vibrations?
09-19-03, 11:36 AM
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jesus christ i was about to post about this same exact problem i have been having....my driver's side tire vibrates like mad at any SLIGHT left hander over 60-65 miles an hour and it has to be the exact type of turn because it only vibrates at one angle. I dont think its the wheel bearing because wouldnt it make a whirring type sound when going straight? What condition are you guy's tires in?? My tires are in very poor condition and i figured this might be the cause. Have u had your tires rotate?balanced? aligned recently? Could it be tie rod ends?? i really wanna get this fixed because our cars are supposed to be able to handle and mind just cant as is!!!
09-19-03, 12:00 PM
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i have brand new yokohama avs db v2 tires and they are balanced. but i have not had the car aligned yet and am thinking that may be what the problem is. anyone else had this problem?
09-19-03, 01:17 PM
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Check your wheel bearings and tie-rods. It may be the wheel is under load (which may prevent the vibration) and when you turn the wheel slightly, there is a moment when there is no steering load, allowing it to vibrate.
09-19-03, 01:48 PM
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Originally posted by opelbits
Check your wheel bearings and tie-rods. It may be the wheel is under load (which may prevent the vibration) and when you turn the wheel slightly, there is a moment when there is no steering load, allowing it to vibrate.
Check your wheel bearings and tie-rods. It may be the wheel is under load (which may prevent the vibration) and when you turn the wheel slightly, there is a moment when there is no steering load, allowing it to vibrate.
09-19-03, 01:58 PM
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Originally posted by opelbits
Check your wheel bearings and tie-rods. It may be the wheel is under load (which may prevent the vibration) and when you turn the wheel slightly, there is a moment when there is no steering load, allowing it to vibrate.
Check your wheel bearings and tie-rods. It may be the wheel is under load (which may prevent the vibration) and when you turn the wheel slightly, there is a moment when there is no steering load, allowing it to vibrate.
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09-19-03, 03:42 PM
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my manager went out and showed me my tie rod ends but i havent got to really get down and inspect them yet....can i tighten them or something to see if that helps...any advice is appreciated
09-19-03, 06:38 PM
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Razorback-
yeah, check the alignment.
Rotory-
You may have to have a shop (a recommended shop, not just anyone) check your tie rods and ball joints. If the wheel bearing is loose it can produce the effect you are talking about. And it takes very little play.
Also, do you guys have manual or power steering?
yeah, check the alignment.
Rotory-
You may have to have a shop (a recommended shop, not just anyone) check your tie rods and ball joints. If the wheel bearing is loose it can produce the effect you are talking about. And it takes very little play.
Also, do you guys have manual or power steering?
09-19-03, 08:49 PM
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i have power steering, and after driving it home from work i dont think vibrates is the word im looking for....it feels like it is SHAKING very bad up and down! i have no clue...nothing looks bent or broken in there
09-20-03, 12:44 AM
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How are your struts? Struts can fail in rebound or dampening, or both. If the strut is bad enough, your wheel will bounce vertically, which will make other things, like the steering column, shake up and down. If it has been doing it awhile, you should see a wierd wear pattern across the tire tread called 'cupping' (from one sidewall to the other) or a 'sawtooth' profile when looking across the tread (one end of a tread block is higher than the other going around the circumference)
Things to check (even if you already checked them):
wheel bearings
struts
tie rods
ball joint (lower)
strut bearing (top)
steering rack bushings (mounts)
tire carcass failure (belts in the tire are separating giving you an egg-shaped tire, also good for the up'n'down shaking. Jack the car up, put a sheet of white paper against the strut, focus on the paper with your vision just barely level with the tire tread, spin the tire, and look for oscillation (it will look like the tread is moving up and down)
control arm bushings
and, of course, make sure the wheel is tight.
Things to check (even if you already checked them):
wheel bearings
struts
tie rods
ball joint (lower)
strut bearing (top)
steering rack bushings (mounts)
tire carcass failure (belts in the tire are separating giving you an egg-shaped tire, also good for the up'n'down shaking. Jack the car up, put a sheet of white paper against the strut, focus on the paper with your vision just barely level with the tire tread, spin the tire, and look for oscillation (it will look like the tread is moving up and down)
control arm bushings
and, of course, make sure the wheel is tight.
09-21-03, 01:08 AM
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Wheel bearings: raise and support car, grab tire at 9 and 3 (like on a clock) and wiggle it back and forth, but not so much that you turn the wheel. If you feel looseness, 'play', then it may be that the bearings need adjustment or replacement. Do this at 12 and 6, also.
Take the wheel of and check the hub and backside of wheel for rust or corrosion buildup. If there is some, it may prevent the wheel from sitting flat on the hub, allowing it too wobble.
Strut: push down on car and see if it bounces. It shouldn't. It should come back up and stop. Maybe one 'bounce', but certainly no more. This is to test the rebound, but does not really test the compression of the piston. I've pulled struts out of cars that felt fine when trying to pull the piston, but if you held the strut upright, the piston would fall into the tube.
Look for evidence of leaking strut seals (where the piston slides in to the strut tube). Also look at the area where the strut bolts to the spindle. I frequently see struts that are 'exploding' from rust. I haven't found one that actually opened up, but I've seen some pretty bad ones. Check bolt tightness.
Upper strut mounts have a rubber mount. This can deteriorate and crack. Big cracks. Sometimes these are painted and the paint may have very small cracks, don't be fooled. There is a bearing in the mount that allows the strut to rotate. The only way to check this is to mark it's orientation, remove the three or four nuts that hold the thing to the car (DO NOT REMOVE BIG NUT IN MIDDLE!), slowly raise car until strut mount is free. reach up and turn it by hand feeling for slop or notchiness. If it turns really easy, then the bearing is probably pretty old, ok, but old. reattach it in the same orientation it was in originally (this is important, because it affects alignment).
