Shimmy & shake

[TONYCASH]

ok,I put new tie rods,balljoints,control arms and bushings on.I then got an alignment and two new front tires.Rides perfect...until I was coming down a hill at 65 yesterday and it started shaking.What else can I do.???

[elcamino1]

Stock tires or bigger?
Are they in balance?
Did you change swaybar bushings?

[SimonTuffGuy]

Is that the only time is shakes?

[jglutz]

Are the tire's well balanced?
Possibly a bent rim...which is hard to balance or even some times hard to dect on the balancing machine.

To eliminate a bad rim/tire....rotate the tires front to back to see if the problem gets any better.

[25Horseplay]

You were coming down a hill, were you brakeing? It could be warped rotor.

[TONYCASH]

I replaced sway bar bushings,lower control arms/ball joints,new factory tires from Goodyear,alignment and balance.Prior to this , the car shook horribly.After all tyhat and new tires it was great...until I gradually hit 65 going down a hill.I wasn't braking.It happened just as I hit 65.Everything was so perfectly smooth before then.Would anything else , besides the front-end,possibly cause this ?

[elcamino1]

Did you replace the front swaybar bushings?

[worfdog]

did you check the inner tie rods?

[Levitan]

Everything you guys are saying to check should have been discovered prior to the alignment by the guy who is paid to do alignments the correct way.

If you got the alignment done at a reputable place, recently, and have the receipt, go to them and say something is wrong. They are the specialists. They will recheck everything for free.... or risk a hassle of a lawsuit. I'm confident they'll recheck it. If they did not diagnose a problem correctly, you should get a free alignment after you fix the problem or a full refund. I had a similar problem at Tires Plus. They align it and something wasn't right. I take the car back and the rack was completely shot. I took the refund. Very serious situation to misdiagnose!

I am anxious to hear the outcome to these problems. What makes it shake and why didn't the alignment guy find the problem....if that is the problem.

In the mean time:

You did not say if it shakes in the steering wheel or just in your seat.

If the steering wheel shakes as the car shakes, then it's probably a problem in the front.

If the steering wheel doesn't really shake more than usual but the car does, ie in the seat, then it is probably in the rear.

If it is in the seat:
One thing I would check would be rear wheel bearings. They can make a car pretty squirrely. If that is the problem, put new bearings and races in, test drive it. If fine, then take it back to the alignment shop and tell them something isn't right. I'm guessing, with the new tight bearings in, your alignment may be off a bit.

just my 2 cents

[gdawgs]

I'd bet on unbalanced tires(or possibly a bad tire). Go with Joe.

Or do the old jack up one side of the car trick. Jack up one of the front wheels(then place on jack stand), start engine, put in high gear, slowly take it up to 40 mph on the speedo. If it's in the tires, you'll feel the steering wheel shake. If the steering wheel remains nice and smooth, that wheel is in balance. Repeat with the other side. If both wheels are in balance, then you have something going on somewhere else.

[SimonTuffGuy]

Is it a constant thing now? Or is it ONLY when you hit 65+?

[TONYCASH]

First,one thin I DIDN'T replace it the inner tie rods.Also,the shake is in the steering wheel,not the body/seay.I am going to take it to Goodyear where I go the tires , balance and alignment.I will let you all know what they say.Thanks for all the info as I am a roofer and not real good with this mechanic stuff.lol.

[SimonTuffGuy]

The steering wheel shakes? I'd say it's tire related.

Why do I say that? I was running a set of 14's last week and the front tires were near balding... The steering wheel shook like no other. If I didn't have 2 bolts holding it on, I'm sure it would've wobbled right off.

I put on a brand spanking new set of tires (on my 15's), mounted and balanced at a reputable shop... And the steering wheel shake is gone.

[jglutz]

If it was good and went bad the next time you drove 65mph.....maybe you lost a wheel weight....very common. I would still recommend swapping the front and back tires. Free, takes five minutes per side.

[aschburner]

Maybe its a bad CV Joint.