2000 Jimmy 4x4 Vibration / Shakes on highway

[stewieaz]

I have a 2000 Jimmy 4x4 Diamond Ed. that i bought from a used car dealer with 73,000 miles about 4 months ago, not knowing the history obviously. On the freeway it shakes and shimmys (as opposed to a vibration from a bad tire balance) from speeds between 60-85 mph. I was the told the tires were seperating at high speed, so i replaced all four. Didnt stop the shake at all. I replaced all 4 shocks thinking it was wheel hop, still did not stop the shaking. I had it aligned, the toe and caster were off a bit, but still no effect on the shake/shimmy. For shits and giggles, i had the wheels checked again for proper balance - they were all fine.
The wierd thing is, this shake/shimmy is intermintent, it comes and goes. It sems to be brought on by acceleration/deceleration sometimes. I dont have alot of time or money to replace stuff until its fixed, and I drive it everyday on the highway for work. PLEEEASE any ideas or anything to point me in the right direction. I think it is vibration from the drivetrain somewhere, but that can get expensive. I am having no other transmission symptoms or problems to date. I did find another thread with a similar issue http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbul...ight=vibration. Thanks in advance!!!

[drdd]

Originally Posted by stewieaz

I have a 2000 Jimmy 4x4 Diamond Ed. that i bought from a used car dealer with 73,000 miles about 4 months ago, not knowing the history obviously. On the freeway it shakes and shimmys (as opposed to a vibration from a bad tire balance) from speeds between 60-85 mph. I was the told the tires were seperating at high speed, so i replaced all four. Didnt stop the shake at all. I replaced all 4 shocks thinking it was wheel hop, still did not stop the shaking. I had it aligned, the toe and caster were off a bit, but still no effect on the shake/shimmy. For shits and giggles, i had the wheels checked again for proper balance - they were all fine.
The wierd thing is, this shake/shimmy is intermintent, it comes and goes. It sems to be brought on by acceleration/deceleration sometimes. I dont have alot of time or money to replace stuff until its fixed, and I drive it everyday on the highway for work. PLEEEASE any ideas or anything to point me in the right direction. I think it is vibration from the drivetrain somewhere, but that can get expensive. I am having no other transmission symptoms or problems to date. I did find another thread with a similar issue http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbul...ight=vibration. Thanks in advance!!!

check for play in you ujoints. any play or looseness and they should be replaced. they're cheap.

did your tires guys check for rotor runout/warping?

[stewieaz]

Probably not, they are all a bunch of 16 yr. old punks at Discount Tire - they dont care. My rotors seem fine, that is there is no vibration or shaking when I stop. I will check for play in the u-joints, but can you tell me how to check for play? This is my first rear-wheel drive vehicle. Thanks

[stewieaz]

Someone, Anyone...Please...Im at the end of my wit. How do I check to see if a u-joint is bad?

[drdd]

Originally Posted by stewieaz

Someone, Anyone...Please...Im at the end of my wit. How do I check to see if a u-joint is bad?

from Chiltons:


The universal joint can also be checked with the driveshaft motionless, be gripping your hands on either side of the joint and attempting to twist the joint. Any movement at all in the joint is a sign of considerable wear. Lifting up on the shaft will also indicate movement in the universal joints. Finally, check the driveshaft mounting bolts at the ends to make sure they're tight.

hope that helps.

[mic01]

Hello, I had a sim. symptoms ! Jimmys are notorious for hub assy failure due to cheap china metal !! pull whells and grab each hub and spin it slow to feel for ruffness then grabe top and bottom and push in/out checking for looseness ?!! The front pump in tranny could also cause this, or a burnt U-joint !! good luck. I can get cheap jimmy parts if you need something email me @ [email protected]( I work at a parts store and I get discount!!)

