shaking under load

[lesb1978]

ok i aplogize in advance for the lack of proper punctuation or bad spelling

ok heres the deal i drive a REALLY!!! curvy road to work everyday and enjoy it to no end but lately my car has developed a shake under cornering load ,when i hit the bottom of a steep hill at speed, and also when i get to the bottom between 2 steep hills i could be wrong but i dont think its a tire balance issue b/c theres notthing under normal driving conditions just seems to be when the susp. compresses

 

[turboinside]

DSM tend to develop body flex over time, especially the convertibles. I suggest that you try a front and rear strut bar. Mabey even consider replacing you bushings with urethane ones!

 

[larsrya8]

Decided I should bring back an old thread instead of starting a new one.

My car does this as well, but only when I take a hard right-turn. Left turns don't result in anything, nor does driving straight at any speed. Also, I only feel the vibration through the steering wheel and not the actually body of the car. This just started suddenly, and the only thing I can think of is that the pothole I hit the other night might be the cause. I only got it with the rear passenger wheel though, so I don't know why I would feel it in the steering wheel.

Any ideas?

 

[FlumpDSM]

Decided I should bring back an old thread instead of starting a new one.

My car does this as well, but only when I take a hard right-turn. Left turns don't result in anything, nor does driving straight at any speed. Also, I only feel the vibration through the steering wheel and not the actually body of the car. This just started suddenly, and the only thing I can think of is that the pothole I hit the other night might be the cause. I only got it with the rear passenger wheel though, so I don't know why I would feel it in the steering wheel.

Any ideas?

Check your left front axle. Inspect CV joints etc. Mine did the exact same thing. Also, check where the half shaft meets the left front axle where it bolts to the block.

 

[larsrya8]

Check your left front axle. Inspect CV joints etc. Mine did the exact same thing. Also, check where the half shaft meets the left front axle where it bolts to the block.

I'm not very familiar with the axles or anything... what should I be looking for? Torn boots with grease sprayed everywhere? Something cracked or loose?

 

[Woodsy0]

Check both inner and outer boots on the axle for tears, there might be grease sprayed over the underbody resulting from a tear but not necessarily so, best bet is to visually inspect the boots. If they are in fact torn, follow the VFAQ in replacing the boots. http://www.vfaq.com/mods/CVboots.html<p>Also, as mentioned before, make sure to check the halfshaft carrier bearing (odd shaped bracket on the axle that bolts onto the block with two bolts, near the A/C compressor), a few members (including me) have had some problems with these bolts breaking off and having the axle flop around and hit the oil pan (as mine did). You'd know if this was the problem, and I don't think it is, still something that couldn't hurt to check while you're down there.

 

[larsrya8]

Ok, I was mistaken about where the shaking was coming from. My car was down all last week so I wasn't driving it and was going from memory. I drove it today and took a hard right turn to re-create the problem. It's definitely coming from the back; I can feel it "skipping" or "knocking" back there. If I have time tomorrow I'll jack it up and have a look. The suspension on the rear passenger side has been creaking and popping everything I lower the car on that corner (from being jacked up). Maybe the pot-hole finally broke it.

As I said earlier, it doesn't do anything while driving straight, turning slowly/normally, or taking a hard left turn. Would that mean that the rear driver's side or passenger side is at fault? I can think of reasons why it could be either, but I did hit the rear passenger with that wicked pot-hole (it made the change in my cup holder jangle around).

 

[Woodsy0]

Since you're saying that the problem is only on the right rear side of the car, and only when the suspension is subjected to a good deal of load, there might be a problem with one of the ball joints. Try inspecting the ball joints to see if (a) the boot is torn or (b) the ball joint is damaged/worn. Check the ball joint boot and see if it's split anywhere, or if grease leaks out when you squish the rubber around. Remove the nut on the lower control arm (tapered fit) and try moving the ball joint with your hand. It should be a smooth movement, if it's creaky or grindy at all, you either need to regrease the inside of the boot or replace the ball joint. They're only about $30 from thepartsbin.com or another comparable parts vendor. Also, make sure to check the upper control arm ball joint in the same way. <p> If that's not the problem, you could try checking your shocks. Remove the shock and spring and compress the piston all the way down into the strut body and make sure that it returns to it's original length. If it doesn't, your shock could be blown.