Strange shake/shimmy in 95 Eclipse GST

[laurin1]

I started having this hard shake/vibration when turning at high speeds to the the right (only.) I can turn to the left as hard as I want without any problems. Now it's thrown the alignment off as well. I took it to the dealer and they diagnosed it as a bad right-wheel bearing, which I took to another mechanic (much cheaper)....they were WRONG. That wasn't the problem. I'm about to change the front struts, to make sure that's not the problem, but i'm afraid it's a bad CV joint. Any ideas out there?

Thanks in advance.

[joe2106]

I have the same car, and had the same problem. It did the same thing, and it actually was the right wheel bearing. I couldn't even buy the part from anywhere other than the dealer, and it was over 175 for just the one bearing, and it will be really hard to get off most likely if you don't have the right tools. I think that my CV joints may be on the edge of needing to be replaced too. It is a job that I have seen done a bunch of times, but I would rather pay someone to do it in a hour or two than me mess with it for a whole day.

[CODE4]

I believe the wheel bearings are sealed, at least the OEMs are from the factory, if you have them replaced after that I think they may be serviceable. However if you have been driving around on it I would definitely replace it. In regards to the CV joint, as long as the boot is intact it should have grease and should be ok.

To test your wheel end-play. jack the wheel in question off the ground and grab the top and bottom of the tire with your hands and rock it. If you have any slop frmo top to bottom you have a problem. if you grab at 3 and 9 o'clock and get end play then it is a tie rod that needs replacement.

[kjewer1]

Have you had the ball joint recall done? I'm on my 3rd or 4th set. A real bad right one can do it. Here is the test. THe ball joint in question is the one at the spindle end of the "Lower Laterall Link", or the straight lower control arm, and the ball joint is right at the tire. Lift the car up so that tire is off the ground. Either have someone pick up on the wheel, or use a long lever to do it yourself, while you watch the rubber boot on that ball joint. If is bad, you will see the boost stretch. basically, the spindle/wheel will move up before the control arm goes with it. If the car is on a lift, use your shoulder to lift the wheel an inch or so while you watch. The good news is if its this, its a free fix Since it is a safety recal, mitsu dealers CAN NOT REFUSE to do the work, EVEN if it has already been done previously! This is a sore subject for me, so I'll leave it at that Good luck, whatever the problem may be.

PS. Wheel bearings do need to be bought at the dealer. I pay 90 bucks each, with employee discount. 175 sounds real high... But its most likely just over a hundred. Could be the wheel bearing but it would have to be REAL bad to cause shaking. Modern wheel bearings, unlike typical older ones, dont develope much play at all as they wear. So the old tire wiggle test doesnt uncover a bad wheel bearing like it used to. They will jsut feel like they crunch and grumble as you slowly roatate the wheel. Better safe than sorry. If there is any chance they are bad, replace them. Not worth taking the chance.

[laurin1]

Thanks for the input so far. I guess I wasn't specific about the wheel bearing. I know that's not the problem, because I already had it replaced. I'll try the tests for the tie rods and ball joints you specified (I had seen that recall, but had no idea how to look for it.)