Odd vibration

[Stormhammer]

alright, for awhile I had had bad vibrations at higher speeds, got my tires replaced and balanced, the bad vibrations went away - anywho back up to highway speed - anywhere from arbound 60-80mph, there's always an odd pulsing vibration, that will like build up and fade away, build up and fade away, nothing HUGE, but its noticeable -and its in 1 second intervals more or less.

The car is also a 1997 Nissan Maxima with aroudn 182k to clock. I'm worried it might be the tranny or something :( any input or ideas of what to get checked would be awesome! :D

[Eclipse1000]

i had that happen once it would happen at 70 mph exactly if i went to 80mph it would stop.. all i did was change wheels completely and it went away

[GSRteg®]

What about front alignment?

[CSquared]

Before you waste your time and money on an alignment...

First, I would have the balancing done again... It's recommended that you rotate and balance every 5000 miles... Check the air pressure and have them take a look at your wheels during the spin balance to see if any are bent.

Then, have somebody shake down your front end... Check ball joints, tie rods, and so on.

Finally... The first question i ask is whether or not it does this when under load... If the car shakes with your foot off the gas, it shouldn't be tranny or anything like that. If the car only does it when you are under load, then you might be looking at a drive train issue such as the axles.

[Stormhammer]

^^ thanks

still learning the ropes of problem solving maintenance wise, so bare with me if it seems obvious

[Flip]

Yah, try the things that cramer said, expecially figuring out if the vibration is under load or not.

Other things to consider might be your wheel bearings. I'm thinking its most likely an out of round wheel tho...

[Stormhammer]

well today I went up to 80 and put it in neutral and it was still doing it ( put it neutral because thats the most assured way to make sure it wasnt under load, but I also just let off the gas as well ) - did the same thing in both instances

I am wondering if its the ball joints or some suspension components. Unless I'm just going crazy but sometimes its felt like my front end shifts from side to side

[Turbodude06]

^^^ Oh that doesn't sound good at all....

[2.0civic]

could be ax axle or wheel bearing..does it click at all when you turn? you have tires rebalanced

[CSquared]

well today I went up to 80 and put it in neutral and it was still doing it ( put it neutral because thats the most assured way to make sure it wasnt under load, but I also just let off the gas as well ) - did the same thing in both instances

I am wondering if its the ball joints or some suspension components. Unless I'm just going crazy but sometimes its felt like my front end shifts from side to side

Yeah... Just go to a local shop and ask them to take care of all the stuff i was talking about. The best thing you can do when trying to diagnose a problem with a car is to keep it simple... Take care of the most likely/cheapest possible causes first.

Actually... Since it says you are in lawrenceville, I'd recommend stopping by the NTB on highway 78. I work there and can attest to the fact that those guys aren't going to try to sell you a bunch of shit that you don't need. The mechanics know their shit and are some of the very few that i would ever let touch my car. I'm only there fri-sun but if you show up, tell them you are a friend of chris's (cramer). It really depends on th person you wind up talking to, but they might help you out a little bit on pricing.

[Z U L8R]

i put my number on tie rods since you said it will pull from side to side, wheel bearings make a roaring noise plus nissans are sealed units and barely ever need replacement, jack up the front end and shake the tire back and forth like you're making it turn right and left, shake it like that and if you feel any play then it's your tie rods. if you feel a little play then as you're shaking look at the outer tie rod and see if that is where the looseness is, if it's firm but there's still play in there then it's your inner tie rods. but all in all you should still balance the tires again while you're at it.

[Derek2]

do you guys think that the same answers would apply to my civic?? weird vibration under load starts at 70mph and will get worse as i gain speed,but when i let off the gas it stops instantly and pulls a little to the left. i replaced the clutch and right axle about a year ago and the left axle had been replaced about three years ago. also it seems like at low speeds if im in the gas and let off then get back in the gas it feels like the engine and tranny twists a little....could a bolt be missing on a trans mount to be causing all this?? any info or solutions will be appreciated and i work on my own shit under this big shade tree so taking to a mechanic is out of the question,thanks in advance.

[95alty]

Might want to check the axles, wheel bearings, and tie rods... Your symptoms seem to be in that area. Hope that helped