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Front end shacking

Old Dec 15, 2012 | 08:19 PM
  #1  
jship2007's Avatar
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From: Indiana
Front end shacking

I have a 2008 SS and when I'm around 50-60 the car will shack really bad when I have someone with me in the car if I'm by myself it will shack a little bit but not as bad as with someone in the car with me. I already took the car to get the tire rotated and balanced and still have the same problem unless the dumba$$ guy at the local tire barn just took my money and didnt really do it.
Old Dec 15, 2012 | 08:32 PM
  #2  
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My first guess would be tire balance, the new, no lead weights, seem to come off easy, especially on the front of my SS, wonder why ??
Old Dec 15, 2012 | 09:04 PM
  #3  
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I second the tire balance suggestion. Also, how about a bad rim? Hit any large pot holes, curbs, parking "bumpers", etc.?
Old Dec 15, 2012 | 09:55 PM
  #4  
donbrew's Avatar
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Go to radioSHAKE and have them fix it.

Sorry, spelling gets me going.

Have you looked into wheel bearings and/or axles?
Old Dec 15, 2012 | 10:05 PM
  #5  
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How many miles on the car? Any previous front end work done?
Old Dec 15, 2012 | 11:03 PM
  #6  
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I'm not sure about front end work it just now has 110,000. Could it be the a arm bushings or any other ones. I already had the tires balanced and rotated just two weeks ago and I have not beat on the car cause I didn't want something to happen.
Old Dec 15, 2012 | 11:51 PM
  #7  
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I would suggest that you jack up the front 1 side at a time and do the following for each side:
1. Make a pointer that is mounted on anything fixed and place it near the side of the tire wall. Rotate the tire by hand and note if the gap between the tire and the pointer changes during a complete rotation of the wheel
2. Do the same thing only with the pointer on the top or bottom of the wheel and note if the gap between the pointer and the wheel changes.
3. Grasp the wheel by hand and gently move it back and forth to check for any free movement (shaking) which would indicate a bad (too much play) suspension component.
4. If you notice large changes in the gap in steps one and two, you may have a bad tire due to belt separation, damaged wheel or a flat spotted tire due to brake skid
5. Check you wheel nuts to be sure that they are tight. Check tire pressure as well.
6. If all of the above checks out OK, look at the balance again as the symptom you describe is typical of a bad out of balance wheel

When you figure out what the problem is, please let us know what it was.
Old Dec 16, 2012 | 05:52 AM
  #8  
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With 110k miles I would suggest checking "everything" in the front end. Swaybar links, bushings,wheel bearings, a arm bushings, struts, etc.
I'll bet you have some worn out parts. In fact, I'm sure you do.
Find a good shop to give you a diagnosis if you can't do this yourself. Don't be surprised if they find a bunch that needs replacing.
That's a lot of miles on the suspension and these cars are known to wear out front end parts faster than other makes.
Old Dec 16, 2012 | 09:24 AM
  #9  
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Originally Posted by jship2007
I'm not sure about front end work it just now has 110,000. Could it be the a arm bushings or any other ones. I already had the tires balanced and rotated just two weeks ago and I have not beat on the car cause I didn't want something to happen.
Now, I am betting on control arm bushings.
Old Dec 16, 2012 | 10:56 AM
  #10  
hyperv6's Avatar
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From: Akron Ohio
Start with the tire and wheel but move to suspension next.

It could be bad strut, tie rod, ball joint or even a CV joint going out. There is a lot that can cause a shake over a tire or wheel.

Check these things now if not take it to some one who can check them as if a ball joint fails or CV joint fails it can create more damage or an accident.

While the control arm bushing my not or should not be bad at this miles the Delta body cars did have issues with them working out of the control arm. This has been an issue in some vehicles like the HHR and Cobalt after 80,000 miles.

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