Anovice Posted March 12, 2005 Posted March 12, 2005 Between 20 - 40 miles per hour, there is a shimmy in the front end which I feel in the vibration of the steering wheel. The problem does not happen below 20 or above 40. I had all four tires balanced, but that did not solve the problem. However, I did not have the tires rotated, which probably I should have and will be the next step. If that does not solve the problem, I assume I should check into a front end alignment, however, my local mechanic said there is really nothing to align on these cars. I have no idea what that statement meant...is there or is there not. Anyhow, I would appreciate all thoughts. Thanks.
Anovice Posted March 12, 2005 Author Posted March 12, 2005 By the way, the car does not pull to the left or right.
xxxavier2k Posted March 13, 2005 Posted March 13, 2005 I have the same problem with a '93 windom. It went away for a while after a wheel alignment and balancing job but reappeared. According to my manual it could be the tie rod ends or the control arm ball joint. Do you hear any sounds while turning the steering wheel left to right with the car at a stand still?
cruznroadking Posted March 13, 2005 Posted March 13, 2005 Does the shimmy happen when you are just driving or when you are braking?Because if it happens when you are braking the brake rotors are probabaly warped & either need to be machined or replaced if they are too thin. The car being out of alignment will not caused a shimmy, but will cause the the car to pull. Need more info from you.
Anovice Posted March 13, 2005 Author Posted March 13, 2005 No shimmy when I am braking. Only driving and only 20-40 mph. Again, no pulling to either directon. In fact, all four breaks were changed as well as rotors cut about 4 months ago. I did not have a problem after that. This problem started about a month ago. With all the pot holes in the city, I would think there is a correlation. I would have also thought balancing all four tires would have solved that. Maybe the next step is to go back, get all 4 re-balanced and rotated as well, since you do not feel a shimmy would be attributable to be out of alignment.
cruznroadking Posted March 13, 2005 Posted March 13, 2005 Since the brakes are new then I would lean more towards either a tire that is out of round,or a wheel that is warped or not true any more. A shop with a good tire balance machine can determine what the cause is. Also when the car is lifted on the hoist have the technician inspect the tires for any flat spots. This is caused by a panic stop where the brakes lock up & the tires go into a skid & wears a spot off the tire or tires. Also if one of the tires is defective & the belts are seperating you can actually see the tread of the tire ballooning causing an out of round tire. Hope this helps.
SKperformance Posted March 15, 2005 Posted March 15, 2005 make sure the wheels are seated and torqued properly and that their is no rust on the brake rotor hatand wheel mating surface.
chrispiss Posted March 16, 2005 Posted March 16, 2005 I had this exact problem, it turns out there was a bulge in one of my tires. I replaced it and my car drives like new.
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