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2002 Vibration Front End Saga...

by Steves40th, September 21, 2014



2002 Corolla S 146000 miles, shock 2 years old, tires Michelin wetherwise 2 years old.

When I hit 52 mph I have a vibration that mostly goes away after that speed and you can feel a slight vibration up to 75 mph.

What I have done is 3 tire balances, and rotation 4 times(2 different states with different SEARs as thats where I buy tires) Also, one alignment. Tire pressure makes no difference, yet I have changed from 28 to 35 psi. I also took hub caps off, and thought it was the culprit, but not so.

Now, I jacked the car up and looked underneath. Bushings, ball joints, and bearings look good. I did the test of pulling 12 to 6 position and 3 to 9 position and there is no play on either side.

The passenger side inner cv joint boot is leaking as there was/is grease there. I shook it and it moved a little, but nothing abnormal in my opinion and no clunking noises while driving or clicking when turning etc.

I did lock the brakes up a couple times in CT when stopping for a deer at about 35 mph. But, I cant see or feel any flat spots. I rotated the tire with a piece of metal right at the flat of the tire to see if there was any out of roundness. Nothing.

So, any suggestions as to what this may be, any idea what it may be. Thanks in advance.

Possibly a warped front rotor.

Did Sears tighten your wheels to 76 ft lbs per Toyota torque specifications? Tire stores always over tighten my lug nuts. And always unevenly. This can cause warped rotors. How many miles are on your two year old Shock? Do you feel any pulsation in the brake pedal at those speeds?

I can recheck my torque, but never thought that would be a problem. I can check for warped rotors, and they are cheap enough to replace. I do have a slight pulse in my brake pedal.

There is probably 10000 miles on the shocks. I was in Hawaii, shipped it to Seattle, drove across country and have been up n down the east coast 2 times, SC to CT.

These are the stock wheels or aftermarket? Some aftermarket wheels can have some slop right around the hub, even with hubcentric centering rings, they can still move slightly.

Tire balance can still be off - did the tire shop try and unmount the tire, spin the tire 180 and remount it? This can help in cases of very hard to balance tires/wheels. See if the tire shop used a Hunter 9700 machine or better (one of those road force measurement tire balancers).

These are the stock wheels or aftermarket? Some aftermarket wheels can have some slop right around the hub, even with hubcentric centering rings, they can still move slightly.

Tire balance can still be off - did the tire shop try and unmount the tire, spin the tire 180 and remount it? This can help in cases of very hard to balance tires/wheels. See if the tire shop used a Hunter 9700 machine or better (one of those road force measurement tire balancers).

The tires have been rotated and balanced more than once, but no tech re did anything that I know of. The wheels are OEM factory steel.

 

I did do something today. As I get to the speed it vibrates, I let off, vibration went away. Then I slowly accelerated to speed it vibrates and it came right back, and I repeated this. I then went above the speed and turned off car, all vibration went away.

I do have a click in the morning up front, and it happened more up north during winter. I am thinking the leaking CV joint is causing this, as there is grease and a leaky boot. Thoughts? It does move around a little by hand.

Vibration only under load - that sounds like it could be the CV joint and/or something in the transaxle. Since the boot is leaking - I'd address that first and see what happens. Even under the best conditions, once that boot starts to leak grease, that joint will quickly deteriorate.

Vibration only under load - that sounds like it could be the CV joint and/or something in the transaxle. Since the boot is leaking - I'd address that first and see what happens. Even under the best conditions, once that boot starts to leak grease, that joint will quickly deteriorate.
Thanks. I usually get parts from rockauto. I want knew but the only one company i recognize is cardone. Thoughts? Or what part n place would you recommend? Passenger side.

People here have had pretty good results with 1sttoyotaparts.com - actual dealership that does a fair amount of business online and gives pretty decent discounts on OEM parts.

People here have had pretty good results with 1sttoyotaparts.com - actual dealership that does a fair amount of business online and gives pretty decent discounts on OEM parts.
Any advice on this install?Thanks in advance

 

 

Usually find that replacing the whole axle is a lot less headache than trying to rebuild the end. I would trying and avoid being tempted to put a quick boot on there - chances are, the CV joint is already contaminated with moisture and road debris. Not going to fix that with fresh grease and a new boot.

As for the actual axle removal and install - spray everything down with penetrating spray before you start, have a big sledge and a prybar to help "persuade" the axle to pop off. Couple of ways to go at it - some leave the tie-rod and strut attached, just disconnect from the lower control arm and wiggle axle out. Some like to take it all the way apart - more useful if you plan on taking the steering knuckle/hub out to press out/press in a new wheel bearing.

Might also be able to find a video of this online - process is similar to many FWD cars. Might even be a DIY guide on this forum or TN. I know there was one on TRDforums some time ago - might still be up there.

Thanks again.



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