PathFound Posted February 27, 2007 Share Posted February 27, 2007 I'm wondering if some of the folks here can help me. My '91 Pathfinder has developed a problem with the front suspension shaking/shuddering on smooth pavement. From a cold start I drive on the highway for about 10 minutes then something in the front suspension causes severe vibration that is felt through the steering wheel, and pretty much the whole truck. After about a few minutes it goes away and drives smoothly. I've tested this on 3 separate occasions and the vibrations always comes back. It will come and go over hours of driving. The best way to describe what the vibration feels like is when a tire starts to go flat, you feel a wobble in the steering wheel - a sort of up and down motion. When it was vibrating, I stopped, then restarted and it was gone. The vibration in is sync with how fast I'm going. So at 100 km/h it's a certain frequency, at 60 km/h it's slower but still noticeable. I checked: the wheel lug nuts to make sure they're tight, the tire air pressure, the wheel balancing weights, and it's all good. The tires on the truck are in good shape too, no uneven wear. I jacked up the front and inspected the suspension components. Everything visually appears intact. When I wiggle a front wheel side to side there's movement, but I'm not sure how much movement there's supposed to be? It just feels like some play in the steering. I'm starting to think the vibration is because of worn parts that have reached they're limit because I haven't experienced this problem until now. Could it be ball joints? Or wheel bearings? Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated. Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
denisb Posted February 27, 2007 Share Posted February 27, 2007 Bad tire belt. Mud stuck inside a wheel. Bent wheel. Flat spoted tire (although this would not go away just get worst). Try rotating front to back and see if it goes away or changes. This will eliminate tire/rims. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kn0xville Posted February 27, 2007 Share Posted February 27, 2007 ya, do what he said first, then come back and let us know what happened. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PathFound Posted February 27, 2007 Author Share Posted February 27, 2007 (edited) Hmm, that could be it. The one time I was stuck in the mud the truck sat overnight in mud & water. That was 4 months ago however, and I haven't really driven the truck off-road since then. But I will try your suggestion tomorrow and let you know how it goes. Thanks. Edit: Just to note, the truck has alluminum rims, so maybe mud could get stuck in there easier? Edited February 27, 2007 by PathFound Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gotrek Posted February 27, 2007 Share Posted February 27, 2007 If you are in the winter belt check for ice instead of mud even a little can unbalance your tire really bad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unccpathfinder Posted February 27, 2007 Share Posted February 27, 2007 i've got a bad tire on mine and it does the same...but i did have bad ball joints and wheel bearings that helped it a lot after i replaced those...i also noticed my rotors were done in a crappy mold and when they machined the backside there was pockets of air so the rotor has big ole pockets which can throw it out of balance bad too good luck... ohh yea i took my tires to get balanced and the bad tire was 9oz out of balance Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PathFound Posted February 28, 2007 Author Share Posted February 28, 2007 I switched around the wheels (cross-ways) and the vibration is still there. Again, it's not there when I start cold, but comes in about 10 minutes of driving. Also, it goes away after a few minutes. I'm by baffled what this could be? It's not brake pulsation because the vibration is there during acceleration, constant speed, and while braking, as well as both turning left & right. It's more noticeable at higher speeds obviously because the vibration's freqency is more pronounced. There's no sound - no whining, buzzing, thumping, etc. If there was a slight sound it would be impossible to hear at highway speed. It's not too cold where I live. Usually around zero celsius. Little to no snow on the ground. I suppose my next step is too have the wheels balanced. How hard is it to change wheel bearings on these trucks? Front and Rear? Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kn0xville Posted February 28, 2007 Share Posted February 28, 2007 cross ways isnt gonna tell you anything. Have to rotate them front to back! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pavelow Leaks Posted February 28, 2007 Share Posted February 28, 2007 cross ways isnt gonna tell you anything. Have to rotate them front to back! I think he means cross ways as in right rear to left front and left rear to right front and so on and so forth, which is the proper way to rotate non directional tires. At least I hope that's what he meant. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
94extreme Posted February 28, 2007 Share Posted February 28, 2007 center link, bjs or something to that effect are going. the play shouldn't really be there especially side to side.. it could also be idler arm. see how much the CL moves up and down when you push/pull on the tire laterally. it moves a tad but not very much. CL is the weakest part of the steering so i bet that could be your issue. to make certain you'd have to take it off and see if the bj like attachments are stiff or loose. if loose, CL is shot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
88pathoffroad Posted February 28, 2007 Share Posted February 28, 2007 Have someone else move the steering wheel back and forth slowly while you watch the steering parts move. The ones with slop in them will be fairly easy to spot. This doesn't work as well on balljoints, but you get the idea. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PathFound Posted February 28, 2007 Author Share Posted February 28, 2007 I think he means cross ways as in right rear to left front and left rear to right front and so on and so forth, which is the proper way to rotate non directional tires. At least I hope that's what he meant. Yes, that's what I did. The tires are non-directional. I'll inspect the front suspension more to see of there's any unusually loose parts. Thanks for all the replies though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
govols74n Posted February 28, 2007 Share Posted February 28, 2007 When my tension rod (compression rod) bushings went the rod sheared off and the pathy did the same, it got worse if I hit the brakes. I doubt that's your prob, but you never know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PathFound Posted May 5, 2007 Author Share Posted May 5, 2007 (edited) Just reviving this old thread. Turns out the possible cause of my suspension problem is the bolt that holds the bottom of the shock to whatever part it sits on is broken. It's causing a squeeking sound too. The shop I took it to said a body shop will need to weld a new portion of the bracket. I'll let you know how it goes after I get this fixed. I hope this is the problem and it would make sense that an improperly mounted shock would vibrate badly. Here's a pic of the broken shock mount. I hope it doesn't cost too much too fix. Edited May 5, 2007 by PathFound Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CRASS PUNK Posted May 6, 2007 Share Posted May 6, 2007 i had a shock bolt fall out and it would shake me whole rig if i got over 60 on the freeway there was nothing there to dampen the minor bumps hope thats the problem too shouldnt cost to much but you never know. might check what the dealer says too. good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PathFound Posted May 19, 2007 Author Share Posted May 19, 2007 Below is a pic of the fixed shock bolt. Finally, my truck drives normal! Thanks for all the above replies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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