You may be my last resort on diagnosing & addressing this issue. At highway speeds, I get a rumbling, a wobbling that’s very noticeable, not only through the steering wheel but also to other passengers. It seems to be coming from the right side (the passenger side) though I’ve not been able to pinpoint if it’s originating from the front or the rear. Anyway, I’ve gone through the logical possibilities: the front brake rotors, the rear drums, the entire braking system; the steering rack, even close inspection of all suspension components with the car on a lift. No leaking, nothing loose. Everything looks good. I’ve also changed tires a couple of times, and had the car computerized-aligned, but all to no avail. To the eye, all the wheels spin perfectly round when the car is on the lift. But the shaking, wobbling, especially at 60mph or higher, is very disconcerting. What else might be the cause? Perhaps a broken engine mount? That might be my last thought unless you have another idea.
1994 Honda Accord LX Sedan A/T
My first thought was the tires, but it looks like you have ruled that out. Unless a rim is bent, but rotating them around should have changed the wobbling from front to back.
If the wobble isn’t there until highway speeds it can sometimes be the Balance of the wheels. Have you had them balanced? And are the tire New or used? 90% of the time an issue such as this is related tot eh tires either being out of balance of having busted belts or flat spots.
It is possible to have a broken engine mount but you should notice an ease in the vibration when you let off the gas.
thx. I’ve deduced that it isn’t conditional on high speeds. Meaning that, as long as the tires are rolling, the vibration is there. Of course less at lower speeds than at high speeds, but I still feel it through the seat of my pants and the steering wheel.
Yeah, these are brand new tires. Not the first time I’ve bought brand new ones, either. And each time, I’ve got it computer-aligned. So whatever’s wrong is whacking the tires too; making them wear uneven. I pay for tire balancing each time.
I was thinking maybe the bearings in the front axle have gone bad, but since I’ve concluded that the vibration is still there as the speed reduces, I don’t think it’s an axle-related issue. And since your experience says that it’s probably not an engine mount either, it’s leading me to wonder next about shocks/struts. The car has 147K miles on it but the shocks are original. Could aged shocks/struts cause this kind of wobbling?
Thx for your reply. I won’t bother you on this any more since I know you’ve got lots of other folks to respond to.
If it does this at slow speeds as well it could be a bearing issue. Generally at slow speeds you can swerve from left to right and notice a noise(vibration) that will change tone, this indicates a worn bearing. You can also jack the wheels off the ground and see if there is any play when trying to move the wheel from side to side by hand.
As for the shocks/struts, the manufacturer recommends they be replaced every 50,000 miles. Worn out shocks will damage tires. With new tires, I would think you would feel a wobble until you hit a bump though.
Feel free to ask US all you want, That is what we are here for.
Comments are closed.