Suspension Troubleshooting

[Philline]

I recently read a post in the drivetrain tech area

http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/showthread.php?t=211524

that sounded similar to my problem, except for a few different things. Not only do I hear it when I'm slowing down, but I also hear it when I'm gaining speed. So pretty much it's a pretty constant noise. Since I'm a noob to this forum, I couldn't post in that thread. So I wanted to see if I could get some help here.

I purchased a 96 Eclipse GST and well the engine is perfect, body is in decent condition however I need advice on troubleshooting a particular problem, suspension related...The front of the car sounds fine when driving, however as I gain speed I hear a loud noise coming from the rear. I don't know much about suspension problems etc but sounds like tires thumping. Could it be alignment? Need new tires? Bearings? Shocks? Axles? From the people I've spoken to, they think it's either a bearing or just my tires. Of course I'm hoping it's not my axles. The car has 118k and the suspension has never been messed with.

If you are in Socal area, and could recommend a shop or mechanic who could troubleshoot it for a decent price, please let me know. I don't really trust my car with Pepboys etc. Thanks.

 

[wret]

The majority of vibration complaints stem from out-of-balance or out-of-round wheels/tires and a minority from bearings and axles. If you sense the problem in the back, put your back wheels on the front. Then you will know for sure if it's the wheels that are causing your problem.