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Front End Vibration at highway speed

55K views 30 replies 16 participants last post by  sbrook 
#1 ·
I have a 96 Plymouth Grand Voyager LE, with the 3.8L. For the last year there has been a vibration in the steering wheel from 100Km/h and up. (60 miles/hour) The vibration is slight at that speed, but increases with speed. At 140km/h there is so much vibration that it seems likely to vibrate right off the road. This problem seems much like a tire balance problem, as it is an up and down vibration, not a side to side. I had the tires balanced 3 times at 2 different places, and thought perhaps it was a harmonic wheel imbalance, but borrowed a friends rims and tires which were balanced on his caravan, and there was still vibration. So tires/rims have been eliminated. I got new tie rod outter ends last month, along with new struts up front, and shocks in the rear, and anti-sway bar bushings. The transmission isn't the cause because i had that blow appart in the mountains in february, and with the new rebuilt one, the vibration is still there. When popped into neutral at speed, the vibration doesn't go away either.
Has anyone had this problem, or know what it might be? Any help would be great!!
 
#2 ·
Sounds like you may have a half-shaft or a CV Joint that is loose. Is it worse when you are veering one direction or the other on the highway? Or if you are on a stretch of highway and you have to hold the steering wheel slightly right or left to stay in your lane, does it get worse in one direction and better in the other direction?
 
#3 ·
Things that can affect front end vibration

tires or wheels out of balance (checked and verified)
tie rods/steering links (already replaced)
ball joints
control arm bushings or damaged/bent control arm
drive axle/cv joints out of balance or worn.
worn shock absorbers (already replaced)
worn wheel bearings (likely would notice other symptoms/noise)


that is pretty much it. Did this develop over time or did it happen spontaneously? Tires wearing evenly?

Cheers
 
#4 ·
I had similar vibrations at speeds from about 150km/h and up. In my case it was left tie-rod that was the problem. When the tie-rod was replaced and wheel alignment checked, the vibrations was gone. :biggrin:

Now it runs at full speed again. :headbange
 
#5 ·
I've been out all over the place in the van in the last while. It doesn't seem to pull one way or the other, and it still tracks very strait at highway speed, despite the vibration. I still have to take it in, and I think I'll have the CV joints replaced.
I'm planning on doing 3 days and 2500Km soon, and don't want to vibrate the whole way....

Thanks so much for all the advice!!
 
#6 ·
beastvanman said:
I've been out all over the place in the van in the last while. It doesn't seem to pull one way or the other, and it still tracks very strait at highway speed, despite the vibration. I still have to take it in, and I think I'll have the CV joints replaced.
I'm planning on doing 3 days and 2500Km soon, and don't want to vibrate the whole way....

Thanks so much for all the advice!!
Rather than having the CV joints replaced, why not just take it for a ride with a technician and ask them to diagnose the problem. A lot of times we pay for repairs we don't need, because we tell the technician (what we think is) the solution, rather than presenting the problem.
 
#7 ·
mmahamm said:
Sounds like you may have a half-shaft or a CV Joint that is loose. Is it worse when you are veering one direction or the other on the highway? Or if you are on a stretch of highway and you have to hold the steering wheel slightly right or left to stay in your lane, does it get worse in one direction and better in the other direction?
My intent here was not to ask if it is tracking straight. What I meant was, get on a stretch of highway that has a slight curve in it, where you will have to slightly steer to the left or the right. Is it worse in one direction than the other? This is probably an important symptom to describe.
 
#8 ·
Another thought for balance problem

have you had your front rotors checked recently??? Manufactuing defects can cause the metal to deteriorate unevenly. If you had a small piece of metal come off, it could lend to an imbalance situation.

ALSO< do you have one of those fancy wheel locking lug nuts? They are typically a bit heavier than a standard lug nut.

your problem sounds a lot like my problem when I had my ball joints replaced.

good luck
 
#9 ·
mmahamm said:
Rather than having the CV joints replaced, why not just take it for a ride with a technician and ask them to diagnose the problem. A lot of times we pay for repairs we don't need, because we tell the technician (what we think is) the solution, rather than presenting the problem.
:thumb: GOOD ADVICE!!!

You'll be paying for a new "Flux Capacitator" if you tell them you think yours is malfunctioning!
:lol:
 
#12 ·
techmanof1 said:
what it sounds like to me is that you might have a warped rotor.
...but he is not saying that it only happens when braking. In my experience, a warped rotor does not show vibration unless you are braking.
 
