deserthonda
5/11/2006 3:27:32 AM
There are different reasons why the steering wheel would wobble.( shake side to side ).
An out of alignment car WILL NOT cause the steering wheel to wobble..So do not waste your money doing an alignment, you will be dissappointed when problem is still there and you are out 60-70 dollars
Here are some ways to diagnose what the cause most likely might be :
Wobble at idle. :
Car with auto tranny experience this worse, if sitting at a stop lite car in gear, steering wheel shakes
Most likely cause : motor mounts, broken, collapsed, mostly the rear and or frt mounts..chk all mounts ..
Wobble at slow speeds 10-25 mph..
most likely cause :: you got a separated ply in the tire,or a tire badly worn, where the metal cords are showing, take a close look at the tires .
As mentioned by JIM BLAKE.......... if you suspect bad tires
Don't forget the best way to separate tire/wheel problems from suspension, is to swap the tires.
swap the frt to rears and see if wobble helps if it does you know you got bad tires for sure
wobble at highway speed:
most likely cause ,,: 1, out of balance tires. Have the wheel balanced .. 2, bent rims, 3 worn suspension parts, ( inner and outer tie rods,ball joints etc etc ) inspect frt suspension components
Wobble when braking ::
Most likely cause:: warped rotors. mostly the fronts but it could also be the rear rotors or drums is so equipped ..The way to diagnose if it is coming from the frt or rear is to.. take car on a drive, instead of using the brake pedal to slow down ( stop ) just use the E- Brake. if you feel wheel shaking than you got an issue with the rear ,, if it slows down smoothly,, next time ,just use the brake pedal if wheel shakes you got warped frt rotors..
IF the rotors are thick enough they can be machined , try to find a shop that has a ( on car lathe ) it is the best way to resurface the frt rotors,,Unfortunatelly you cannot machine the rear rotors on the car . If rotors are too thin to machine and need to replace them ,Brembo rotors is a good brand to install, if the pads are less than 40 % I would advice to install new pads as well.preferably use Honda pads , non Honda pads have a tendency to squeak..If you got over 40% make sure to sand them down smooth ..
As always, if you work on the car ,double chk all your work make sure all bolts and nuts are tight
