My car (4-door 91 Accord) shakes whenever I drive. The steering wheel vibrates, as well as the seat, pedals, and floor. It's been like that for almost a year now. A couple months ago I got the tires aligned & balanced and the shaking stopped for a bit, but it soon returned to its old ways.

Recently the shaking seemed more severe and I could feel a rhythmic "bump bump bump" under the floor in addition to the usual. It made me pretty nervous and I haven't driven since. The car was in a minor accident before I bought it (bent fender/door), so maybe there was some frame damage?

I'm worried that this problem will be very costly to fix Also I'm worried that if I drive anymore the car will shake itself apart. Any estimates on what is wrong / how much to fix / how dangerous it is to continue driving?

thanks

3/28/2006 6:16:12 PM

does it happen only under acceleration? when you're moving? at idle?

Is there something you can point your finger at and say "its worse when I do <this>"

3/28/2006 6:30:57 PM

I've been trying to spot a pattern but not much luck so far

The wheel vibrates faster when I'm going fast, and slower when I'm going slow. The wheel doesn't move when I'm stopped. Acceleration and going up big hills usually makes the whole car shake worse, but not always. Changing gears has no effect.

3/28/2006 6:35:25 PM

are there any particular speeds at which it is markedly more or less pronounced (in amplitude, not frequency)?

3/28/2006 6:44:06 PM

ok i didnt read the thread, but get your wheels balanced. then see if it shakes.

then check your bearings.

if it still shakes then light it on fire

3/28/2006 6:48:53 PM

yea, balancing is cheap. Try that first.

3/28/2006 6:53:58 PM

alignment.

3/28/2006 7:04:16 PM

alignment wont cause shakes..

Go grab a lifetime alignment thing ($7.50 per tire or something like that) from Wal Mart

the *thump*thump*thump* makes me think you have a flat spot or a bubble on your tire

3/28/2006 7:10:24 PM

If you've had those tires for a long time (a year)...they could have worn unevenly.

3/28/2006 7:21:32 PM

I will bet ten dozen donuts that you have a tire with a busted belt or some other problem (like a big cupped area).

Stoopfucks at the tire places are probably missing this altogether.

I'll be glad to drive it and give you my input if you'd like.

3/28/2006 7:44:32 PM

if you can deal with it until your tires get worn down a bit more then you can just get a fresh set, and take it to a shop and get tires mounted and balanced.

that should fix the prob.

if not then you are dealing with some big $$ issues

3/28/2006 8:06:22 PM

usually a thumping is gonna be a tire problem, a fast vibration is gonna be a wheel bearing, and a violent shaking is a bent rim

3/28/2006 8:12:08 PM

Quote :

"The wheel vibrates faster when I'm going fast, and slower when I'm going slow. The wheel doesn't move when I'm stopped. Acceleration and going up big hills usually makes the whole car shake worse, but not always. Changing gears has no effect."

nerdchick, read what you posted very carefully. for someone who can figure out a fucking rubics cube, you shouldn't have any problem figuring this one out.

3/28/2006 8:19:25 PM

you mean a rubix cube?

3/28/2006 8:38:48 PM

what the fuck ever.

3/28/2006 8:43:36 PM

you better get those tires checked asap. I've had a good many belts in tires break and every time it caused symptoms like you describe. I've never had a tire blow, but it is very likely to happen if you have a flaw in a tire bad enough to cause shaking like that

3/28/2006 8:45:14 PM

you mean Rubik's?

3/28/2006 8:51:11 PM

I called the tire thing, punks

3/28/2006 8:51:46 PM

^^I don't remember asking you a god damn thing.

3/28/2006 8:53:25 PM

my car has either bad wheel bearings, or bad cv joints, or the rotors are scraping the brake pads constantly.. or maybe a lil bit of everything.. my car does the same thing as urs. the wheels are balanced on mine and that isnt the prob.

3/28/2006 9:05:36 PM

I've had the same tires for 2 years, but I don't drive much so they have about 15k miles on them, would that be enough to cause uneven wear? they haven't been rotated

Quote :

"are there any particular speeds at which it is markedly more or less pronounced (in amplitude, not frequency)?"

Sometimes on the highway the car will stop shaking or will shake less violently. Doesn't seem to be speed related though, it sometimes happens at 55, sometimes at 75, or in between.

Quote :

"alignment."

yeah I tried that, but the problem came back in a week or so. Also the steering wheel tends to pull to the left, I don't know if that has anything to do with it.

