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Old 02-28-2010, 09:45 AM   #6
denisond3
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Re: 95 mercury tracer wobbles when i give it gas

I have a car that does the same thing - my 87 Omni hatchback. Im pretty sure its the bushing in the lower control arms. There are two in each arm on my omn - the usual cylindrical one on the inner, and a doughnut shaped one where the rear 'leg' of the control arm is attached to the frame.
And loose ball joints will do it too.
You could try swapping tires, front to back, since ANY out of roundness will make the effect of spongy bushings a lot worse. So will a lack of toe-in. I have been told that a damaged bearing assembly at the top of the strut will allow the shaking to happen. So I might need to replace that item.

So far my Escorts dont have that shake - but since they might have it someday, I would be glad to hear what turns out to be the problem.

And of course, check that your tires are balanced, and that they are really round. Having a front wheel jacked up off the ground and spinning it can show up both imbalance and out of round. Remember though, with only one wheel turning, 40 mph on the speedometer means the one wheel is turning the same as it would be at 80mph. !!!
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