Mharvey500

Hi, I have a 2000 infiniti i30, 160,000km, with vibration felt in steering wheel and gas pedal at highway speeds. Usually the vibration does not appear while accelerating up to speed, until letting off the gas and than vibration is the same whether accelerating, coasting, or decelleratinng, or shifting into neutral. I am suspecting the transmission because if the lack of vibration while accelerating, like something moves out from centrifugal force that is held in place by the initial acceleration.
I have replaced most things that cause vibration like motor mounts, ball joints, tie rods. Tires are balanced and running true.
Any suggestions as to what might be the cause would be very helpful. The car is very nice but not good for long trips because of this.

maxiiiboy

I have never heard of a transmission causing vibrations, but perhaps it's possible.
More likely, it's your CV axles - and I am taking from personal experience. There are quite a few threads on the subject; just search for "CV axles".

mclasser

+1 on the axles.

Mharvey500

The thing about cv axles is I don't get pronounced vibration on acceleration, it is the same regardless. For that reason I do not believe it is the cv axles. I have checked the subframe bushings and all 4 are not torn, but maybe they are soft - I won't know until I replace them. I will describe the vibration I bit more. It begins as a shudder around 80km/hr and develops into a vibration at higher speeds and persists right up to faster than 120km/hr.

LA02MAX

iTrader: (3)

Make sure your lug nuts are torqued, then maybe check for play in the front wheels to rule out wheel bearings or steering tie rods. It also could be a simple tire balance issue, and maybe you just don't notice the vibration while you're accelerating because it's not a steady state.

Prophecy99

iTrader: (1)

yea when your accelerating your feeling the engine and its hard to notice anything smaller, could be a wheel bearing .

Mharvey500

Could the wheel bearing be silent and still worn? Also I can't feel movement when I shake the wheels 12 and 6 o'clock
Just wanted to say how I appreciate this forum for the helpful support. .

Prophecy99

iTrader: (1)

mine rear one was silent (they may have been a small noise here and there but it wasn't a typical bearing noise if i remember correctly , there could have been other noises i was hearing around then as well) and cant rememeber if it budged with the 12 & 6 o clock home diagnosis, took it to my trusted mechanic and my bearing was shot, sorry i dont rememebr details, but u cant rule out bearings till a pro can check it , unless ur a pro =)

i had the vibrations, checks my tires, had them all reblanaced at $20 a piece and vibration was still there. had wheels tested for bends, etc etc, i kinda gave up and then the vibrations got worse and i knew it wasnt tires/wheels any more.

welcome, this place is the greatest, and makes Maxima ownership a great experience.

chrome91

iTrader: (1)

does it pull at all? a tire with a internal split will cause vibrations and a pull. also make sure you check for play at 3 and 9 oclock, 12 and 6 is usually wheel bearing but 3 and 9 play can be a bad outer tie rod

i'd check for play all around the wheel and maybe rotate your wheels, if nothing changes look into it being an axle. transmission itself shouldnt cause vibration, a bad mount maybe but not internal trans issues

Mharvey500

No pulling, and I just changed to winter tires with no basic change. I will recheck tie rods, etc., but I'm pretty sure they are good as I have changed all those for this very problem which has persisted for over a year. So I guess I'm looking at doing the CV axle, probably driver's side, even though there is not a specially strong vibration on acceleration.

Mharvey500

After searching on cv axles, I realize there are two causes of vibration, a seizing inner joint and unbalanced axle. Seizing inner joints only happen under acceleration when the ***** and grooves engage under load. Since that is not my experience I conclude it is an unbalanced axle. I hope I can test that by running the car while on stands.

Mharvey500

Problem solved: I noticed the left front caliper was consistently warmer than the right.:This was a rebuilt caliper purchased two years ago. It wasn't sticking enough to pull to one side. I took the caliper to a reputable rebuilder and the guy showed me how the cylinder was scored so the piston wasn't moving freely. With a new rebuilt caliper I am now able to cruise comfortably for long distances. I will be checking the brake hose as that side gravity bleeds much slower than the others (left front) . Maybe an internal restriction in the hose was enough to hold the sticking caliper.