help with wheel shake??

[meltboy1]

89 GP 5spd

 

Sorry, the search function seems to be down and I was just wondering how to diagnose a bad CV shaft. I have wheel shake at higher speeds, normally anything over 60 and the faster I go obviously the worse it gets. I would think it was just unbalanced tired, but it doesn't always do it, sometimes it is fine and other times I feel like the car is gona fall apart or I might lose control. I know I do need an alignment, but I would also think that would cause it to be more constant. I am however hearing a hum/almost scrape kinda sound. I checked all the bearings about a week ago and they were fine, no play, the only thing that had play was one outter tie rod end that I replaced.

Also my rear struts are pretty shot, would that cause my steering wheel to shake? What else should I look for?... plz help cuz I was plannin on takin a trip to DC this week, but not unless I can get this fixed, I don't even like the hour drive to school on it...

[Garrett Powered]

are the lugz all tight? that would be an easy one to fix.

[meltboy1]

Ya, they are tight... lol

I am thinking it may be my alignment, my tires have lost a LOT of tread the past couple weeks on the outsides so I am takin it in today to get it done. But I still think I have other problems, I just hope that they don't try to screw me over.

[Night Fury]

I wouldn't think it's the CV joints unless your hearing a grinding/clicking when taking low-speed turns...

[meltboy1]

ya, I am not getting that really, but I wasn't sure if there were other symptoms of bad CVs other than that.

[89SupremeCutty]

when accelerating is there a shake at all or when on the gas does it shake? if your having a shake under acceleration at all, then the shaking stops when your not on the gas or accelerating, then that's a bad cv.

[meltboy1]

ok just got the car out of the shop today. I had put my other tires on the front rims cuz the belts on these started to show and the shake stopped. They checked everything.. (bearings/shafts/tie rods etc...) and it's all good except for the rear struts, so I am droppin it off on Tuesday to get them done cuz my guy is gona do them for $250 and then do the alignment. I would do the struts myself, but doin em only on jackstands would be a pain in the ass, and if he is only gona charge me like $60 more than I can pay for the struts alone, I will gladly have him do them instead of me wasting time and getting pissed at my car... lol

[spiderw31]

Glad to hear you got it sorted out. Yeah, belts showing on a tire will cause what you described, and the wear you saw could definately be caused by alignment, and if you didn't get that done after your tie rod change, that is likely the source of the alignment problems.

 

Oh and getting the struts done for $60 sounds like a sweet deal... definately worth it in order to avoid the frustration

[meltboy1]

ya, well it wasn't the tie rod I did, cuz I just did that last week, it was the strut bearings I had done about a month or so ago that I think really set it off whack. It always kinda shook a little bit at higher speeds, but before recently it was only like 80 and above ever since I drove it home from MN... , it's only recently it started shakin at 60 and above. I normally don't go faster than 72, that's my cruising speed on the thruway. When I had the strut plate bearings done I had those tires put on the same day and the alignment "seemed" fine, the car went straight so I thought nothing of it. But ya, I am glad to have this sorted out, I was starting to think I was gona have to sink some serious cash into this.

[spiderw31]

ya, well it wasn't the tie rod I did, cuz I just did that last week, it was the strut bearings I had done about a month or so ago that I think really set it off whack.

 

Oh yeah... that would definately do it too!