3/28/2006 9:39:24 PM

drive it towards a cliff, put a brick on the pedal, and roll out of the car before it goes over

3/28/2006 9:49:13 PM

take the car and get it jacked up. check all susp. components for anything out of normal.

check axles and subframe and control arms.

but first, go the cheap route. get those tirs re balanced. if that doesnt fix. try newer tires (if you can let the current ones go).


but how bad is the shaking/vibrating can you handle it or does it get on your nerves big time?

3/28/2006 9:50:32 PM

you can flat-spot your tires if the car sits too long... i know a guy that works at a ford dealership and he said he often has to change the tires on cars/trucks that sit on the lot for a long time.

3/28/2006 9:51:57 PM

replace LH CV axle

3/28/2006 9:55:41 PM

Quote :

"but how bad is the shaking/vibrating can you handle it or does it get on your nerves big time?"

It's not too bad, like I said it's been that way for a while now. But the last time I drove it felt worse, and I heard/felt the thumping noise which never happened before. I'm too nervous to drive anymore until I have a better idea what's wrong.

3/28/2006 10:10:17 PM

motor mounts

3/28/2006 10:17:32 PM

het the two pornstars out of the trunk and send them my way

3/28/2006 11:02:20 PM

you should spend less time peeling and resticking little colored squares and more time diagnosing your car



could also be the fender falling off

[Edited on March 28, 2006 at 11:11 PM. Reason : n00bed all over myself]

3/28/2006 11:10:21 PM

check your lug nuts

3/28/2006 11:39:40 PM

^ thats the first thing that popped into my head, but i figured that would have been a no-brainer..

3/29/2006 12:02:23 AM

take it to discount tire, they should be able to diagnose at least 2 of your tires. Then after you paid for all four to be checked, take it to somewhere else where perhaps they will check 3 of your tires. By the time you have hit up discount, merchants, just tires, and ntb, you ought to have spend 3 grand and have something that works.

3/29/2006 7:37:47 AM

Quote :

"peeling and resticking little colored squares"

no wai dude, I solve the cube by turning the sides!

thanks for all the advice so far guys

3/29/2006 9:05:12 AM

4x4x4 rubix cube is no easy task

3/29/2006 10:13:24 AM

^ you'd have a tough time with a 1x1x1

3/29/2006 11:52:22 AM

Quote :

""peeling and resticking little colored squares""

peeling and sticking? thats so middle school

college students just pop it apart and put it back together so it is finished.

3/29/2006 12:33:50 PM

take the hooker out of your trunk

3/29/2006 12:39:39 PM

take it to a real shop, or zxappeal

3/29/2006 10:32:07 PM

^ AAA @ avent ferry/gorman?

3/29/2006 10:49:10 PM

your internal damping system might be off. either that or your structural integrity field might be fluctuating.

3/29/2006 10:52:11 PM

OMF FLUCTUATING STRUCTURAL INTEGRITY FIELD!

good thing you havent driven it...

3/29/2006 10:54:18 PM

Motor mounts on an Accord of that era will cause a shake at idle, which goes away once you get moving. Been there, done that, different problem.

3/30/2006 12:13:17 AM

When I had my Geo Storm (stop laughing), I had a bent tire rod that made the steering wheel virbrate violently at higher speeds and some at low.

3/30/2006 9:23:33 AM

^tie rod?

3/30/2006 10:01:28 AM

k so I took it in, turns out my rims are bent

they're going to charge $100 apiece to replace them, not sure if that is just parts or if labor is included

can anybody on here do it cheaper?

4/14/2006 7:57:28 PM

if they are just steel wheels with hubcaps you are way over paying

4/14/2006 8:00:53 PM

are they all bent? are they repairing them or replacing them?

what sort of wheels are they? steel? aluminum? steel with hubcap?

4/14/2006 8:04:05 PM

That's an EX, so they're not steelies. Aluminum or some sort of alloy.

4/14/2006 8:20:52 PM

Also, are they telling you they're all bent? Though I guess x could have been bent before (when it was shaking before you got alignment/balance), and y were bent in a different incident, causing your recent worsened shake and bump-bump-bump...

4/14/2006 8:23:46 PM

Make sure to tell them you want the old wheels.
Make sure to tell them you want the old wheels.
Make sure to tell them you want the old wheels.
Make sure to tell them you want the old wheels.
Make sure to tell them you want the old wheels.
Make sure to tell them you want the old wheels.
Make sure to tell them you want the old wheels.

You will want to keep the best for a later time, when you may need it. The other three given to me, I may even give a few $$ for them.

4/14/2006 8:53:39 PM