steering wheel shudder

[tipota]

something is wrong with my 95 civic dx. when i take tight turns and press the gas i feel a strange shudder in the steering wheel and though i cant say for sure, it feels like the wheel is vibrating back and forth or something. anyone know whats wrong? i heard someone suggest a bent wheel or cv axle, but how can i check to know for sure? ive only tested this in speeds of 20-30mph. thanx

[i_a_n112784]

Well, first off, is it a rotor? that will be worse when you brake, which is a common thing to warp. It could be a cv, wheel, or wheel bearing. To check if it is a wheel, move the front tires to the back, and the back ones to the front. If it goes away, a wheel is bent. CVs are harder to check, one way is to turn the wheel all the way to the right, and press the gas a bit, if you hear a clicking, you need a cv joint, do the same but with the wheel to the left as well. For a wheel bearing, jack up the car, and grab the tire, and try to shake it from right to left and up and down, if you feel slop, you have either a suspension part worn out, or wheel bearing.

[tipota]

Ill check it out this Friday and let you know. I really hope its not a bent wheel, because that would mean I need a new wheel right? As for wheel bearing, is that expensive and can I do it myself?

[i_a_n112784]

If your roads are anything like the ones here in Indiana, its a wheel, especally if you have aftermarket ones with narrower rubber. They bend easier due to several reasons which for time's sake i won't get into. I am not sure if they use a sealed wheel bearing or not, I need to replace one of mine myself, it's just not real bad yet. Either way, you should be able to do it yourself without too much trouble, basically, you have to take off the brake system (caliper and rotor) then the hub. If it is sealed, the whole hub is replaced, if not sealed, just the bearing is replaced, but must be packed with grease which is also easy.

[tipota]

well I got the car with alloy rims off of the new honda civic. I dont know how tough these rims are, but theyre bigger than 95 civic stock wheels, and the tires arnt low profile. However, the roads in boston do suck and i do drive kinda hard, so it could be that or an axle. I know an axle will onyl make a creaking noise if the boots been torn, but can an axle bend or break without that happening?

[i_a_n112784]

I suppose it can bend or break, but that's very rare, normally boots tear, or grease leaks out or dries up, etc...Check to make sure the wheels have balancing weights on them still. And the factory allow wheels tend to last longer because they still have a decent amount of rubber around them, and are normally made using the better methods.