So my 02 SE has about 170K miles and has been well maintained. About six months ago I started having this shimmy, which seemed like it was in the front, but no matter how much they try to balance the tires it would not go away. I even bought new tires and it still did not go away. Finally, they said they found the problem and it was a bad or lose control arm on the front right. they replaced it and the shimmy got better but still did not go away. I have taken it to three places and no one tell me whats wrong. Now I can't drive over 60 without the whole car shaking. Any ideas on what might be causing this issue?

 

Could be a failing wheel bearing. Is there any noise associated with the vibration?

 

No noise at all. Could it be the struts or the strut assembly?

 

it could even be a cv shaft gone bad. i would try that

 

Tie rods probably?

 

I had a bad wheel bearing on my Z for quite a while (ate away at surrounding metal) before I heard a thing. Still worth checking when you get it in the air along with the cv/ties/etc.

 

when does it shimmy? upon acceleration? cruising? what?

 

Cruising...right around 60 plus mph. Before that I don't really feel anything. If its worth anything, each time I attempt to have the tires balanced the shimmy is still there but it feels different. Like yesterday I had them balances and the shimmy actually feels worse than before.

 

I went through numerous wheel-balances last year trying to resolve an over-60 mph "shimmy", before one of the shops told me my passenger-side ball-joint was just a little bit loose. Not bad, just not rock-solid. Ball joints were replaced (and LCA bushings too, just because), and the ride was perfect.

A few months later, my main mechanic pointed out how the same passenger side wheel bearing was getting loose, however in my case that didn't translate into any "balance" or "shimmy" issue. (Both front wheel bearings got replaced, though. Can't have that.)

Based on my experience against what you're describing, I'm going to say ball-joint(s).

 

Whats a reasonable price to get the ball joints replaced? Also, what is the method for them determining if it's the ball joints?

 

Moog ball joints cost about $100+ for the pair. Installation could run 1-2 labor hours per side, depending. For this kind of thing, you really should be doing both sides at once. There's no requirement, per se, but if one side is bad, the other isn't far behind.

You could also purchase new Lower Control Arms, which usually come with ball-joints and fresh bushings already pressed in, so you get a 2-for-1 maintenance repair with that approach.

And, of course, after the fact you'll need to have your alignment checked and possibly corrected. That's another expense. Lastly, once you get a good mechanic looking things over, you may get advised to replace your FSB end-links (pretty common), or your lower tie-rod ends.

Get out your credit card, it's going to be a bumpy ride. (pun intended)

 

If they replaced the LCA, they replaced the ball joint for that side.

BUT,

THIS.

I had a shimmy, for lack of a better description, and changed my OTR's, and it's helped tremendously.

 

I recently had the lower control arm replaced on the passenger side, so it's possible the problem is on the driver side.

 

Right, he did say "control arm" in his first post. I'm used to seeing the phrase "LCA", so I missed that. And then in following up on my comment, the OP didn't make the connection either.

Good point, Manny. Um, other side then?

 

OTR's are cheaper and easier and much more possible. I would do those first.

 

While that's true, getting a front-end alignment with each blind "repair" can be an expense and an inconvenience.

 

Is there acronym file out here? I'm a little lost with "OP" and "OTR".

 

"Original Post" and/or "Original Poster" (you)

"Outer tie-rod"

 

I still haven't got an alignment after my OTR replacement. I know I should but she doesn't get much drive time.

40$/ alignment does get annoying after awhile.

My goal was to change the outer tie rods (OTR's) inner tie rods (ITR's), both lower control arms (LCA's), sway bar bushings, end links all at the same time, then go get an alignment.

So far, all I've done are OTR's, end links and sway bar bushings.

For the OTR's I counted the # of turns and marked an index using a sharpie, crude and rough. End links and sway bar bushings should have minimal effect on alignment.

I would contact Matt93SE for any debate or insight on alignment issues.

 

Insight, maybe. Likely, even.

But debate? BWA-HA-HA-HA!!!

 

Ok, this may be a dumb question, but have you tried rotating the wheels/tires to see if the shimmy changes at all? I see you replaced the tired, but did not mention anything about wheels. It is possible one or more of your wheels can be causing the shimmy.

I have a slight shimmy from 60 to 75 MPH, but I know it is due to a slightly bent wheel. Yes...I had it repaired, but the ultimate fix is to replace the wheel...not ready to replace my wheels (I have to replace all of them because they are no longer being made and cannot be found).

 

Trans diff bearings? Does it get worse when accelerating vs coasting in neutral. Also you'll notice trans oil leaking...

 

This is why you pop for the lifetime alignment if you know you're going to keep the car for a couple years. 150 bucks to have it aligned whenever I want regardless if I have installed new components? Wooooooorrrth it!

 

Really appreciate all the advice and took the information with me to two places, Kauffman Tires and NAPA. Have not taken the dealer route yet. Both places inspected the balance, wheels, and rims, and they were all to spec. Kauffman even swapped out the two front tires and rims and like clockwork the shimmy appeared right at 60MPH. They inspected both LCA's and by appearance they looked good. The shimmy is still there when I take my foot of the gas, which they looked for as well. Under 60 you do not feel any shake or vibration other than normal road. However, I am beginning to see another pattern that may help solve this problem.

When I first drive the car in the morning or just leaving work, I get up to between 60 - 70 MPH and I don't feel anything. Then after about 2 miles the shimmy starts and does not go away. I have driven the car three days in a row and have been able to replicate this each time. Weird. My next stop might be the dealer, but i am trying to avoid the expense.

 

any oil leaking from your cv seals ?

 

That all checked out fine. No oil leaking. After driving for a few more days I noticed it seems to be coming from the driver side which has the original LCA. In addition the shimmy comes and goes to different degrees. Would you suggest I just change that LCA as well?