Bigfoot Posted September 21, 2006 Share Posted September 21, 2006 I know some of you remember me talking about a vibration from my right front during, ummm, higher speed left hand corners. Well, I took my right front wheel, caliper, etc. off today and am 99.9% sure I found my problem.I noticed a little bit of wear/rubbing marks at the lower A-arm alignment point (specifically the front side of the A-arm). I put a wrench on it to see if it was loose...low and behold it was loose as HELL! The backside one was loose as well, just not as much. The front one was at least one full turn before it went tight. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think this could cause a vibration in the car that would not be felt in the steering wheel.Anyway, I will take it to the boneheads who did my alignment not too long ago and pitch a fit and a half.Hope this is all it was. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
P51tj Posted September 22, 2006 Share Posted September 22, 2006 Gateway????? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bigfoot Posted September 22, 2006 Author Share Posted September 22, 2006 No, not Gateway. I'll leave this one nameless since no one seems able to work on these cars right except the owners and a few select specialty shops around.I will take it back and get it corrected however...and watch them like a hawk to make sure they tighten all the bolts down. Just scares me to know that I went on the trip this last weekend with what I would consider a dangerous condition. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Desertdawg Posted September 22, 2006 Share Posted September 22, 2006 I hope that was your problem, but you know there's only one way to really find out..... Go out and prove you should wear your crown... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bigfoot Posted September 22, 2006 Author Share Posted September 22, 2006 I hope that was your problem, but you know there's only one way to really find out..... Go out and prove you should wear your crown... and I will...just need to find a good left-hander to do it. :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eddie44 Posted September 22, 2006 Share Posted September 22, 2006 I hope that was your problem, but you know there's only one way to really find out..... Go out and prove you should wear your crown... and I will...just need to find a good left-hander to do it. :DDid someone say a good left-hander? I resemble that :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bigfoot Posted September 22, 2006 Author Share Posted September 22, 2006 IT DIDN'T FIX IT!!!!Some other things are better that I didn't really notice until everything was tightened up, but my vibration is still present when a load goes on the right front tire.OK, left hand turn at 60MPH and above (loading right front suspension), a rythmic vibration coming from right front. It is not constant, but is consistent...like someone turning a switch on for 1 second and off for 1 second over and over during the turn. No feedback coming from steering wheel. Straight line is smooth and no vibration. Right hand turns just fine. I inspected everything last night and found loose A-arm bolts but that did not fix the problem after alignment. Everything else looks fine.Any ideas would be greatly appreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crzy4vettes Posted September 22, 2006 Share Posted September 22, 2006 If I remember everything correctly..... I picked up my vette used and when turning the wheel to the right I got a vibration in the steering wheel. Not so much as a vibration that shook the wheel but something you can feel in your hands. I assumed it was the right front bearing but it actually was the left. The remembering part was not sure which way I turned but it was the opposite side I thought it was and it was a bearing. Did you try moving the wheel holding the top and bottom? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bigfoot Posted September 22, 2006 Author Share Posted September 22, 2006 If I remember everything correctly..... I picked up my vette used and when turning the wheel to the right I got a vibration in the steering wheel. Not so much as a vibration that shook the wheel but something you can feel in your hands. I assumed it was the right front bearing but it actually was the left. The remembering part was not sure which way I turned but it was the opposite side I thought it was and it was a bearing. Did you try moving the wheel holding the top and bottom?I haven't really looked at my left wheel. I did "check" the bearings on the right side and that spindle rotates fine and seems very solid (no wiggle).I have absolutely nothing noticeable in the steering wheel. I can hardly feel it from the drivers side but hear it quite well. My wife said she can really feel it in her feet from the passenger side so it is localized in the right front of the car.Still stumped. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nort99 Posted September 22, 2006 Share Posted September 22, 2006 Just maybe you have a tire seperating? I had that happen to me once.. I only felt it every now and then... and then one day it really got worst. Even then I had a hard time finding it. Could be. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anmracing2 Posted September 23, 2006 Share Posted September 23, 2006 It could possibly be a seperated tire but you would feel it at low speeds as well. I would suggest taking them off and doing a full road force rebalance to make sure that is the issue. It seems strange to me that it is more pronounced when cornering. Andrew Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anmracing2 Posted September 23, 2006 Share Posted September 23, 2006 You have a PM.....Andrew Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bigfoot Posted October 14, 2006 Author Share Posted October 14, 2006 Riddle me this...I went to take a little closer look at my right front suspension today (where my vibration is coming from). Someone suggested that if I spin the tire and look at it I might see something.Any, when I did this I noticed two things:1. I can see a little spot on the tire as it rotates that looks similar to a flat spot (very minimal and there is no odd tire wear). I can almost attribute this to the car sitting in the garage for 2 or 3 days without moving and the side walls just needing to warm up. Hmmm????2. When I spin the tire I can hear what sounds like BB's or little rocks bouncing around inside the tire. If I had to guess I'd say it sounds like around 20 or so little BB's. I checked the left front for the same thing and heard what sounds like maybe 3 to 5 or so in there (I forgot to look to see if this one had that little flat spot looking thing though).Like I said earlier, I feel nothing going straigt, there is no feedback in the wheel and it only happens in left hand turns/curves above around 50mph or so.Any thoughts? