Violent shaking on freeway Help

Rate39d M · 6th December 2007, 06:31

Ok, im driving northbound i-5 before smokey point in a notoriously rutted stretch of the interstate, my car is doing the normal small wobble from the ruts, then suddenly started shaking violently. I mean it was really shaking, felt like a wheel was going to fall off. Didnt matter if i was on the gas or not, but accelerating seemed to make it worse. I pulled over and inspected the car and couldnt find anything out of the ordinary. Got back on the freeway and drove to bellingham without any problems, no wobbles. Upon returning to seattle, going southbound near the same stretch of road, it happened again. It seems that the ruts in the road are triggering somthing on my car to cause the violent shaking. ive researched this and it seem that it may be the control arm/thrust arm and the assosiated bushings. My car does seem to track poorly and wants to swerve and follow any and every contour of the road. I read about another incident involving a drive shaft bearing, but im not sure, I really need some help on this one.

Need4Spd · 6th December 2007, 06:38

First, you need to get this inspected and corrected before you have a serious accident. It sounds like you have a bad thrust arm bushing but it could be worse. I would even consider having it flatbedded to the nearest indy or dealer. Standing next to each wheel, if you grab it tightly and pull really hard, do you feel any movement?

Ben Carufel · 6th December 2007, 06:42

Quote:

Originally Posted by Need4Spd

Standing next to each wheel, if you grab it tightly and pull really hard, do you feel any movement?

Rated M, also try the above with each front wheel jacked up (one by one). There shouldn't be any side-to-side or up-and-down play in the wheel, at all.

Rate39d M · 6th December 2007, 06:43

pulling the car or the wheel? I tried pulling all the wheels and didnt notice anything

Wi_KeD_M5 · 6th December 2007, 07:05

Rate39d M,

Pull on the wheel.

Do you have a jack handy? Jack up the car at each of the jack points and try to move the wheel around. It should only rotate, but should not have any other kind of play.

You don't hear any thumps when this happens do you? Although it does sound like it could be thrust arm(s)/bushings, just trying to think of anything that might be able to help explain outside of an indy that could be easily checked.

Have you peeked at your sway bar brackets?

Has your car been sitting for a while such that a flat spot may have formed on one of the wheels?

Maybe one other quick visual check might be to check the bolts near the rear suspension/wheel area. Member Ocean's M5 posted this thread with pictures where a bolt may have worked itself loose. Don't know what the symptoms of this would be.

Until you get the car to the dealer/indy, these might allow you too see if there is anything obvious.

Hope it isn't anything too bad.

Rate39d M · 6th December 2007, 07:13

Car hasnt been sitting, and it never shakes even the slightest bit on a smooth road.
I beilive it was thumping when it happened. Didnt sound like anything like the engine or tranny, felt more like I lost a major suspension component, or my wheel wasnt tightend.

Tomorrow I may be able to jack it up, I have not checked the sway bar brackets either. Is this possible to check without jacking?

Racerxjling · 6th December 2007, 09:08

How many miles on the car? Bushings ever been replaced?

Jeff

Rate39d M · 6th December 2007, 09:15

72000, not sure I am planning on redoing the control arms and thrust arms and the bushings, as well as the sway bar brackets. I also am curious if my guido or driveshaft bearing has anything to do with it. My freind thinks its the balljoints because its only happened when the road is heavily rutted causing the car to bounce, taking the normal wieght off the joint and allowing it to move around.

Racerxjling · 6th December 2007, 09:23

At 72k miles I would change LCA/thrust arm bushings & ball joints anyway esp. if you plan on keeping the car. Broken sway bar brackets wouldn't cause a violent shaking at all esp. on a straight line when there is no load on the sway bars. The guibo is easy to check once the car is jacked up as well but I doubt this is the problem.

Jeff

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rate39d M

72000, not sure I am planning on redoing the control arms and thrust arms and the bushings, as well as the sway bar brackets. I also am curious if my guido or driveshaft bearing has anything to do with it. My freind thinks its the balljoints because its only happened when the road is heavily rutted causing the car to bounce, taking the normal wieght off the joint and allowing it to move around.

Rate39d M · 6th December 2007, 09:29

so would loose balljoints also cause the car to track poorly/feel loose?