Ok, here goes.

Took the car to Nissan. They stated the tires were coming apart. I took it back to Discount tire and they replaced all tires for free

I have Monsoon wheels and have just had them balanced and aligned again. Not the problem.

At about 60 or so, when I accelerate the front end is shaking. The steering wheel shakes and I am freaking out. I have to get it to stop. What else could it be?

Also, when I come to a stop, the car almost dies. I had to tap the gas pedal about 3 or 4 times before it moved, felt like back pressure not letting the car move. Any ideas? When I had it in at Nissan, they changed the fuel filter and did the 100000 mile maintenance to try to prevent this. Of course, they could not replicate the stalling. Any ideas? Maybe a bad cat or sensor somewhere?


Sorry for the length but I need help.

Thanks
95GXe

 

for the shaking, you may need an alignment. the tires could be out of spec causing the tires to fall apart and the nonsmoothness. as for the low idle problem, others on the board have the same problem with no resloution. good luck

 

Again, I just had the alignment done and the tires re-balanced.

Thanks

 

overread that bit of info

is your supension completely stock? which part of the front is shaking, inside the cabin, the engine bay area, or is it just the steering wheel itself?

 

This is an important clue. If you are traveling "about 60 or so" at a steady speed, is there no shake?

Defective tires or bent wheels will produce symptoms even if you shift to Neutral and turn the ignition off. If your shaking is felt only during acceleration you should investigate the drivetrain.

 

It is all stock. Except for the rims and tires. Whole front end is shaking. Steering wheel, Dash etc...

If the struts are bad, will that affect this?

thanks
95GXe

 

Drivetrain looks good, boots are fine and all is greased.

Thanks
95GXe

 

If you are traveling "about 60 or so" at a steady speed, is there no shake?

I doubt that worn struts would produce the shaking you reported.

You may evaluate your struts by performing the Bumper Jounce test. Park the car on a level surface. Walk to any corner and use your weight to press down on the bumper. As soon as it sinks, release it and let it come up. As soon as it comes up, press down again. Do this three or four times. When you have a good up-and-down rhythm going, press down one last time, step back, and observe. If the body comes up just once and stops, the strut at that corner is good. If the body continues to oscillate, the strut at that corner is bad. Repeat this Bumper Jounce test at the other three corners.

 

Correct. Rides smooth until the accelerator is pressed.

Thanks
95GXe

 

This moves the Spotlight Of Suspicion away from the wheels and tires, and toward the drivetrain. Drivetrain includes engine, transmission, and drive axles. If the engine misfires on one particular cylinder the whole engine and car will shake. A cracked or broken accessory mounting bracket may produce a shaking at a particular engine speed.

Another test you may make is to drive "about 60 or so" in a lower gear. If your Maxima is an automatic, hit the button to turn overdrive off. That will force the transmission from 4th to 3rd. If your Maxima is a 5-speed, drive in 4th instead of 5th. You want to determine whether the shaking still occurs at the same road speed. If so, the engine is probably blameless. If the shaking occurs at the same rpm but a different road speed, then your investigation should focus on engine and engine-driven accessories.

Has the Check Engine Light ever turned on? Has there been any recent repair history which might be relevent? Has the car ever been in a crash?

 

The car has never been wrecked. It does this at any speed but I can feel it best at 60 - 70. I have done the gear thing (automatic) and it does not seem to matter. I have checked motor mounts and do not see anything.

The reason I asked about Struts is because she (my car) has about 130000 and they have never been changed. The ride still seems good.

The check engine light has also never come on, I take too good of care of her.

Thanks for continuing to try to help.

95 GXe

 

Did you perform the Boumper Jounce test? What were the results?

Worn-out struts generally result in sloppy handling, wandering left and right on bumpy roads, and the scallop-type tire wear pattern called "cupping".

 

Hit any curbs lately? Really ruff terain?......it sounds like a bent rim...i recently hit a curb..actually drove on the median trying to race and my car rides like you explained almost exactly...it is my front right rim......it might help if you tell some one to drive your car really slow and stand at the rear angle of your car and watch it drive off at like 5mph for a while...you might catch a glimpse of one wheel shaking..if it does it is bent...BUT it still can be bent if you see nothing at all..but just a helpful hint...it worked for me

 

also something that might help...if the front end is shaking and only when you press the accelerator..then it might be just a front rim...also try to put the stock rims back on and see if the problem continues..if not....bent rim...

 

You kept the stock rims?? WOW. I have never bounced off a curb in this car. My van is a different story (curb = Air bags = front end damage). Anyway My rims are good. They balance with little weights and seem to roll real good.

Why would it only shake if I am pressing the accelerator if the rim is bad, I would assume that it would shake all the time?

I guess, I will get under it again and check the grease in the boots. It does not appear to be leaking but I keep it so clean, I could just be washing it away.

95GXe

 

When you are under the car checking the Constant Velocity joints, be sure to check the condition of the right-hand drive axle support bearing and the retainer in which it is mounted.