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quiktrip Posted October 14, 2006 Share Posted October 14, 2006 Well, unless you actually have rocks in your tires, I would say that it's the bearings. The side load may magnify the situation. Robert Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bigfoot Posted October 14, 2006 Author Share Posted October 14, 2006 Well, unless you actually have rocks in your tires, I would say that it's the bearings. The side load may magnify the situation. Robert No, it's actually something in the tire. If I spun it forward, you could hear it coming from the lower back of the tire. If I spun it backwards you could hear it coming from the lower front of the tire. I was specifically listening for bearings and I could not hear them at all. I even tried to move the tire side to side to see if there was any play in the bearings and all seems tight. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quiktrip Posted October 14, 2006 Share Posted October 14, 2006 Then take the wheels in and have them broken down and see whats inside. Robert Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bigfoot Posted October 14, 2006 Author Share Posted October 14, 2006 That's the next step. But I really wonder if that can be causing the vibration. Guess I'll find out. Was wondering what Andrew thought of this. Maybe it's just something that happens. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anmracing2 Posted October 14, 2006 Share Posted October 14, 2006 Well, unless you actually have rocks in your tires, I would say that it's the bearings. The side load may magnify the situation. Robert Robert, Are you talking about the bearing on the spindle???? I could see where that could cause an issue when turning. Sean,As far as the BB's in the tire...... You will need to take the tire off of the rim to get them out. They are not rocks or BB's. When they dismount the tire have them show you. They look like bb's but they are actually the dirt and/or dust in the tire from before they were mounted on the wheel. The oils from the rubber globulates with the dirt and as the tire spins it will make the globules round. Like BB's but you can squash them with your fingers. Unless there is an unusual amount of dust or dirt in the tire, that would not cause a vibration. You are right about the flat spot, if the car sit for a prolonged period then there is the possibility of a flat spot from sitting. If you have a tire that has Rayon belts then it will be even worse. A lot of the tire manufaturers don't use Rayon anymore because of this issue. If you are gettin' a vibration at a high rate of speed, usually above 45-50 then it would be a balancing issue. If the vibration is at a low rate of speed then it is a possible tire issue. If you feel it wobble when taking off from a dead stop, then the tire is separated, usually a bubble in the tread area. If the car shakes when applying the brakes then it is usually a warped rotor. Without inspecting the car first hand it is hard to say what the problem is. Like I said last week, I would start with the easy stuff first. Take it to your local tire dealer and have them inspect the tire. Let them know that you want them to do a "Road Force" balance. This procedure applies pressure to the tire when they balance it and will tell them a lot about how the tire is reacting on the road under loaded conditions. AndrewPS. Is Globulation a real word?????? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bigfoot Posted October 14, 2006 Author Share Posted October 14, 2006 Thanks Andrew. Think I'll try and sneak her in Monday morning some time. There is no vibration at any other time. Only during left hand turns/corners above 50mph or so. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Desertdawg Posted December 5, 2006 Share Posted December 5, 2006 Listen to what he says near the begining of the video. Maybe your rotor or rim is warped from the wrong torque???http://www.jaylenosgarage.com/video/index.shtml?vidID=48204 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bigfoot Posted December 5, 2006 Author Share Posted December 5, 2006 Listen to what he says near the begining of the video. Maybe your rotor or rim is warped from the wrong torque???http://www.jaylenosgarage.com/video/index.shtml?vidID=48204Hmmm...that's a good thought. Can that be checked at a place like Discount Tire? Andrew? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Donbecker Posted December 5, 2006 Share Posted December 5, 2006 Here's a question:When you tightened it did you use a torque wrench? I have all the specs for the C3's... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bigfoot Posted December 6, 2006 Author Share Posted December 6, 2006 No, I just used the "calibrated elbow." But I'd like to know if there is a way to inspect and tell. I'm still trying to find time to get her in for a road force balance...just have not gotten there yet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anmracing2 Posted December 7, 2006 Share Posted December 7, 2006 That is a good point, it is not uncommon for people to over torque lugs and warp the rotor. I would suggest having someone loosen the lugs and retorque them. Best case, over tightened lugs. Worst case, broken studs due to over torque or a warped rotor. Discount can can check them for you.Andrew Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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