Why does my car have a bad vibration?

[housegsx]

My 96 Talon awd has a vibration. It's not all the time. It comes and goes, but it will increase or decrease with vehicle speed. Not engine speed.

So far I've put the wheels from my GSX on it and it still has the vibration. I've also checked the main driveshaft carrier bearings going to the rear diff. They aren't torn and don't seem to have any more play than the ones on the GSX.

Any ideas?

 

[GsXdSmKingGsX]

It could be a bad wheel bearing

 

[housegsx]

It could be a bad wheel bearing

I shook the hell out of the wheels. I couldn't find any play. I'll double check later when I put the stock wheels back on.

 

[GsXdSmKingGsX]

sounds good. keep me posted

 

[burkgonzo]

Im dealing with the same thing...any noises?

 

[Silver 95 GST]

Possible causes:

-alignment
-check all ball joints
-give suspension a general inspection

 

[98gst14b]

+1 For wheel hubs my car vibrates a lot when they go

 

[gstbuford]

sounds like the wheels may be unbalanced....just a maybe worth a shot if u ask me

 

[housegsx]

I can't find anything loose. Only thing I can find is when I put the parking brake on and put it in Drive I hear a slight clunk when I give it some gas. Sounds like it's coming from the right rear wheel/axle. I'll have to get under it later to verify.

 

[GsXdSmKingGsX]

You have propped it up right? Because there is a short list of things it could be. Either the bearing/hub or your alingment(doesnt sound like it though). That definetly isnt your ball joint

 

[wicketywacker96]

I had the same problem with my car. My car would drive fine until I hit 70 mph. Then the car would start to shake. I replaced the shocks, struts, tie-rod ends, and wheel bearings. After it was all said and done, it still shook at 70 mph. Your tires are either "out of round" or your rims aren't ballanced. Depending on the local shops in your area, it might be hard to find a shop that will test for "out of roundness". I would try and get the tires ballanced first. Hope this helps.

 

[50trimmed1g]

Yeah, but he already said he swapped on some different wheels and it still has the same problem.

 

[housegsx]

^Yep. Right now I think it's probably the outside cv joint on the right rear wheel. I didn't feel like jacking the car up a 2nd time last night so I'll have to inspect it later.

It's definitely not the wheels or tires though. I've tried two sets. If it's not a bad axle wobbling around then maybe it could be a bent hub flange or something. As of right now, I doubt that's the case.

 

[mitsubishi9908]

I had the same problem and it was my power steering. check your fluid. my pump went bad so i had to replace it.

 

[stevo911]

When was last time you got an alignment?

 

[housegsx]

When was last time you got an alignment?

I just bought the car last week. It tracks nice and straight. I really don't want to take it to a shop.

 

[LongJonSilver]

mabe your alignment is off

 

[ILLiCliPSE]

+1 for wheel bearing. Does it shake while you're slowing down, too?

 

[housegsx]

It's not a wheel bearing.

 

[92rsAWD4me]

My old non dsm had this problem and it turned out one of the back pads was rubbing and it would vibrate on the freeway. Check your brakes and make sure non of them are dragging.

 

[burkgonzo]

Yea I could maybe see the brakes doing that...but my problem was a bearing...so its not making noises?

 

[GsXdSmKingGsX]

+1 on the brake rubbing. Ive had that too. And its not always a constant noise plus if your car was jacked up you still wouldnt hear it very well by spinning the wheel

 

[housegsx]

I'll give the brakes a look at. I'm just not motivated to work on it now. Hopefully this weekend.

 

[burkgonzo]

I hear thats about not being motivated..not too big of job...I would get them turned just in case

 

[asexton6969]

An alignment thats out will not cause vibration. Also, just because your vehicle drives straight and tracks straight DOES NOT mean your alignment is correct.

Things to check:
Tire balance
Out of round tire
Bent Rim (even a slight bend can shake the hell out of you)
Drive shaft (need the car jacked up in the air and run the car in gear looked for an out of round/ out of balance driveshaft) which is typically a bad carrier bearing, axle flange, etc
Wheel bearings can cause some vibration (not typical most times)
Motor Mounts, Transmission Mounts

An all honesty Tire balance, an out of round tire and/or a bent rim is most often times the issue. In your case it seems like it must be something else. Just go ahead and look over everything everyone has suggested and let us know your findings.