1987Comanche Posted March 15, 2013 Share Posted March 15, 2013 Georgia ('92, 4.0 HO, 2WD, AX-15, 249K miles) has an annoying mild to moderate vibration from the front end at 45-50mph. Below 45 she's fine...above 55 she's fine as well. I have 4 new tires on her and had an alignment done a few weeks ago. I'm going back tomorrow AM b/c they didn't have any shims to set caster. My caster is just off the min (4.9 deg vs. min spec of 5.0 deg) and, other than sway bar end links, everything in the front end appears to be original. I've been doing some research and most front end conversations center around death wobble. At some point I'll go through the front end (based on steering feel/wander she could use ball joints) but, at the moment, I'm trying to pinpoint the source of the vibration. After the alignment is completely within spec I'll rotate/rebalance the tires. Beyond this it appears the next most likely culprit is a worn track bar though I've found nothing loose in my check of the front end. Anyone dealt with this? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geonovast Posted March 15, 2013 Share Posted March 15, 2013 Even with new tires, they could still be the problem. Was it there before the new tires were put on? Shaking could be any number of things. Tires, Balljoints, TREs, Track bar(either end). Also don't rule out CA bushings. Get under it, and have someone slowly turn the wheel back and forth. Watch for any looseness in the steering components. Don't know why this posted twice. Can someone delete this duplicate post? You should be able to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1987manche4x4 Posted March 16, 2013 Share Posted March 16, 2013 It could also be your balance on your wheels I work at a tire shop and before I balanced my own rims I had the same problem . What it is is called counter balance . If the weights are 180 degrees from each other then that could be what it is. I would have your tires rebalanced Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Biotex Posted March 16, 2013 Share Posted March 16, 2013 It could also be your balance on your wheels I work at a tire shop and before I balanced my own rims I had the same problem . What it is is called counter balance . If the weights are 180 degrees from each other then that could be what it is. I would have your tires rebalanced Really! I never heard of that before. So this doesn't show up on a tire machine? Also, what is the solution? You said you rebalanced your own, so what did you do differently? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chappy88 Posted March 16, 2013 Share Posted March 16, 2013 It was some years ago but I had the something similar with my 88 2wd, .ended up being the steering shock stabilizer. Changed it out and never had another problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geonovast Posted March 16, 2013 Share Posted March 16, 2013 The steering shock stabilizer cannot be the cause, but replacing it can mask it. On an axle that has no problems, you could remove the stabilizer and drive around just fine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1987Comanche Posted March 18, 2013 Author Share Posted March 18, 2013 Turns out my caster is maxed out right at 5.0 degrees. I'm guessing it's b/c the LCA bushings are worn out/compressed. The alignment shop was able to squeeze one additional shim on the driver's side LCA (from 4.9 deg to 5.1 deg caster). Next stop is the tire shop for a 4 wheel rebalance then I guess LCA bushings and another alignment (lifetime alignment pays for itself over time). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1987manche4x4 Posted March 18, 2013 Share Posted March 18, 2013 It could also be your balance on your wheels I work at a tire shop and before I balanced my own rims I had the same problem . What it is is called counter balance . If the weights are 180 degrees from each other then that could be what it is. I would have your tires rebalanced Really! I never heard of that before. So this doesn't show up on a tire machine? Also, what is the solution? You said you rebalanced your own, so what did you do differently? Well it's the weights being 180 degrees from each other if there's more than 2weights on the wheel. It makes it hop at a certain speed . It's called counterbalance I'd go to a big company tire shop and et them rebalanced Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1987Comanche Posted March 31, 2013 Author Share Posted March 31, 2013 Did both upper and lower control arm bushings as well as the track bar. LCA reduced the vibration a bit, UCA reduced it a lot (pass side axle bushing was horrible), and track bar had little effect though the axle apparently wasn't centered. The steering wheel now needs just under 1/4 turn to the right to drive straight (I'll hit the alignment shop again sometime this week). The metal center in the track bar bushing was about 1/4" out of position b/c the rubber was degraded. Overall the vibration is 50-60% better than when I started but it's still there. I haven't had the tires rebalanced yet but I did rotate them front to back with no difference in vibration. Of the remaining possibilities (TRE & ball joints) which is the more likely culprit? Both seem relatively tight. Anything I missed? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HOrnbrod Posted March 31, 2013 Share Posted March 31, 2013 I went through a similar vibe problem; mild vibes ON at 40MPH, OFF at 55MPH. After doing all you have done and more, turned out to be a bad u-joint at the slip yoke. Might as well replace them both, they are probably due. And yes, the vibes felt like they were coming from the front end also. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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