DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Tailgate Forum Car Problem Question

Hey guys,

Once again, the station wagon is acting up. And since I don't really know cars that well, I'm calling out to my Dawgtalker Brethren for advice

So, for the past few weeks the steering wheel on my car shakes, and my car essentially wobbles or shimmies between the speeds of about 10-40mph in the road (it's not like it goes far left then far right, just a little). It doesn't do this when I accelerate really though. The wheel moves about two or three inches to the right (from center) and then two or three inches to the left (from center). It's a real pain in the butt.

So what I'm wondering is if you guys think it's just a wheel alignment problem, or if it's something to do with the axle. It's very noticeable sometimes, your body sometimes shakes while driving (or sitting, in my g/f's case) in the car.

The only thing I can think of was that it really started after a bad snowstorm when I had to get my car out of my driveway to let a plow do its job. But I'm not the most careful driver, and I've definitely run up on curbs (slowly, like when backing out of a small driveway in reverse, or making a right hand turn from a stopped position) and things like that.

I don't want to pay for a wheel alignment and find out it's a much bigger problem (because I honestly have very little money, I'm a poor graduate student who doesn't want to put himself into debt).

So yeah, anyone know much about cars and have good advice? Does this sound like my wheels need to be re-aligned, or do I have to take it to the mechanic and get it on a lift and spend more money because my axle is going to break off or a wheel is going to fall off?

Well here's my take as a guy that's had to work on some beaters over the years.
Could be you need an alignment.
Or...
Have you looked at the tires? Sometimes wheels will get a"blowout" area/bulge. This can cause the steering wheel to do what you're describing.
Or...
Does the front end make a growling sort of noise? A bad CV joint can cause the steering wheel to move. It's something that once comprimised can fall apart while on the move. Not a good thing to have happen.

Look at the tires for uneven wear. Get them balanced.

Otherwise it sounds like a front end problem.

In my unexpert opinion it sounds like something is out of balance.

Could be one of or morre of a number of things.

Bent rim, Bubbled tire or tire worn funny from needing an alignment, bad wheel bearring (tends to hum), bad ball joint etc.

I understand why people post these things on here but really all the advice you are gonna usually get is to take it somewhere to be checked out. With all the little sounds and noises cars can make it's really impossible to tell someone what is wrong with thier car without actually inspecting it first hand.

And saying all that my best advice is to get it to a shop,preferably one that will give you a free quote and will actually show you and explain to you what the problem is. Have them get it on a lift and inspect it. I could probably walk you through an inspection if you just have a simple floor jack and are a bit mechanically inclined.

sounds like ice buildup in your wheel wells or a broken belt in your tire.

I'd guess it's a problem with your tires - how old/how miles do they have? Do you rotate them frequently?

My car started doing the same thing just the past week or so. I looked at the tires and found the right front tire has a broken belt. You can tell that by looking at the tread, fully, all around the tire, and if you notice the tread, (normally running in a straight line around the circumference of the tire), has a jog in it then you probably have a broken belt.

The best way to check for this is to jack up a front wheel, spin it and watch the travel of the tread pattern. If the tread pattern wobbles but the wheel/tire doesn't then that's your problem.

I'm off to get a tire tomorrow morning.

Hillbilly fix: If you find a broken belt on your front tire just move it to the back and your steering wheel won't wobble and shake like that. Really.

Alignment, probably. It is rare a tire needs to be rebalanced, unless one of the weights was thrown. Check both front wheels to see if there is the adhesive residue remnant from a missing weight.

A tire shop/mechanic will put it on a lift and measure alignment for you. It will probably be way out of spec on one or both front corners, and they don't charge that much for the fix (I think, it's been a while.)

Good luck.

Take it to a shop and have it evaluated by a person who can actually look at the vehicle as opposed to having it described to them on an internet message board.

Cherck the tires/wheels, alignment, and axel in that order. Always start at the easy/cheapest probs first and work up.

Don't listen to word any one of these guys said, they're all lying to you... We all know it;s the flux capacitor not getting enough power.

Do you have fresh plutonium for that flux capacitor?? It needs that 1GW to make it work!!

OK, while we're being funny, this is probably something very simple and should be diagnosed by a pro.

As a young man, I was known to spend a lot of time researching and correcting these kinds of problems, had fun, drank beer, always learned a lot, and fixed a few things that didn't need fixing.

pretty much the same thing happened to me a few weeks ago, car pulled to the left and the steering wheel shook, I needed new front tires. Probably should have had them rotated.