 

Go to http://www.babcox.com/editorial/cm/cm119744.htm to read a good article about Failing CV Joint Symptoms. Author Larry Carley provides a list of bad CV joint symptoms, including this one:

A shudder or vibration when accelerating. Excessive play in either the inboard or outboard joints can sometimes cause this, but the most likely cause is a worn inboard plunge joint.

 

I would like to thank the acedemy for all their help. I will get to the joints this weekend. Keep the ideas flowing and I will update when necessary.

If anybody also has any idea about the dying of the car while driving or slowing, I still think it is back pressure from the Cat. I thnink I may get this replaced and see.

95GXe

 

I respectfully disagree. An obstructed exhaust system presents no problem at low rpms. The symptoms manifest themselves at high rpms, when the engine is trying to "inhale" a large amount of combustible mixture, burn it, and then "exhale" it through the exhaust system.

The same is true for an obstructed engine air intake. No trouble at low rpm, no power at high rpm.

 

OK, sorry I did not make myself clear, This tends to happen after accelerating on the highway or starting hard from a light then letting the car run normal or slowing quickly just after the starts or hard accelerations.

95GXe

 

Here are some tests for a clogged catalytic converter, with the sources of each.

From http://www.misterfixit.com/cat.htm

You can do a vacuum check at idle and then at 1500 RPM. If the vacuum is say 21 inches at idle and like 15 inches at 1500 then the cat is likely clogged.


From http://www.ghg.net/fastlaw/vacuum.html

Blipping engine speed ... Quick drop to zero then return to
normal reading indicates that the Muffler is clear.
Blipping engine speed ... Slow drop of pointer then slow return
to normal reading indicates that the Muffler is choked or blocked.


From http://www.turbotektoys.com/_TipsDisc/00000007.htm

Connect vacuum gauge, run car at 2500 RPM. If the converter is plugged, the vacuum will slowly drop. A one minute test is plenty of time.


From http://www.2carpros.com/topics/catcon.htm

To test for a plugged converter, drill a small hole in the exhaust pipe right before the catalytic converter. Install a temporary hose fitting and attach a long rubber hose and a 0 to 10 pound pressure gauge. With the gauge inside the car, drive up a hill or accelerate and read the pressure. Normal is 2 to 3 pounds, restricted 4 pounds or higher. The drawback to this method is the small hole will need to be welded shut after the test; a minor job if you have a welder.

 

I have Konig Monsoons also on my car and I also had the same shaking as you describe. The cause - these wheels need centering rings. If you don't have centering rings chances are that the wheels are not on the hubs correctly. The 10 bolt hole design on the Monsoon makes it very touchy. I managed to get them on correctly once without the rings, take your time with the wheel jacked up and s l o w l y tighten the nuts while shaking the wheel to make sure you've got it centered on the lugs. Go around very slowly and evenly. I even used a little wd40 on the lugs and hubs. Then test drive it. Go directly to a wheel center and order the correct centering rings for those wheels. Trust me, your shake will dissappear.......

 

Nope, done that also. I have not tried myself though, maybe Discount and NTB put them on wrong.

Maybe I will retry by hand this weekend.

Thanks

 

i just said front wheel bent because it is a front wheel drive car and will affect the shaking a lot more...you didn't keep your stock rims????? what do you do in the winter??? i feel for your tires on your rims...anyway just a sugestion...thought it might help...thanks

 

I re-rotated the wheels just in case, same thing. Not much of a winter here in Dallas. Just keep it clean and drive the van on icy days.

Thanks though
95GXe

 

These are the EXACT same symptoms I'm having.

Did you ever find a solution?

Looks like you haven't logged on in over a year, but ifigure it's worth a shot to ask.

IanS

 

Three possibilties (or a combination)

1. A bad cvc joint(s). Does it crunch some when start from a stop. Does the vibration at speed seem to come from on side more then the other. Wheel hops too easily? I am preparing to replace all. @#$%!

2. Clutch. Old? Do you hammer on it? If a pad is blown out, you are way out of balance. Does the vibration feel like rocking front to back?

3. Rims. Have them spun without the tires to see if they are true.
Yes, you haven't hit anything, but it is cheap to check and would be a manufacturing defect. When you buy em. Make the dealer spin em!

Also, old struts may not be damping out any of the vibration from the higher rotation speeds and any of the above. As mentioned in a previous post, if the vibration is consistant a a particular speed, as opposed to RPM, it is not the engine.

 

Keith - I was just asking him what it was - this post if over a year old and he never updated, but it's the only post that has the same symptoms of my car....(In case you didn't notice that)

Anyway - I have a new axle sitting right next to me - I figure that's it - I don't feel a crunch on takeoff, but I do wheel hop a little more than I used to - But I'm Auto.....

Anyway, I'm replacing the axle tomorrow - but the idea of the Cat being clogged hadn't occurred to me - but that could be it too - guess I'll find out.

IanS

 

I never even looked at the dates.

I had my bro-in-law pace me in his rig while listening to both sides of the car. I doing exploratory surgury tomorrow now...

The back pressure test is an interesting idea too. good thing my nephew has a TIG welder.

Tell me how it goes.

 

It's in the drive line someplace then. You axels may look good, but something isn't right internally.

 

Replaced my axle today - I was right, inboard CV Joint.