91 accord: tie rods? ball joints? bearings? tire strangeness?

Did some googling and it seems that Hondas are known for steering
shake of varying kinds. Haven't seen a post that mentions these
exact symptoms, though. Here's what we know:

* 91 Accord SE, 4spd auto, newish tires (no uneven wear). Just bought
the car for a pittance. Not free, but nearly so.

* pronounced "shake" in steering wheel, frequency tied to speed.

* not related to braking (ie, not warped rotors)

* rythmic wah-wah-wah sound like you hear with an unbalanced or
irregularly-shaped tire

* more pronounced at low speeds - steering wheel reciprocating
maybe .75". At cruising speeds maybe .125" movment.

* more pronounced when going straight, reduced when turning.

* no clunking or metal-on-metal sounds



I suspect something serious, and have set aside time to visit a mech
in the coming week. Am driving another car for now. I'd like to have
an idea what the likely culprit is before I hit the garage.

Any ideas?

 

You have a serious case of a bad tire or a bent rim.

 

I had your symptoms (except not the wah-wah sound) almost exactly. My tech
found that both front tires had what he termed belt shift. Some folks
didn't agree on the terminology, but he marked the places where it had
occurred, and it was obvious to me that it was the problem.

One the worse tire, he marked out two spots on the (outer) sidewall. When I
ran my hand in an arc over one of these spots, there was a definite
depression at the spot. Presumably there is a corresponding bump in the
tread, or at least in the way the side wall reacts when that part of the
tire is in contact with the tarmac. He rotated the tires to the rear (since
I can't afford new right now) and the problem is essentially gone.

I don't feel I abuse the car or tires, but I am fairly spirited in my
driving. So, I'm not very impressed with these tires (they're Dunlops of
some sort). I guess if you have the same problems and they haven't been
caused by other problems - alignment/worn suspension components - you might
need to invest in new/better tires.

Good luck,
Arthur

 

No one so far (Sat am) has mentioned getting the wheels balanced!
While they may have been at first fitting, they can go out after a few
thousand as they settle to their running seating on the rim.

 

Jack the car up, spin the wheels and check the wheels and tires to see if
you can see anything not "true". If this happens at all speeds I doubt
it's just a tire out of balance - more likely a bent wheel or trouble with
the tire... tread separation or bad manufacture. What kind/quality tires
do you have? I've seen, with cheap tires, where the tread is not well
aligned and you can see it wobble as it spins.

No clicking noise when you turn under load?... which would be outer C/V
joint. Inner C/V joint trouble is usually an oscillation under moderate
acceleration which disappears on coasting.

Rgds, George Macdonald

"Just because they're paranoid doesn't mean you're not psychotic" - Who, me??

 

Thanks for the many posts of good input on my question. I've been out
of town on biz, but will have it checked out and will let you guys
know what it was.

 

I checked air pressure; was 20-21 in all four
tires. Cranked it up to 29psi as the manual specifies and BAM! the
odd shaking was 95% eliminated. If I wasn't watching for it
specifically I probably wouldn't feel it now at all.

I suspect the belt-seperation theory is correct, and that the defect
is largely hidden when riding at full tire pressure.

All four tires being at the same low pressure makes me think the prev
owner did it on purpose to soften the ride, or maybe his gauge was
off.