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Steering wheel shake

Started by ElectricAl, September 17, 2005, 07:36:02 AM

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ElectricAl

Linda's 1991 Honda Accord get less than 1000 miles per year.

It had developed a really bad front end shake, so we took it to the auto shop.

Mr. Fixit installed 2 new rotors, 2 new loaded calipers, and 2 new front tires.

$520 ;)


Still shakes :o while slowing down with light brake pressure from 40mph to 25mph.

The sway bar rubbers are bad for sure, those will get replaced soon.


Anyway, what are your thoughts about the continued shakes.


Kinda unnerving driving the Parkinson Honda :-\
Linda and I custom saw NHLA Grade Lumber, do retail sales, and provide Kiln Services full time.

woodbeard

Take it back to Mr. Fixit and have him check for a bent rim, and not just a front one. A bent rear wheel will cause a front end shake as well, and they are more likely to get bent. I have had this happen before.

ElectricAl

Woodbeard,

I hope it's not a bent wheel :-[

They are aluminum "American Racing" wheels.

That could be a spendy item if out of production :o


We still have the factory wheels and tires. Maybe I'll switch them to see what happens. ;)
Linda and I custom saw NHLA Grade Lumber, do retail sales, and provide Kiln Services full time.

Jeff

Might also be a bad back tire.
Just call me the midget doctor.
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Kirk_Allen

When you slow down can you feel the breaks pulsing?  Even a brand new rotor can be out of round.  Break rotor warped would have been my first thought.

Does it have Rack & Pinion sterring?  The shock in that system may be worn out. 


The fact that you only notice it when slowing down thougth clearly points to breaks.  Did anything at all get corrected after the maintenance.  If it improved I would suspect a new rotor needs to be turned.  I had a new rotor that was .030 out of round out of the box. 

If its a tire you should not have to hit the break to feel the shake.  Same with a bent rim.

twoodward15

Ya know, I used to work part time at a foreign car shop when I was active duty.  I have to say it was one of the better shops.  Everything was done right, regardless of how long or how much money it took.  When we installed new rotors they were always turned before installation.  I can't believe that a shop wouldn't turn them before they put them on, but then again our boss paid us very well to make sure you understood that we did things the right way the first time.  I worked there for 2 years and only remember one car coming back because one of the mechanics messed something up.  Not good, but not bad either.
108 ARW   NKAWTG...N      Jersey Thunder

oldsaw

Especially if it gets worse when you lift off the gas petal.  The bent wheel is a real possibility, as is a broken belt on a tire (front or back),  I backyard mechanic brakes, and haven't seen an out of balance rotor yet, but I've only replaced a dozen or so pairs in my lifetime, but it is certainly possible.  Rebalance the front tires, you may have thrown a weight, although that isn't usually too bad unless there is a lot of front end wear to make it seem worse.

Are the front tires cupped?  My old '91 Jetta would cup the rear tires badly if I forgot to rotate them every 7,000 miles or so.  When I rotated them to the front, the shake would get pretty bad.  Bad struts will do that too.

Good luck on this one, Al

So many trees, so little money, even less time.

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D._Frederick

Check the tie-rod ends for wear?

Ernie

Quote from: ElectricAl on September 17, 2005, 08:12:31 AM
Woodbeard,

They are aluminum "American Racing" wheels.


With those wheels, the poor old thing is probably just afraid you'll take it racing :) :)
A very wise man once told me . Grand children are great, we should have had them first

leweee

Parkinson Honda 8)....too funny
I'm with D. here.....tie rod ends or struts
just another beaver with a chainsaw &  it's never so bad that it couldn't get worse.

Ernie

A very wise man once told me . Grand children are great, we should have had them first

beenthere

Ernie
CV for 'constant velocity', and is used to transfer power to the front steering wheels.  Kinda sorta a universal joint.
south central Wisconsin
It may be that my sole purpose in life is simply to serve as a warning to others

ElectricAl

Thanks for everyones input so far.

I hope to be able to get the Parkinson Honda up on jack stands around noon Sunday. 

If anyone thinks of anything else feel free to add on ;)


Ernie,

Linda likes WOT 8)

That might explain why one of the front drive tires had a broken cord :o


Linda and I custom saw NHLA Grade Lumber, do retail sales, and provide Kiln Services full time.