Balljoints: look for torn boots. It may take a mechanic to check for play. It can be hard to tell.
Tie rods: check the boots. Raise car and wiggle wheel using 3 and 9 positions (helps to have a friend do that part) and feel the outer tie rod end for play. Push up and down on tie rod end and look for vertical movement. Have friend wiggle wheel while you feel the rod near the steering rack. There should be no sensation of play or deflection.
Steering Rack: Look at the rubber mounts holding the rack to the chassis. they can be damaged from being soaked in oil or power steering fluid for long periods of time. You may be able to pry between the rack and chassis. there should be a small amount of movement, but not much. The mounts should be dry, not 'gummy'.
steering racks can wear and most have an adjuster, but I haven't dealt with one on an RX7, so I can't advise you on that. I could describe rebuilding an Opel steering rack better than I could describe checking the RX7 rack.
Control arm bushings: Look at the control arms where they bolt to the chassis. The rubbur should look intact. Big cracks or missing chunks are a bad sign.
Take the wheel of and check the hub and backside of wheel for rust or corrosion buildup. If there is some, it may prevent the wheel from sitting flat on the hub, allowing it too wobble.
Strut: push down on car and see if it bounces. It shouldn't. It should come back up and stop. Maybe one 'bounce', but certainly no more. This is to test the rebound, but does not really test the compression of the piston. I've pulled struts out of cars that felt fine when trying to pull the piston, but if you held the strut upright, the piston would fall into the tube.
Look for evidence of leaking strut seals (where the piston slides in to the strut tube). Also look at the area where the strut bolts to the spindle. I frequently see struts that are 'exploding' from rust. I haven't found one that actually opened up, but I've seen some pretty bad ones. Check bolt tightness.
Upper strut mounts have a rubber mount. This can deteriorate and crack. Big cracks. Sometimes these are painted and the paint may have very small cracks, don't be fooled. There is a bearing in the mount that allows the strut to rotate. The only way to check this is to mark it's orientation, remove the three or four nuts that hold the thing to the car (DO NOT REMOVE BIG NUT IN MIDDLE!), slowly raise car until strut mount is free. reach up and turn it by hand feeling for slop or notchiness. If it turns really easy, then the bearing is probably pretty old, ok, but old. reattach it in the same orientation it was in originally (this is important, because it affects alignment).
Balljoints: look for torn boots. It may take a mechanic to check for play. It can be hard to tell.
Tie rods: check the boots. Raise car and wiggle wheel using 3 and 9 positions (helps to have a friend do that part) and feel the outer tie rod end for play. Push up and down on tie rod end and look for vertical movement. Have friend wiggle wheel while you feel the rod near the steering rack. There should be no sensation of play or deflection.
Steering Rack: Look at the rubber mounts holding the rack to the chassis. they can be damaged from being soaked in oil or power steering fluid for long periods of time. You may be able to pry between the rack and chassis. there should be a small amount of movement, but not much. The mounts should be dry, not 'gummy'.
steering racks can wear and most have an adjuster, but I haven't dealt with one on an RX7, so I can't advise you on that. I could describe rebuilding an Opel steering rack better than I could describe checking the RX7 rack.
Control arm bushings: Look at the control arms where they bolt to the chassis. The rubbur should look intact. Big cracks or missing chunks are a bad sign.
09-21-03, 09:38 AM
#16
My struts and springs are good all around. The front I'm not sure how the wheel bearings are, but that's not hard to check when I get the chance. I just wanted to make sure. I'll take a look at the strut mounts as well. I think I'll be replacing a lot of bushings as well. Thanks for the advice.
Greg
Greg
09-24-03, 01:00 PM
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Depending on the power steering system. I've seen old Ford systems (non-rack and pinion) that had a control valve that sometimes had problems on one side or the other. The ball stud or the valve would get sticky, resulting in a pull to that side. Rack end bushings can wear (especially if the rack boots are torn) from dirt contamination. This would allow the rack to drop away from the steering column pinion gear. this leads to 'vagueness' at center or some vibration.
I am uncertain what kinds of effects you'll get with a bad pump or electronics.
I really doubt that you are having rack/ps trouble. More likely, it's a bushing, tie rod end (inner or outer), ball joint, alignment, or wheel balance. Are your wheels balanced 'statically' or 'dynamically'? Wheels are balanced around the circumference and side to side. Placement of the weights can be critical. If you need a bunch of weight in one spot to balance the circumference, then it might upset the balance side to side. I'll see if I can find a link that describes all this much better.
I am uncertain what kinds of effects you'll get with a bad pump or electronics.
I really doubt that you are having rack/ps trouble. More likely, it's a bushing, tie rod end (inner or outer), ball joint, alignment, or wheel balance. Are your wheels balanced 'statically' or 'dynamically'? Wheels are balanced around the circumference and side to side. Placement of the weights can be critical. If you need a bunch of weight in one spot to balance the circumference, then it might upset the balance side to side. I'll see if I can find a link that describes all this much better.
09-24-03, 01:22 PM
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well none of my tires are balanced except one...the other three tires are soo shitty and i didnt want to get them balanced if they are soo shitty but i guess i might have to go get it done
09-24-03, 01:33 PM
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Do you guys have aftermarket wheels? If so, are you aware that the wheels have to be centered properly, whether they're lugcentric or hubcentric? THis is the problem in my car.