#14 ·
<<you still could have a warped rotor and it not show up until you reach higher speeds.>>

I would have to agree with Michael that warped rotors are evident ONLY when brake application is made. A warped front rotor will cause a shaking or possible severe vibration thru the brake pedal and the steering wheel but will not cause this until the brake pedal is pushed. Warped rear rotors will be felt in the seat of your pants, when you use the brakes. Just driving down the road will not do it.
It is hard for us to diagnose it here, without being in the van. If you are unsure of what is causing your problem, I would bite the bullet and have someone who knows what they are doing drive the van and help you out.
Good Luck
 
#15 ·
Well, its been a long time since I've had some time to do something about the van. It is going into the dealer tomorrow morning. I will tell the mechanic the entire life story of my van, and i hope he knows what the problem is. Funny thing about the vibration now is, it is a constantly changing vibration. It had almost gone away and fixed itself....(yea right), and then i found myself driving through a wheat field used for a parking lot, and when i got back on the highway, the vibration was from 70 km-130km, and was almost unbearable. It has since gone back down to only vibrating at 100km and up.

I'll share what the mechanic has to say about it tomorrow....
 
#16 ·
I took the van to the chrysler dealership. I explained the whole story of the van. They phoned me and told me that the only thing they could find wrong with the van was that the outter tie rod ends had up and down movement, and one was seized. Also the rear tires are slightly dished. They also said they drove the van, but not over 100km/h because they can't break the speed limit, and hence they didn't notice much vibration. The nice man there told me that the tie rods could cause vibration, and that even if the didn't, they still needed to be replaced. SO, i had the tie rods replaced for $540!, and to my great frustration NOTHING is fixed, or better, or worse.

I guess I should have insisted on taking the mechanic for a ride, and drove 150km/h, and asked him if he really thought tie rods could make a van shake uncontrollably....

I'm not a mechanic, but to my reasoning, if the vibration gets worse the faster i go on good road, then the problem has to be in some part that is rotating. The same way a washing machine drum which is not perfectly balanced, does not shake when rotating slowly, but when it speeds up, the whole washer is vibrating, because the drum is not perfectly balanced.

Oh, the more i concentrated on the vibration, the more i noticed it also comes through the seat, and the floor, but not as bad as the steering wheel vibrates.

Anyone have any ideas?
 
#17 ·
<<Oh, the more i concentrated on the vibration, the more i noticed it also comes through the seat, and the floor, but not as bad as the steering wheel vibrates.

Anyone have any ideas?>>

This would indicate the problem is probably in the rear of the vehicle. The mech did say the rear tires were slightly dished. How are the shocks and the wheel bearings on the rear end? Has the rear been aligned ( 4 wheel alignment)?

<< outter tie rod ends had up and down movement, and one was seized. >>
One was seized? HOW were you able to steer the van?
 
#18 ·
beastvanman said:
I took the van to the chrysler dealership. I explained the whole story of the van. They phoned me and told me that the only thing they could find wrong with the van was that the outter tie rod ends had up and down movement, and one was seized.
I was right! So, it was the tie rod ends as I supposed.
 
#22 ·
My '97 Chrysler Grand Voyager had that same 'front-end vibration'.

It was caused by the right-rear brake drum warping, and got worse AFTER a major service at the local stealership. I took the car straight back for checking and they found the drum to be slightly 'oval'. Replacing the brake drum 2 days later completely eliminated the problem.

It sounds strange that a REAR brake can cause FRONT vibration, but maybe it is because the rear end is leaf spring, so no real movement, while the front is coil-over which sort of 'floats'.
 
#23 ·
I know that this topic has been thoroughly beaten to death, but if you have one bad tie rod end, don't skimp -- get the other one replaced at the same time. After all, you'll be paying for a wheel alignment whether you replace one or both. So replace the other tie rod end also, or else sometime in the future you'll be paying for the repair plus another wheel alignment.
 
#24 ·
I agree with the rotor....IF it gets worse when braking slightly..If not then it aint the rotor...On another note...Speaking as the son of a 30 year mechanic..You are gonna get what you "ASK" for in most shops..Very few are like my pop and will go ahead and diagnose the issue after you leave and then call and tell ya what the REAL problem is...So your best bet when dealing with a mechanic is to offer your opinion as to what is causing the problem and then let him do the foot work....Just my advise
 
#25 ·
Loss of Power

I too have a front end vibration, but today I have a greater problem. The airbag & oil lights on dashboard came on and then complete loss of all power while driving. Dashboard lights & flashers continued to work. The motor will not turn over at all. Any ideas? Thanks!
 
#26 ·
Maybe a bad alternator....The van may have been runnin on just the battery and when it finally was drained the whole thing went kaput! Id try to charge the battery for several hours and see if it will crank and run...If it will you need a trip to the alternator shop!!! That is where i'd start lookin anyway..the issue may be far more complicated than that but its good to eliminate the easy stuff first.
 
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