancing the guy did. maybe i should get them rebalanced somewhere else and see what that does.
I know my i have one bent wheel, and i only feel it around 65-70mph, but anything over 70 it goes away, and no vibrations under 60.
A friend of mine's blazer does the same thing... Could be a slight bend, that the weights they added offset the bend.
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ShiftyCav wrote:i have stock steelies. i dont think the alignment is off, the car doesnt drift to any one side. it handles the road. the tires dont seem to be wearing unevenly.
as for balancing, i have no idea what kind of balancing the guy did. maybe i should get them rebalanced somewhere else and see what that does.
Even if your car doesn't pull, your alignment could still be off.. it never hurts to get it checked just incase, and before they align it they check for bad parts, or a good shop
should anyway.
If you have stock steelies, the people should have done a dynamic balance. Which is a regular balance, as for the Road Force balance, you might have to request that, granted the shop has a machine capable of it.
A Road Force balance basically determines the high spot of a tire, and if the high spot is out of a certain limitation, further tests can be ran to see if the tire can be brought back into spec, and if not, the tire is no good and needs replaced. You could possibly have a tire that is just barely starting to seperate.
The problem with vibrations, is it could be
anything. I hate trying to narrow them down, but it's a daily thing almost it seems like.
1983 Camaro Z28
i guess ill just have to get it checked out.
wierd thing is in the morning going to work the car felt fine and then coming home just now it felt a all sloppy. its like when i was accelerating it felt like mush and when i let off the gas and went down to 60 it flet good.
i went and got the problem checked out today. the guy said i have a broken strut mount and he showed it to me. he said everything else was fine and tight. the only thing that sucks it that the owner said he isnt going to do the work because im lowered and ill never get the springs to sit right on the mount so theyll just keep breaking. i guess hes just covering his ass so i dont come back and say he @!#$ it up if it does break again. i guess it time to have some fun and change out my mounts. yay!!!
i've been on lowered cavs for 4 years now and never had a strut mount break from it. yea that was your problem. by a new strut and install yourself or if you dont really know how hit your regional forum and im sure there is somebody in your area that will do it for you. as far as your tires, i would still have them rebalanced and road force tested. anything above 20lbs. of road force is bad and you should replace them
i know how to do it, i installed my suspension. only part that sucks is that i dont have air tools, but i guess ill go out and buy what i need. if anyone knows a decent setup, let me know.
