Intermittent steering & body shake

[dgunay]

Hey fellas

I have 2003 Pontiac Vibe (182k miles) and I have a problem trying to fix it.

What I have changed so far:

- New tires (wheels balanced, aligned)
- New front calipers
- New front rotors / pads
- New rear drums / shoes / hardwares
- New lug nuts

I didn't change them due to vibration, they just needed to be replaced.

There is still intermittent steering wheel and body vibration. Sometimes it happens 70 miles, sometimes over 80, sometimes it is smooth as silk. It never happens below 65 mph.

I just got an ABS and handbrake light on. Rear left wheel speed sensor went bad. I am going to replace left rear wheel hub along with the abs sensor.

Any suggestions? Should I change ball joints, and tie rod ends as well? There is no clunking or weird noise whatsoever.

Thanks in advance.

Dan.

 

[Trav]

It could be an inner CV axle joint going bad.

 

[Warstud]

Originally Posted By: dgunay
I am going to replace left rear wheel hub

*Bingo*

 

[Trav]

+1 Fix what is known defective first.

 

[SatinSilver]

Hi there Dan Gunay,

It sounds like you have more in repairs/maintenance versus what you paid for it($150 usd).

 

[dgunay]

Originally Posted By: Trav
+1 Fix what is known defective first.


So do you think defective abs sensor caused by a worn/defective wheel hub? I can't hear any humming noise at highway speeds though. I am going to buy both hub and sensor because these are sold together.

 

[dgunay]

Originally Posted By: SatinSilver
Hi there Dan Gunay,

It sounds like you have more in repairs/maintenance versus what you paid for it($150 usd).


Hey there,

You are right. To be honest, I wasn't expecting to get a brand new car for $200. I paid around $1500 Canadian for all parts and car, changed many things myself (except the tires). I would have paid much more if I let a mechanic do the work.

I sold my car, so we (me and my wife) rely on this car for one or two years, so reliability is our priority.

 

[Trav]

Originally Posted By: dgunay
Originally Posted By: Trav
+1 Fix what is known defective first.


So do you think defective abs sensor caused by a worn/defective wheel hub? I can't hear any humming noise at highway speeds though. I am going to buy both hub and sensor because these are sold together.


It could be, usually a worn hub will make noise you can hear inside the car but not always. When diagnosing something like this its good practice to repair known damaged components first.

 

[HoosierJeeper]

How does it feel compared to an out of balance tire?
I had a a vib like that in my Liberty, felt only in the steering wheel mostly, turned out to be a bad intermediate shaft up front. Also made a clunk when going over bumps.

 

[dgunay]

Originally Posted By: HoosierJeeper
How does it feel compared to an out of balance tire?
I had a a vib like that in my Liberty, felt only in the steering wheel mostly, turned out to be a bad intermediate shaft up front. Also made a clunk when going over bumps.


Out of balance wheel feels more like vibrating, whereas I feel it's more like shaking/wobbling.

Mine doesn't have any clunking or weird noise.