wheel shake

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chantzchase
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wheel shake

Post by chantzchase »

My 66 Monza (just got it on the road) has quite a shake at 40 miles and hour or when it goes over bumps. I have checked the ball joints, tie rod ends , had the wheels balanced every things good in the front suspension , can not figure out what is causing it, can anybody help me out with some fixes. :helpsos:
1951 Chevrolet Fleetline Deluxe
1966 Corvair Monza Converible
2001 Pontiac Aztek
2003 GMC Dually Crew cab Duramax
Jerry Whitt
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Re: wheel shake

Post by Jerry Whitt »

Is this car a convertible? If so there is supposed to be weighted containers in each corner of the engine compartment and trunk area.


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WinginEngineer
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Re: wheel shake

Post by WinginEngineer »

The wheels have been balanced, but were they checked for straightness?

How about the alignment? Have you had that checked?

What about your axle shafts? Balanced and straight?

Big one: what about your tires? How old are they? I've got a tahoe that the tires looked great but were a good 5 years old (which is anchient in arizona). I had a vibration that would come on at 65-70. I thought for sure it was balance... until it got much worse over the course of 2 days and the tire delaminated with the origin clearly visible as the "bubble" the tire had in it for some time.

Those are just what comes to mind right off the bat. There are many factors that can cause seemingly speed dependant vibrations.
Kevin - Phoenix/Mesa, AZ
1962 Corvair 700
Gearfinger
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Re: wheel shake

Post by Gearfinger »

The balance weights welded to brake drums sometimes come off. You may need to back off the front wheel brake adjusters for the hub and drum to spin freely, then spin and watch to see if a drum falls to the same position every time it stops spinning. If so, replacement may be easier than getting it balanced.

I went through this with my Greenbrier just yesterday...
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azdave
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Re: wheel shake

Post by azdave »

I'm guessing it's not as minor as "cowl shake" which is a bit of shimmy or flex you can feel in Corvair convertibles when they hit a bump or railroad track crossing. The harmonic dampers mounted in the four corners of the car will help with that but it's not a huge difference.

When you hit a bump is the steering wheel dancing strongly in your hands or do you feel it more in your seat?
Dave W. from Gilbert, AZ

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terribleted
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Re: wheel shake

Post by terribleted »

One common cause of shake is worn steering linkage components. Worn Idler arm and/or pitman arm bushing could be the issue. Jack the front end off the ground at the crossmember. Grab the front and rear of the left front tire and observe the idler arm and pitman arm bushing while moving the wheel right and left with your hands. There should be zero up and down movement of the idler arm and no slop at the pitman arm bushing.
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bbodie52
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Re: wheel shake

Post by bbodie52 »

Below is something I posted on this subject a couple of years ago that may apply to your problem...
bbodie52 wrote:
91blaze wrote:...steering is a little sloppy, is this normal or will the box need replaced?
:think: The play in the steering wheel on your car could be a steering box issue, but a likely culprit is often a worn-out pitman arm bushing. I have seen examples where the rubber in the bushing is completely missing — leaving only an empty shell with a bolt through it and a lot of slop in the steering. Of course the rubber bushing can also just show some decay, but it should be checked out. I've included some pictures below to help you.

Pitman Arm Bushing Info :link: http://corvaircenter.com/phorum/read.ph ... 186,518425

:link: http://www.corvair.com/user-cgi/catalog ... N&page=156
Image

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If you do need to get into the steering box, this reference may be useful...
Rebuilding a Corvair Steering Box.pdf
Rebuilding a Corvair Steering Box
(570.04 KiB) Downloaded 18 times
I have attached a copy of the applicable section of the 1965 Corvair Chassis Shop Manual...
1965 Corvair Chassis Shop Manual - SECTION 9 - STEERING.pdf
1965 Corvair Chassis Shop Manual - SECTION 9 - STEERING
(4.31 MiB) Downloaded 26 times
Grabbing the pitman arm and shaking it might not reveal anything. But having an assistant rock the steering wheel back and forth while you lay under the front of the car and observe the steering action might reveal any loose or sloppy steering linkage.
Brad Bodie
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Image 1966 Corvair Corsa Convertible
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terribleted
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Re: wheel shake

Post by terribleted »

I find you can get see any slop better by moving the steering at the wheel itself rather than via the steering wheel. You can impart faster greater steering linkage movement by manually steering the wheel right and left rather than thru the steering box using the steering wheel, allowing easier identification of looseness in any parts.
Corvair guy since 1982. I have personally restored at least 20 Vairs, many of them restored ground up.
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Wagon Master
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Re: wheel shake

Post by Wagon Master »

terribleted wrote: Mon Jul 31, 2017 9:31 am I find you can get see any slop better by moving the steering at the wheel itself rather than via the steering wheel. You can impart faster greater steering linkage movement by manually steering the wheel right and left rather than thru the steering box using the steering wheel, allowing easier identification of looseness in any parts.
What?
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terribleted
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Re: wheel shake

Post by terribleted »

Wagon Master wrote: Tue Aug 01, 2017 4:30 am
terribleted wrote: Mon Jul 31, 2017 9:31 am I find you can get see any slop better by moving the steering at the wheel itself rather than via the steering wheel. You can impart faster greater steering linkage movement by manually steering the wheel right and left rather than thru the steering box using the steering wheel, allowing easier identification of looseness in any parts.
What?
Exactly what I said. Jacking the front of the car and grabbing the front and rear of a front tire and steering by pulling on the tire makes more direct movement in the steering rods than does turning the steering box with the steering wheel. You Directly input forces Directly across the tie rods which will put greater forces on the pitman arm bushing and idler arm than steering with the steering wheel. This will show any play way before steering from the steering wheel will.
Corvair guy since 1982. I have personally restored at least 20 Vairs, many of them restored ground up.
Currently working full time repairing Corvairs and restoring old cars.
https://www.facebook.com/tedsautorestoration/

Located in Snellville, Georgia
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