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Vibration in front end

2K views 25 replies 11 participants last post by  IanT54 
#1 ·
I'm a newbie to this forum, but i'd like to get some feedback about a frustrating vibration in the front of my '97 900SE Talladega. When going straight, there is a moderate, intermittent vibration at any speed higher than @30 mph. If I turn slightly to the right, or slightly to the left, the vibration goes away. I've replaced the control arms, radius arms, axle shafts, tie rods and tie rod ends, balanced the tires (3x), and replaced the rubber bushing on the steering rack with a urethane bushing from Powerflex. Each repair has improved the vibration, yet none has eliminated it. Any other ideas??
 
#2 ·
Ball joints ?

Wild guess, all else seems to be new ...and my joints were bad, yet zero vibration..
I'd more strongly suspect the inner drivers - try repacking them.. Are they loose ??
Also check the wheel bearings.
 
#3 ·
I forgot to mention that the driver's side inner driver was replaced when the axle shafts were done; the passenger side inner driver was in good shape and not replaced. The ball joints are part of the control arms, and thus new with the new control arms.
 
#4 ·
Wheel bearings - I'm desperate ..

We have a new car here - front end wise...

Strut rubber and the bearings and hydraulics ?

Try coasting at 70mph, note the vibration change, if any - you will need the road to yourself for a time..

Then do some mild wheel yanks to the left, then the right..does the vibration change ?
 
#5 ·
As you suggested, I tried coasting at 70mph, but no change in the vibration. Mild turns of the wheel left and right stop the vibration, but on/off throttle has no effect on it. Since one of the greatest improvements I noted came from the Powerflex urethane rack mount bushing, I'm thinking of trying the solid rack mount made by Talliaferro to see if eliminating ALL of the rack movement will solve the problem.
 
#11 ·
VB2NC said:
I'm a newbie to this forum, but i'd like to get some feedback about a frustrating vibration in the front of my '97 900SE Talladega. When going straight, there is a moderate, intermittent vibration at any speed higher than @30 mph. If I turn slightly to the right, or slightly to the left, the vibration goes away. I've replaced the control arms, radius arms, axle shafts, tie rods and tie rod ends, balanced the tires (3x), and replaced the rubber bushing on the steering rack with a urethane bushing from Powerflex. Each repair has improved the vibration, yet none has eliminated it. Any other ideas??
VB2NC-

Did you get any further with this, I'm in the midst of eliminating vibrations too. Nearly all of mine go away in neutral. A replaced transmission mount has eliminated 50% of the intensity. I'm going after other mounts, then the driver bushings.
 
#12 ·
IF THE VIBRATION IS OCCURING WHILE PUSHING THE GAS PEDAL THAT WILL BE MOST LIKELY FROM THE AXLES SPECIALLY IF IT GOESW AWAY ON NEUTRAL OR WHEN FOOT OF GAS, BUT IF LIKE THE FIRST PERSON ON THIS TREAD i suggest you try to change your wheels, i had just the same problem, and i was told the same things, and of course changed them, but later when i took the car to balance the tires i saw how the wheels where bad, and changed them, and test drove it, this was the magic pill.
 
#13 ·
drwisley,

Sorry for the delayed response. I have also replaced the motor mounts with further improvement. The ultimate cause of the vibration turned out to be both of the wheels on the right side of the car were very slightly bent along the inner portion of the rim. Thus when I would turn right, it would place enough weight transfer to the left to disguise the vibration, while turning left would load the unbent portion of the rims again temporarily eliminating the vibration. This turned out to be surprisingly hard to find, as the 2 wheels were barely out of round. Nevertheless, I'm still glad I replaced the remaining parts in the front end as they were becoming worn anyway.
 
#14 ·
yoziyo said:
IF THE VIBRATION IS OCCURING WHILE PUSHING THE GAS PEDAL THAT WILL BE MOST LIKELY FROM THE AXLES SPECIALLY IF IT GOESW AWAY ON NEUTRAL OR WHEN FOOT OF GAS, BUT IF LIKE THE FIRST PERSON ON THIS TREAD i suggest you try to change your wheels, i had just the same problem, and i was told the same things, and of course changed them, but later when i took the car to balance the tires i saw how the wheels where bad, and changed them, and test drove it, this was the magic pill.
I have vibrations when pressing the gas pedal especially around 40-60 miles MPH(when released its like a plane ride on a cloudless day).... is there a certain part of the AXLE you recommend replacing......?
 
