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2000 Mountaineer Front Wheels Shake -Advise Please
sigarmsp226
Member Posts: 2,461 ✭✭✭
Question Please - I have a 2000 Mountaineer that has 140,000 miles on it and I had a new set of tires put all the way around about two months ago. Well the old tires were doing the same thing and now the new ones are also. I get random shaking in the steering wheel at various speeds (not while applying the brakes) so I went to another tire store and had my new tires re-balanced, still no change. The front shocks are original. Could this be my problem? I wonder if the worn out shocks are allowing the front wheels to vibrate because of the roads. There is no consistent speed at which it shakes. It is not a left to right movement in the steering wheel it like a tire is out of round. Thanks in advance for any feedback......Mark
Comments
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Best way to find out is to jack up the front end supporting the A with a jack stand and pull and pry on the wheel.
Have you hit any pothole and does it have the alum. wheels they can be knocked out of round after about 5000 miles the tire wheel conform to the shape of the out of round wheel.
Savage - Not to my knowledge - Wife drives it sometimes but I think she would have told me. I just went out and looked at all 4 wheels and there are no dents or severe scrapes on their edges, outside or inside that I could see. Mark
Brake roters warped
carrie - if this was true would the front not shake when I applied the brakes? Do not know this, I am asking?
quote:Originally posted by savage170
Have you hit any pothole and does it have the alum. wheels they can be knocked out of round after about 5000 miles the tire wheel conform to the shape of the out of round wheel.
Savage - Not to my knowledge - Wife drives it sometimes but I think she would have told me. I just went out and looked at all 4 wheels and there are no dents or severe scrapes on their edges, outside or inside that I could see. Mark
Just a possiblity that alot of places overlook I'm with Mossbergboogie until you get it in the air and look at it real close it could be a bunch of things another thing that does go bad on them is sway bar bushings
At 140,000 I bet the shocks don't hardly bouce back on their own anymore. If you haven't done anything to the front end yet could be a lot wrong.
Best way to find out is to jack up the front end supporting the A with a jack stand and pull and pry on the wheel.
Mossberg - Heading out to try this now. Going to see if the front wheels when off the ground have any slack in them. I have seen people do this just never knew what they were doing. I will raise the wheel off the ground about 6 inches and stick a cheater bar under the wheel to see if I there is "play" there.
I have never had the front end serviced on this vehicle and I have driven it the past 100,000 miles.
another guess--ball joints
it could be ball joints/ alignment bushings gone bad. i am not sure what ford has
Good god, man..go in for shocks, balls, and bushings. Nuff said. Joe
That would most likely eliminate the tires.
Wheel bearings and ball joints would be the first place I would look at closely.
Lots of guesses!! Take to a mechanic before it causes an accident!
another guess--ball joints
That's about all you can do online. Too many things have the same symptoms. I would think that the bearings would make a profound noise (like mine are doing [:(])
It's a Ford for cryin' out loud. Count your blessings it's lasted this long!!!![:D][:D] A good friend of mine has always had Fords, his dad retired from Ford and his brother currently works there, and he's always had problems with Ford suspensions. Ball joints, bushings, bearings, tie rods, you name it, he's had it replaced. Didn't matter if it was his Ranger, Aerostar, F-150, or Explorer he's had suspension problems. Your problem could be anything.
I think his problem is this........
I have never had the front end serviced on this vehicle and I have driven it the past 100,000 miles.
[:0]
Grease is cheap, but take your own Vaseline to the dealer.
Allen
Have the Pitman Arm and Idler arm Both Checked .For Play
It will Cause Random Shake.[^]
quote:Originally posted by ljwrench
It's a Ford for cryin' out loud. Count your blessings it's lasted this long!!!![:D][:D] A good friend of mine has always had Fords, his dad retired from Ford and his brother currently works there, and he's always had problems with Ford suspensions. Ball joints, bushings, bearings, tie rods, you name it, he's had it replaced. Didn't matter if it was his Ranger, Aerostar, F-150, or Explorer he's had suspension problems. Your problem could be anything.
I think his problem is this........
I have never had the front end serviced on this vehicle and I have driven it the past 100,000 miles.
[:0]
Grease is cheap, but take your own Vaseline to the dealer.
Allen
Most vehicles leave the factory with sealed non-greaseable front end parts. And they tend to last a long time actually. I haven't changed tie rod end on my F-150 and it has 129,000 on it. Uppers and lowers I replaced with greaseable stuff.
in mass, if you get a legit inspection, they check all the front end suspension part yearly. a little grease and early replacement of worn parts saves you huge amounts of time, money, and aggravation in the long run.
i wont speculate as to what all needs to be replaced, as im neither a mechanic nor able to physically inspect the vehicle. the only thing i can tell you is to get it to a mechanic and have them shake down the front end. if its a problem thats been worsening for awhile, which would be my guess, then you could be looking at a laundry list of repairs.
have a very recent repair estimate from a shop that does first class work and charges you for it for what amounts to about 50% of the front end wear parts in a 2001 ram pickup. 2900. it adds up quick.
regular maintenance and inspection by a qualified mechanic.....
From Past experience
Have the Pitman Arm and Idler arm Both Checked .For Play
It will Cause Random Shake.[^]
I had a '74 Celica as a kid that would shake like hell from 52 - 56 MPH. Above or below that it was fine. Turned out to be the pitman arm.
I always replace Shocks at or before 50,000 miles.
With essentially Zero shocks, since at least 100,000 miles ago, then you may have shaken any bolted joint on the entire car loose. Things like Alternator mount bolts have probably sawed themselves halfway through!
For sure, Your Ball Joints, Suspension Bushings and Bolts, Adjusting cams, and Pittman joints are EVERY ONE dangerously worn!
Make sure you take it to a shop with MOOG parts for sale, and try to find a Shop that uses BEAR alignment equipment. If you find both in one shop, you will get out of there with a good front end. It will Cost Ya - Don't know if ya want to sink a lot of money in the job, as it is a FORD, and may just be waiting for someone to break the paint and grease and Mud that is holding it together!
Just as an aside, The Sidewalls of Tires can be non-uniform, and while the tire/wheel is balanced, the difference in ease of flexing of the sidewalls can cause an oscillatory mode excitation of the suspension, ESPECIALLY with Zero Shock absorbtion! This is more common in tires with thick sidewalls, like off-road tires.