View Full Version : Vibration for first few miles, then goes away, any suggestions?
97grandamchick
12-17-2003, 04:42 PM
I have a 1997 GA Se with the 3.1...it has a 115,000 miles on it, i just got the front end aligned, new tires, new brakes, and new bushings this summer. But when I get into my car, start it and then start driving, it vibrates really bad for about the first 5 miles, and then it will gradually stop. I dont really notice it til I get going about 30 mph, and it gets really bad at about 55 mph...my visors shake really bad, and stuff in my car will rattle. But its just weird that it will go away after I have been driving for about 5 miles or so...and it just started happening in the past week or so...any suggestions?
GrandAm95
12-17-2003, 05:09 PM
either a ball joint or bent rim
JASONFARIA
12-17-2003, 06:06 PM
ill say ball joint
Mydnyte
12-17-2003, 07:04 PM
If it goes away it could be a swelling on the tire causing it to be out of round. Might go away as the tire warms up. Ball joint would be my first guess though.
I'm going to say tire problem. Have them checked. Could be out of round, or bad belt (woudn't think it would go away if bad belt though, but ya never know). If it were ball joints, wouldn't that have been caught during the recent alignment? Or was that done in the summer?
4kQuad
12-18-2003, 01:13 AM
Check the lug nuts to make sure there tight. Then grab the wheels at 3 and 9 and try to shake/rip the tire off the car.
It should not move. If it is moving there is front end (driving parts) problems. I suggest you Not drive it until you know what it is.
If it don't move, it's most likely a bad tire. :penny:
97grandamchick
12-18-2003, 08:45 AM
yeah I did the alignment thing in about August, and my front tires were new in October...
4kQuad:
"Check the lug nuts to make sure there tight. Then grab the wheels at 3 and 9 and try to shake/rip the tire off the car.
It should not move. If it is moving there is front end (driving parts) problems. I suggest you Not drive it until you know what it is."
Yeah I had a problem with the tires moving really bad and I had to get new bushing things...and thats when my front end was aligned. One of my guy friends told me my car drives like it has a ball joint problem but my boyfriend who is a mechanic, said there was nothing wrong with my car, but I told him there still is...maybe ill make him drive it tonight to show him.
When exactly did the shaking first appear? After the alignment? After the new tires were put on? Might give a better clue as to what the problem might be.
GrandAm95
12-18-2003, 01:37 PM
the lug nuts could have been striped really bad to, we had a new kid do this at my work, only one lug was tight to the rim and the other 4 were striped so bad u couldnt move them, after that bill that was sent to the company the kid was no longer with us :shrug: who knows thats why i hate cars to many problems
97grandamchick
12-18-2003, 02:03 PM
it didnt start happening til about 2 weeks ago or so...I dont think its my lugnuts or anything like that, cause my boyfriend Jake is the one who has always changed my tires and stuff like that, so I know if he noticed anything wrong with them, then he would have fixed it for me.
i would say the same as mydnyte....
My thoughts on the tires were that they were flat-spotting when cold. That would explain why it goes away as the car drives a little bit. Some tires will do that, and it usually becomes more pronounced in colder weather.My summer tires are like that. I know what it is and don't worry about it.
Maybe try a little more air in the tires, see if that makes a difference. What brand are the tires? Are they bigger than a GM specified size? Make sure the air pressure is up. Even as little as a 1 pound drop in pressure can be noticed in some tires.
GrandAm95
12-18-2003, 09:53 PM
good piont BBT tire do loose air pressure when its colder out so it could be just a flat spot :doh: i forgot about that
Artic
12-19-2003, 09:14 AM
I would say it has to do with either wear where it was out of balance at one time or the air needs monitored more closely
97grandamchick
12-19-2003, 09:43 AM
it seems like it just started happening since it has been really cold so i didnt know if that had anything to do with it. ???
PGsGT
12-19-2003, 09:46 AM
Are you sure it is something to do with the suspension? If not, you may have a misfire only when the car is cold. I would say injectors, because mine will misfire until the car has warmed up. Mainly at highway speeds because that is when the engine is running at lowest RPM and the injectors are chocking up. Just a suggestion.:) I have had to replace 4 already on my 3100.
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