#15 ·
Saab Max said:
I have vibrations when pressing the gas pedal especially around 40-60 miles MPH(when released its like a plane ride on a cloudless day).... is there a certain part of the AXLE you recommend replacing......?
Have your wheels/tires checked first. A bent rim can easily cause this issue. Try rotating the tires front to back and see if the vibration changes at all.
 
#16 ·
Darren900 said:
Have your wheels/tires checked first. A bent rim can easily cause this issue. Try rotating the tires front to back and see if the vibration changes at all.
Would'nt you think if i have a bent rim (maybe possible) i would still feel the vibration even when i'm not accelerating......i only feel the vibration when "accelerating" around 40-60 MPH and when i release the gas pedal it is very smooth (don't feel the vibration at all)..... Thanks
 
#17 ·
Saab Max said:
Would'nt you think if i have a bent rim (maybe possible) i would still feel the vibration even when i'm not accelerating......i only feel the vibration when "accelerating" around 40-60 MPH and when i release the gas pedal it is very smooth (don't feel the vibration at all)..... Thanks
Vibrations are enigmatic by nature. You could very well be right, but checking the wheels for roundness and balance is cheaper than throwing drive axle parts at the car.

A very slightly out of round wheel could cause noticeable vibration at moments when wheels slip increases (ie., under acceleration) since the radial bands in the tire are under higher tension.
 
#18 ·
I had a number of issues, but the main issue was the passenger side inner CV joint. With the front end jacked, and the tire removed, you should be able to check for excessive movement. The inner drive shaft and outer drive shaft shouldn't have any noticable rotational lash if its still good.

You can get replacement complete passenger side assemblies for around $35 from the salvage yard network. I can post pictures if you need more help.
 
#19 ·
drwisley said:
I had a number of issues, but the main issue was the passenger side inner CV joint. With the front end jacked, and the tire removed, you should be able to check for excessive movement. The inner drive shaft and outer drive shaft shouldn't have any noticable rotational lash if its still good.

You can get replacement complete passenger side assemblies for around $35 from the salvage yard network. I can post pictures if you need more help.
Please do that would be very helpful...... for us
 
#20 ·
Here is the jack shaft with CV housing that I had to replace. My 99 93 had the older 900 style passenger side axle. So if this CV joint goes bad, then you have to remove and replace the entire axle assembly from the transmission to the passenger side spindle.




The newer 99 93s went to a CV joint that wasn't friction welded or pressed onto the jack shaft. I have a picture of it, because one of the salvage yards sent me the wrong axle shaft at first.



Either way, the vibration you described is similar to mine. I was even popping the car in neutral from 30-50% pedal position and the vibe would go away completely. This was the major culprit, I found a broken transmission mount first .. which was misleading and I deducted to be an effect from this worn joint. Since the tripod bearing in the CV joint was missing two of its pods, lol.

I took the saab over from my wife .. i would have never drove a vehicle to this degree. And she hasn't gotten it back.
 
#21 · (Edited)
drwisley said:
Here is the jack shaft with CV housing that I had to replace. My 99 93 had the older 900 style passenger side axle. So if this CV joint goes bad, then you have to remove and replace the entire axle assembly from the transmission to the passenger side spindle.




The newer 99 93s went to a CV joint that wasn't friction welded or pressed onto the jack shaft. I have a picture of it, because one of the salvage yards sent me the wrong axle shaft at first.



Either way, the vibration you described is similar to mine. I was even popping the car in neutral from 30-50% pedal position and the vibe would go away completely. This was the major culprit, I found a broken transmission mount first .. which was misleading and I deducted to be an effect from this worn joint. Since the tripod bearing in the CV joint was missing two of its pods, lol.

I took the saab over from my wife .. i would have never drove a vehicle to this degree. And she hasn't gotten it back.
How did you get the right end of the cup from out the tranny where the seal is...........? Thanks
 
#22 ·
One of the two circlips on the axle carrier bearing need to be removed. Its the one you can actually get to on the trans side. But there isn't any circlips holding or retaining the jack shaft to the transmission. So once you get the ruber seal and circlip slid down the jack shaft and out of the way, you are free to pull it out.

I found a site that showed using a ratcheting tie down cable around the CV housing and the strut, but that didn't work for me. I ended up using a pry bar and prying the CV housing away from the axle carrier assembly.
 
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