[Slow_n_ez]

I no longer have the 2000 jimmy that I had but it also had same systoms as you describe ... Mine would slightly shimmy at around 65 mph ... seemed to smooth out at 95 however ............ anyways , mic01 is right .. the hubs ( wheel bearing assemblys ) is whats wrong .... replacing those will fix the shimmy plus give you a nice tight -like -new- steering -feel again .... they are pretty spendy .. I paid like $ 285.00 from Napa for each side .... took about 3 hours to replace each side... but maybe I am just slow .......

[stewieaz]

Originally Posted by Slow_n_ez

I no longer have the 2000 jimmy that I had but it also had same systoms as you describe ... Mine would slightly shimmy at around 65 mph ... seemed to smooth out at 95 however ............ anyways , mic01 is right .. the hubs ( wheel bearing assemblys ) is whats wrong .... replacing those will fix the shimmy plus give you a nice tight -like -new- steering -feel again .... they are pretty spendy .. I paid like $ 285.00 from Napa for each side .... took about 3 hours to replace each side... but maybe I am just slow .......

That sounds like what I am experienceing, only my shimmy isnt a slight one - it will spill a drink in the center cupholder at 65mph. I was finally able to check my u-joints the rear shaft feels nice and tight. The front shaft moves a bit up and down right where it connects to the transmission. Anyone know if thats normal?? There is no u-joint there, but rather a cv-axle type connection to the transmission. (sorry for the noob-ness, this is my first 4x4). I priced the hubs out at Checkers, they were $189 ea. there with a lifetime warranty. I guess i'll replace those since nothing else is seeming to work, and no mechanic can find the problem. I am this (---) close to taking it to the dealership and letting them find the problem.

[scottynpt]

I have the exact same prob. with my 2000 jimmy. i had one of the hubs replaced and it helped the shimmy a little but not much.

[stewieaz]

I wanted to add that my Jimmy is also swaying (changes lanes) on the freeway with crosswind lately. Would bad hubs cause that? Also to reiterate on my first post, the shimmyimg is INTERMITTENT, its not constant. It seems like bad hubs would cause a constant shimmying/vibration.

[Slow_n_ez]

... yep.. bad hubs would be pretty much constant shimmying at any speed plus noise.... was for me anyways ... a way you can tell if they going out is a " hummmmmm " ... goes away if you turn the wheel one way or another... if you hear a 'hummmmm' and you turn to the left its the right hub thats bad .. and visa versa .... sounds like you are least crossing every bridge .... take a look at the motor mounts too and see if the rubber groments are still in good shape and secured ...........

[stewieaz]

Got a wild hair up my butt today and decided to try and track down the problem. I pulled the wheels and inpected everything, including wheel bearings...All seemed ok to the eye, until I got to the passenger side. When i jacked it up, and grabbed the wheel at the 3 and 9 position - I gave it a good side-to-side shake and felt atleast an inch of travel in the steering. I pulled the lower engine cover off to get a better look, only to discover that the idler arm was moving excessivly, not only left to right, but up and down as well on its pivot off the frame! When i removed it i was shocked to see how worn it was, and I promptly replaced it with a new one. I havent had the chance to test drive since replacing the idler arm, but I will post the results tomorrow. Wouldnt a bad idler arm give me that shimmy/wobble/vibration feeling?

[stewieaz]

Ok - it wasnt the idler arm. Actually it didnt help a bit. The shaking seems to be getting constant, no longer intermitent over the last few days. Now it feels like it is coming from the rear-end (it may have been the rear the whole time) What, if anything would cause a wobble and shimmy in the rear-end? Any info. Im at my whits-end.

[stewieaz]

OK - LAST POST ON THIS THREAD.

I jacked up my rear-end to check the wheels, suspension, etc. Both of my rear wheels move "in and out" when i push and pull on them. When i push and pull my rear wheels (toward one another, horizontally) i get an inch or so of play in each one. it appears that the play is in the rear calipers??? When i pull the on the wheel, i can see the caliper slide on the mounting bolt... Does this make sense? Is this normal? PLEEEASE, any help is much appreciated. Thanks in advance.