Coot

What are te bearings like , cause if there shot that too will cause a wheel shake

Tom

Have you closely examined the pavement directly beneath the tires?    Ours will rythmically drive your butt right up between your shoulder blades.  :-\

Well, you asked if we think of anything else....... ??? ;D

Joe W

A couple of things to add.Does the steering wheel shake only with the brakes applied or not?If it's with the brake applied do you have a pulsation in the peddle?If so you have a problem with rotors.It is possible that there is a build up of rust on the hub.When we replace rotors we will clean up the bub surface with a roloc disk and coat the hub with antisieze.Try jacking up the front and turning the wheel,see if it turns easy and then hard.That will tell you that it's warped.

moosehunter

Al,
If it shakes only while braking then the problem is in the brakes. Honda's are VERY prone to warping the front rotors if the wheels are not torqued properly. I have always been told to never turn (machine) a new rotor.Why would you let someone take steel off something you just bought ( that is kinda a ford vs chevy argument among mechanics) if it aint right when they put it on, make them put on another new one that is right!
mh
"And the days that I keep my gratitude
Higher than my expectations
Well, I have really good days".    Ray Wylie Hubbard

Ernie

Quote from: beenthere on September 17, 2005, 04:32:59 PM
Ernie
CV for 'constant velocity', and is used to transfer power to the front steering wheels.  Kinda sorta a universal joint.

I know but when they are giving up on my ATV from all our abrasive mud, we get one H--- of a shake 
A very wise man once told me . Grand children are great, we should have had them first

Patty

Al, I know you have been waiting to hear my advice, since I am such an expert at car maintenance.  ;) I had a really fast Camaro a few years back, with big meats on it all the way around.  I only drove it now & then. It had the same problem as you described. The car guy said it was the tires. He said that since I rarely drove it, they would get a flat spot on the bottom, and cause the car to shake. I don't know if he was kidding with me or not, but after I started driving it more, the problem solved itself.








Ok, you mechanic types can stop your laughing now.  :D
Women are Angels.
And when someone breaks our wings....
We simply continue to fly ........
on a broomstick.....
We are flexible like that.

beenthere

Patty
It happens to me all the time.  :D :D

You're right on 8)
south central Wisconsin
It may be that my sole purpose in life is simply to serve as a warning to others

Timburr

Patty
Your car guy was kidding you not....when a car is parked up for a period of time, the weight and temperature differences "set" the tyre.

Al, does your Honda 'drive true' apart from the judder and do you have a lot of pedal travel when braking?

I'm just wondering if Mr. Fixit has installed your brake discs (rotors) correctly. You will still get judder if there is rust and other debris between the hub and discs.

As a general rule, if you want metal to move on metal, lubricate it. If you don't want metal to move, clean it.

Tim
Sense is not common

ElectricAl

Linda and I went for a little drive today in the Parkinson Honda.
Smooth and straight accelerating, driving and coasting from 60 to 15mph.
Apply some brake, and here comes the Parkinson's, not real bad but noticeable.

Put it up on the jack stands and checked tie-rod ends, rack and bolts, wheel bearing thrust, control arm movement and mounts, wheel weights, rolled the both tires around checking for drag or tight spot found none.

Found that the engine oil pan is a little damp though :-\, I'll get to that later.

Patty brings up a good point about the flat spot tires. Front tires were new couple days ago but they'll flatten soon enough ;D.
We try the get everything out on the road every so often. Even the good skidsteer trailer gets drug to town to keep the tires round. :D

Joe w and Timburr may be on to something. A little crud on the hub face could lean the rotor out just a hair thus making the peddle pulsate and the steering wheel wobble.

I'll have to carefully take it apart and check. Nothing like taking someone else's handy work apart and check up on them. ???
Linda and I custom saw NHLA Grade Lumber, do retail sales, and provide Kiln Services full time.

ElectricAl

The CV boot is showing some age 8-10 years old, but less than 10,000 miles



Cracks in the (Gullet ) area and grease oozing up shaft.


So, what is the correct word for the low part in the folds of a rubber CV Boot.








Here is a shot of Linda Parkinson Honda




Still a nice ride for 14 years old.
Linda and I custom saw NHLA Grade Lumber, do retail sales, and provide Kiln Services full time.

beenthere

Al
When my CV boots showed up looking like that,  it wasn't long that the joints needed replacing.

The clue for me that the CV joints were bad, was backing up with the wheels turned, and the joints would make a clicking sound. 
Just throw that out for what it might be worth.

I'm surprised the brake man didn't hit you up for fixing that boot.

Also, one experience o mine with new rotors at a brake shop, was a bad shake after the installation. Went back and was told there was a bad rotor new out of the box, and they turned it as they didn't have a new set.  But deep down, I think that was an excuse for them messing up with the installation of the new ones, as their story didn't add up well to me. But the brakes worked fine afterwards.
I changed my braking habits when I learned that rotors warp due to the excessive buildup of heat when making a hard braking stop.  That heat, when stopped, disapates in one spot on the rotor. So now, when I stop, I let the car continue to roll ahead very little at a time to disapate that heat around the rotor. I've found my rotors have lasted much, much longer since doing that.  :)
south central Wisconsin
It may be that my sole purpose in life is simply to serve as a warning to others

Furby

Most times even new ones will make the sound in reverse, it's when they do it in forward to be REALLY worried! ;)
I would call the low part in the folds a valley, but don't know if there is a term. ::)

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