Annoying front end vibration

[VIPER1988]

im getting a really annoying vibration in the front end of my car. ive replaced everything i can think of.
parts replaced:
upper control arms and bushings
lower ball joints
steering rack
tie rod ends
axles
energy suspension sway bar bushings and endlink bushings
brake pads, rotors and tires only have about 6000 miles on them
after replacing parts listed about i took the car to my local honda dealer for alignment and tire balance.

can any one think of anything else i could try. please help. thanks

[codyJDM]

Motor mounts, lower tranny mount, dog bone bushing

[VIPER1988]

the driver side engine mount is bad but that shouldnt have anything to do with the front end vibrating while im cruising 70mph down the highway. or would it? doesnt seem like that would affect it.

[codyJDM]

When my motor mounts were bad my car was like hell to drive. It was miserably rough. I would definitely look into them, made my car feel like it was brand new when I replaced them.

[VIPER1988]

will definitely have to look into that then. thanks

[codyJDM]

No problem, simple fix I hope it makes it better

[Rendon LX-i]

balance your tires. I dont know if you meant while idleing or driving...but if driving thats a must

[codyJDM]

balance your tires. I dont know if you meant while idleing or driving...but if driving thats a must

He said Honda did an alignment and balanced his tires

[Rendon LX-i]

He said Honda did an alignment and balanced his tires

Well shit after replacing all that something has to be wrong...I myself do tire work and I get alot of people come back form places saying they did something and didnt do shit at all...Alignment way off and wheels dont even have weights on em lol...has to be That...A alignment wouldnt cause vibartion it will only affect the tire wear...Either way someone didnt do the shit right...I would take it some where else where to see whats going on....LOL sorry for the long comment

Rendonlxi

[VIPER1988]

the guy who did the alignment and balance is a friend of mine that has been working for honda for 17 years. i watched him do it so i know its done right. perhaps i will take it back and have him check it again, about 6000 miles since last time, maybe one of the weights fell off.

[2oodoor]

Well shit after replacing all that something has to be wrong...I myself do tire work and I get alot of people come back form places saying they did something and didnt do shit at all...Alignment way off and wheels dont even have weights on em lol...has to be That...A alignment wouldnt cause vibartion it will only affect the tire wear...Either way someone didnt do the shit right...I would take it some where else where to see whats going on....LOL sorry for the long comment

Rendonlxi

sad but true

radius bushings? four wheel alignment on an electronic alignment rack?
Rotate tires? bent wheel center?

[VIPER1988]

havent checked radius bushings yet. where are they located?

[2oodoor]

in the front crossmember, they stabilize tracking and caster, also help reduce torquesteer

[VIPER1988]

thanks will have to check them my next day off that its not raining.

[bank2me]

Hey man how long has the vibration been going on? My dad's 93 regal had a fucking bad tire walmart put on and it vibrated like a bitch rotated and balanced the tires didnt vibrate as much but still did a little in the back end.

[2oodoor]

some of those places will not tell you if you have a bent wheel or blemish tire

[Oldblueaccord]

thanks will have to check them my next day off that its not raining.

the vibration is on the steering wheel? or felt thru the seat, floor boards, rattling dash? cruising, braking, coasting, in gear and out of gear while moving?


wp

[markmdz89hatch]

hmm.... ....just a thought, but could be the brakes. Has your gas mileage gone down the toilet?

Do you get more vibration while braking?


...on a completely different note, has anyone checked out the hub/wheel bearing? If that little bastard is starting to fail, it could cause vibrations, and sloppy steering response. The don't always howl like a dog in heat when they're on their way out.

[Rendon LX-i]

Or you have a bad tire...sometimes you cant see it to the eye but if you have a bad tire you will have a vibration regardless...It can balance fine but if tire out of round then time for new tire even thou it may be new......I also agree with Mark

Rendon

[VIPER1988]

the vibration is on the steering wheel? or felt thru the seat, floor boards, rattling dash? cruising, braking, coasting, in gear and out of gear while moving?
all of the above except when braking

no vibration while braking. gas mileage is fine. is there a way to find out if the tire is out of round? rims and tires came from my parts car which had no vibrations when i drove it home. that was the first thing i changed when the vibration started. one of my alloys was bent so i thought that was the cause. but of course it couldnt be that easy. 350k miles the bearings may be on their way out. havent heard any noises out of them though.

[Hauntd ca3]

i had a prob like this.
turned out the bearing in the left hand intermediate rive shaft support was getting a bit old and starting to get sloppy.

[Oldblueaccord]

Standard front end check:

1: jack up one side of the car until one tire is off the ground. The other side tire must be on the ground. I use the jacking point under the doors.

2: grab the tire in the air at the 3 and 9 o clock postion and shake/rock back and forth. slow at first. You might need someone to help look underneath. This checks tie-rods,steering rack etc. start kinda slow and work your way up a little harder. Your looking for loosness at the joints. Use common sense of course the steering wheel will move or the other tire may move if you shake the shit outta it.

3: Grab the tire 12 and 6 o clock. Rock back and fourth.This checks the wheel bearing and ball joints(upper and lower) and upper links(bushings). There should be no play in the wheel bearings.

4: this check might show ball joints/upper link a little better. Use a pry bar under the tire at the 6 o clock pos. pry up look for slop ,looseness while prying. The upper link ball joint and bushings near the body are what your looking at.


This is your basic "front end check" any good mechanic should know. It works for all makes and models of cars.


wp

[VIPER1988]

finally got it fixed. had tires and both front wheel bearings replaced. one of them fixed it not sure which since i had it all done at once. but at least the vibration is gone. :rockon:

[nfs480]

I have a similar issue and replacing the tires solved the problem, but then it came back after about 4000 miles, let us know if the problem returns.