vibration in steering wheel

[megaQ]

1991 accord 125000mi, slight vibration in steering wheel at very low speed. Steering not loose. Smooths out at normal highway speeds. ??????? Thanks or your help.

[BullShifter]

It could be many differnt things such as:


Wheel out of balance
Upper strut mounts
Strut
Spring
Control arm bushing
Tie rod
Ball joint
Wheel bearing
Warped rotors
Worn brake pads
Frozen or bad brake caliper
Bent wheel
Steering rack
Slipped belt or cupped tire
CV joint worn
Axle not balanced correctly
Loose wheel

The easiest way to check the front end is jack it up and support, not under the wheels. Grab each tire and shake it in all direction, if you fell any play then a further inspection is needed. You should be able to see & hear the part thats bad. It's hard to pinpoint your problem without having the car here. That's something you need to see & feel.

[gunnmen01]

sounds like a bad tire to me...


gunnmen01

[CivicSiRacer]

Do you have aftermarket wheels and tires? If so and it only occurs at a certain speed it's usually an out-of-balance wheel/tire OR bent wheel.

[t0m4t0]

now, i have the same problem over here, i have tried 2 set of rims/tires same size of rims... nobody cant find what the problem is, honda says its the type of rims i have (17")... i cant take for an answer... ive been to about 10 different shops for balance and nobody see anything wrong with my car. do you guys know any good shop here in south florida? i have to find out what the problem is.



thanks

[CivicSiRacer]

If your wheel is bent the balancer might not see it and just fix it with weights, but it will still be out of round. If you take off your wheel and run your finger along the rim of the inside and outside of the wheel you might be able to feel it.

[t0m4t0]

Originally Posted by CivicSiRacer

If your wheel is bent the balancer might not see it and just fix it with weights, but it will still be out of round. If you take off your wheel and run your finger along the rim of the inside and outside of the wheel you might be able to feel it.

on 2 brand new set of rims and tires? just so everybody know, i was just talking to one of the guys here from the forum and it sounds like they did not balance my tires properly, they did not use those "weights" that goes between the tire and the rim (on that border)... im gonna give it try this week and see what happens. i'll let everybody know how it goes. thanks. later.

[megaQ]

My problem was solved when I replaced the left front tire. Lessson: check the simple things first. Thanks for the help. David

[CivicSiRacer]

Originally Posted by t0m4t0

on 2 brand new set of rims and tires? just so everybody know, i was just talking to one of the guys here from the forum and it sounds like they did not balance my tires properly, they did not use those "weights" that goes between the tire and the rim (on that border)... im gonna give it try this week and see what happens. i'll let everybody know how it goes. thanks. later.

Anything is possible. The rims could have been dropped during shipment. Or maybe the wheel weights fell off. I know mine did at one point just after a car wash.

[BullShifter]

many aftermarket wheels don't accept typical wheel weight on the inner or outer edge. In this case the mode of the balancing machice must be changed and taped weights used. They actually hold pretty good if applied to a clean surface.

If that's not the problem then I would look at the suspension and the brakes. when was the last time your brakes were serviced? It's very possible one of the slides is stuck, caused to edge of a pad to rub & warp a rotor which can cause a constant vibration.

[t0m4t0]

Originally Posted by jackasssi

many aftermarket wheels don't accept typical wheel weight on the inner or outer edge. In this case the mode of the balancing machice must be changed and taped weights used. They actually hold pretty good if applied to a clean surface.

If that's not the problem then I would look at the suspension and the brakes. when was the last time your brakes were serviced? It's very possible one of the slides is stuck, caused to edge of a pad to rub & warp a rotor which can cause a constant vibration.

if thats my problem i will kill myself and honda employees, i have never replaced the brake pads or the disc. last time i checked (about 3 weeks ago) they said they are as good as new! i will check into that, thanks again everyone.