I have this vibration on my car that has been there since I bought it 4 months ago. The car is an 02, so a warranty repair is out of the question. I've been pondering over this problem for months, and without funds to take it to a mech, I'm left to figure it out for myself. It's noticeable at highways speeds, gets faster with speed of course, and not engine rpm. I'm ruling out a wheel balance because the problem persisted after i had new tires fitted and balanced. I'm starting to rule out wheels, because I've swapped the fronts and rears, and the problem is still there just as bad. I'm also starting to rule out a wheel bearing because there is no noise associated with the vibration, and it doesn't seem to get worse as I turn. I'm also ruling out an inner driver, because the vobration is constant and doesn't increase as I accelerate. Outer driver failure causes a clicking noise when you turn at low speeds (so i've heard) so I guess I can rule that out too because I don't have any noise. So what else am I left with?

 

I would not rule out the wheel bearing, if you are feeling the vibration mainly in the steering wheel then it could be one of the front bearings, if the vibration is in the whole car and not just in the steering then most likely one of the rear wheels. Since its an 02 car if it has more than 60K+ miles then I would change out all the wheel bearings and buy a few new bolts when you get the bearings, just in case the old bolts break when removing the hub (wheel bearing is an integral part of the hub)

 

Well if I need new bearings, then there should be wheel play when i jack up the car, right? I can't afford to replace all 4 bearings at once, so if I can narrow it down between, say, the front two, I'll replace those two. The vibration is definietly in the steering wheel, but also feels like it's in the body of the car as well. Talk about a conundrum..

 

Could also be brakes. Does the problem ever not happen? Do you ever smell a burning oil smell? The brake pads may not be letting go (sufficiently).

 

No it's definetly not brakes, I've done my own brakes on this car, and the problem existed before hand. I also do not smell anything.

 

so at low speed high rpm you get no vibes ? i had this recently and could have sworn the balance was fine but that's what it was . so if you alignment's good and balance is good ... could you have a slightly bent half shaft? is this something new or did it come with the car? do you have severe mushrooming to indicate a pothole mishap?

 

This is a problem that existed when I bought the car. Funny thing tho, is that I could swear the problem got a little worse when I tossed my runflats for some new tires, but that just may be the way the new tires react to "whatever" the problem is. There does not seem to be any severe mushrooming, even though the car is an 02 that had runflats and 17's. It's possible that an axle could be bent especially living in the northeast, but I'm not sure how to check for that, and at over $500 a pop, I'm not going to be replacing axles for the fun of it.

 

yeah my thoughts too . i can't think of a way either as they have c.v.'s at both ends. i guess a straight edge along the solid shaft . it's more than likely the weakest point . i noticed my vibes the most in overdrive ; that's why i finally bit the bullitt on a new set of tires . just did the fronts though . the others are waiting . love discount tire direct ,.