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Well, I took it back and they test drove before and after. They said one tire was a bit out of balance. The thing is I don't feel it's any better. In fact it feels more pronounced.I'm gonna assume it is safe to drive and I'm taking it back home to my technician there. Thanks all for your help.
I have a similar situation but it is a ford explorer and started after new tires were put on, the moron that put the tires on had me bring it back, test drove it, since it only happenned at certain speeds (like 55-65) he wanted to feel it at those speeds, well he almost flipped the car and nearly crapped his pants and then didn't know what it was. So I took it to Big O and they gave me some crap about the tie rods, scaring me badly, esp. since I couldn't afford to fix it. Then I started dating a racecar mechanic, he said my tie rods were fine, and to take it to Sears for the brakes and a wheel balance/rotation. Sears also said the tie rods were fine, it seemed a little better for about a week then right back to shaking badly at 55-65...does fine when I hit 75. And I mean SHAKES. Anyway, I no longer worry about dying in the car, I just drive it like it's about to flip all the time. Wouldn't even be an issue except am about to trade this deathmobile with my mother for her japanese sedan, and I noticed her driving style includes alot of very active two-hands on the wheel micro-steering.....which would lend itself to promoting instability in my car, so now I worry she WILL flip it......Any clues?
I have a similar situation but it is a ford explorer ...........Any clues?
Wow, where to start? Year, mileage, 2 or 4WD, engine size, type of tranny.what kind/size of new tires, just like at a doctors office, vital statistics like this really help. Even more than just the make or body style. Also, please describe what YOU feel. Is it an up and down shake or a side-to-side motion? Or?
Question. Do you have a friend or neighbor with a similar car with the same size of tires/wheels? One who would let you swap out a couple of wheels with tires on them for 15 or 30 minutes to test drive your car? If so, swap an axle pair at a time and take it for a short test drive to replicate the condition. If it's gone then AT LEAST you know which two tires are giving you trouble. After that just swap out one at a time till you figure out what's what. Then at least you've pinned down it is A tire or wheel. .
But you may find out its not even in the tires or wheels. Then you need to look at other things. Frankly, the speed you've mentioned is sometimes the shudder speed for some driveline and u-joint problems. So there! I've given you too much to think about.
Last edited by Franklyn; 08-01-2008 at 01:43 AM..
Reason: spelling
You sure have! It is a 92, 160K, 4WD, V6 I think, automatic, not sure about the tires....What do I feel....side to side intense vibration, for example when I get on the road in a few there will be stretches where the seat beside me will vibrate like it is going to take off, the mirrors and steering wheel and dash will vibrate similarly, and this will vary with speed. Around town it is a non issue, ditto at 45, but once I hit the freeway hold on!
Again, it did start right after the tires were put on, Dynatrail LT35/75R15. They have been rotated, no fix, the guy that put them in said I forgot to replace some wheel part when he did it, I think he meant he did, the next guy said my tire pressures were all different and that these tires were never allowed since the explorer firestone recall, and badmouthed the first guy extensively, so he adjusted the tire pressures, I took it straight to Big O, where they again said the pressures were all different, readjusted, and gave me the tie-rod bs...then I took it to another guy who drove it and said it was the whole front end, then the racecar mechanic referenced above, and sears, who supposedly fixed everything and again said no tie rod problems. Don't know much about the history of the car, except it came with a rear window sticker that says "death," a constant reminder of what is over my shoulder when I drive the thing....and an effective tool when navigating traffic to boot ; )
One weird thing which may be unrelated...the very first shake after the tires were put on was preceded by an apparent loss of connection between the throttle peddle and throttle, which was wide open for passing on a straightaway..almost had to have my son get out of his seat to try to adjust the peddle while driving, not sure what I did to regain connection, pumped throttle and used brakes to try to get down to speed limit and generally saw my life flash before me...and that is when the shake started, like the whole vehicle was going to fly apart.
We are about to move 1000 miles and leave it here, followed by my mom in her vehicle which she will leave there. The car is probably worth 800-1500 but it will be all she has to get back and forth to work, meanwhile I'm driving it on freeways for at least 2 hours a week, hoping I don't die.
You sure have! It is a 92, 160K, 4WD, V6 I think, automatic, not sure about the tires....What do I feel....side to side intense vibration,
OK, lots of meat there. Thanks. I'm going to go past the tires now - but will come back to them. The problem with the sudden accelerator disconnection leads me down a different path - for the moment. At that mileage, etc., you may have a worn engine or transmission mount problem, and when you first accelerated the torque twisted [rotated] the engine beyond it's acceptable range of movement, thus freeing up or displacing some of the "hard rubber" mount material and in the process dis-con-hooking the gas peddle linkage or alignment - so now there's too much gap in one or more mounts and the normal forces at work in any drive train are not constrained enough to keep the critter from shuddering at certain RPM or torque loads. Maybe. Any good engine or transmission shop should be able to quickly test your rig to see if there's too much play in the mount system. You steps on your brakes, puts it in gear, and tries to take off a few feet. The engine and transmission then rotate sideways. If the mounts are too worn they rotate too far. Sometimes the fan will strike the radiator shroud, making NOISE. Takes about 5 minutes. I'd try that first. Because it may not be the tires at all.
Now, back to the tires. I'm not a great believer in buying tire brands, but I do believe in buying tires with the proper RATING for a vehicle. I'll leave it to another poster to come along here and compare your tires to see if they even should be mounted on your car. IF they are OK for that, then if all else fails try the axle at a time tire swap with a friend to determine which tire is the dirty rat causing the problem. But I got to tell you, I'm not all that certain it is a tire/wheel problem. You've got a lot of metal turning underneath your floorboard as you motor down the trail, and at that mileage there's lots that can go wrong.
On the 1992 Ford Explorer this shimmy / shake is a known problem with a TSB from Ford. Ford refuses to recall. Fix is to put 1995-style slant-shock from rear end to frame (bolts directly to the R/E with no alteration - in place of the stupid balance weight bracket, and then frame is drilled to accept the other end - bolt-on bracket. I got mine - the whole assembly - at a wrecking yard off a '95) , turn the rotors back to true, balance tires (assuming they have not been destroyed or tread-separated by the problem. On this car, you can further tighten up the ride by compressing your radius arm bushings with large thick flat washers (I believe I used 7/8" I.D. wear washers) and replacing the spaghetti-thin sway bars with performance bars.
On the 1992 Ford Explorer this shimmy / shake is a known problem .......
Good comments and advice. Truth-be-told ALL 4WD vehicles have similar problems when the front-ends become worn [tip: that's why no recall. Whether its fair or not is another post]. Sounds like you've made some very sensible and safe modifications to your 92.
Btw, we had the same wear problems back in the early 60's w/4WD and I decided then to never buy one as my primary [work-family] vehicle, even though I lived near Yosemite. i'd use 2WD in the winter and go where 4WD's would get stuck. Really. I always thought 4WD made for lazy route selection on off-pavement drives through the woods. But I can understand why some folk would rather trust them more on bad roads, etc.
My vibratoin started after i got a rear flat and rotated the front to the back on one side.
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