Steering wheel shake

1273 Views 10 Replies 4 Participants Last post by scottydsntknow, Oct 24, 2019

Tyrannax

Discussion Starter · Oct 11, 2019 (Edited)

Hey all,

So I've noticed that my car runs awfully rough. When I drive almost any other car, I quickly notice how smooth the ride is by comparison. While taking my 05 v6 out, I feel just about every seemingly insignificant bump in the road. The entire front end feels clunky and unstable to put it plainly.

Here are two symptoms I'm currently experiencing:

1. The steering wheel shakes during both acceleration and deceleration. It may even do this while I'm maintaining a constant speed.

2. When I decelerate and near a complete stop, my car makes a *clunk* noise as if something is slipping in the front end.

Hopefully this gives a decent depiction of what I'm dealing with. All in all, my car is driving rough- this is the best way I can explain it. What might these issues be stemming from? Any ideas? I'd like to get a roundabout opinion before starting this trial and error routine.

Thanks guys.

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straybullitt

· #2 · Oct 11, 2019

It could be a number of things related to the suspension/tires.

How many miles have been accumulated on this car in 15 years?
Has anything ever been replaced in the suspension? Or still the original components?
Condition and age of tires? Shocks and struts?

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Tyrannax

Discussion Starter · #3 · Oct 13, 2019

Thanks for the reply.

It currently has 107k miles. Not terrible, but certainly not right off the lot.

A buddy of mine recently replaced the front tie rod ends. I believe the shocks have been replaced as well within the last 2 years.

Could this issue have something to do with my rotors needing a replacement?

Thanks again for the help.

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straybullitt

· #4 · Oct 14, 2019

Yes. It is possible that warped or contaminated rotors can cause the steering wheel to shake.
At the age of your car, all of the rubber bushings in the suspension could be suspect as well as the ball joints.

If you know that the front brakes need some work, that would be a good place to start.
Really, the entire front suspension should be inspected by someone with enough experience to know what they are looking for.

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scottydsntknow

· #5 · Oct 16, 2019

It'll only vibrate when you brake if its the rotors. My money would be on front control arm bushings.

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Tyrannax

Discussion Starter · #6 · Oct 17, 2019

Thanks guys. I'm going to replace the rotors and report back on what I find. :thumb:

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51008

· #7 · Oct 17, 2019

You have not mentioned (unless I missed it) that the "shaking" happens when you brake. (only acceleration/deceleration)....if it is shaking when not on the brakes, then it is most likely not the rotors as you are not braking.....don't just throw parts at it, get a suspension inspection, alignment and rotate/balance the wheels/tires first.

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Tyrannax

Discussion Starter · #8 · Oct 18, 2019 (Edited)

jkeaton said:
You have not mentioned (unless I missed it) that the "shaking" happens when you brake. (only acceleration/deceleration)....if it is shaking when not on the brakes, then it is most likely not the rotors as you are not braking.....don't just throw parts at it, get a suspension inspection, alignment and rotate/balance the wheels/tires first.

Let me clarify- by deceleration, I meant when braking. You make a really good point though. I'm going to run it through a suspension inspection before moving forward. I honestly wasn't even aware there was such a thing before you mentioned it, so thank you!

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scottydsntknow

· #9 · Oct 18, 2019

Your car is a 2005, its almost guaranteed all your stock rubber suspension bushings are worn or dry rotted. Could be the rotors if you are applying the brakes when it vibrates but if you let off the brakes and its still vibrating it is NOT the rotors.

Again, my money is on front control arm bushings. Now would be a good time to do BMR control arms out back, GT500 control arms up front, new tie rod endlinks and new swaybar bushings. Also a good coilover kit front and back would really help especially on a 05+ car which has a much stronger chassis than the 04-down cars. Its a lot of money to do all this but if you plan on keeping the car awhile longer you might want to look into at least some of it.

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Tyrannax

Discussion Starter · #10 · Oct 19, 2019

Hey, those are some great recommendations. I can't fork out that much mula for replacement/maintenance all at once, but I do intend to keep my 05 for life, so these are certainly ideas I'll consider. Of these, which might you recommend first?

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scottydsntknow

· #11 · Oct 24, 2019

1- you aren't going to keep it for life. You just aren't.

2- If its not vibrating when you hit the brakes but at all times its almost 100% something in the front suspension. New front control arms, endlinks and tie rod ends should fix it.

3- Suspension is really the one big thing you can do with these cars without tearing into the motor. You aren't going to get a damn thing with "bolt ons" besides exhaust so if you are intending to keep the car for awhile which you seem to be, look into that.

4- You won't keep it for life. You'll get a job and/or settle down, wind up with a family car for awhile and then finally start making enough money where you can buy something really nice that isn't almost 20+ years old. Or if you are looking at something that old it'll be something super nice that's been well kept. Me, I gotta find out what the heck I am doing for the next 4-6 years and pay off my consolidation loans which are done in early 2021. Then its a 2007-2009 garage queen GT500 white with blue stripes and pay the $2k to have it shipped out here to Europe where I'm stationed. I've had 3 or 4 "keep for life" cars myself. Just speaking from experience. If I leave Spain and go to Germany I'll very likely sell the car in my sig and I've had that car for like... almost 5 years now.

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