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specific kind of vehicle shake


youngbuckwithapickuptruck

Well-Known Member
Joined
Oct 7, 2021
Messages
118
City
california
Vehicle Year
00
Engine
2.5 (4 Cylinder)
Transmission
Manual
Tire Size
stock
something weird about the shake, cruising at ~65, it would start in the front of the truck as i would feel it in the steering wheel, then i would feel it in my seat, then i would feel it behind me, and then shake was back to the front. it would happen in 2.5second intervals. then i got it to reoccur on another section of freeway and the shake would occur in 4second intervals.... any idea?

i run cheap used tires, and recently replaced two of them at a cheapo tireshop.
i had upper balljoints replaced recently that got rid of clunking noise and a constant violent shake at 60+mph
also i just replaced collapsed rear shocks

sorry about the constant thread creation, I tried looking online for any sort of shake that fits this criteria and couldnt find much
 
Jack each front tire off the ground. Grab them at 12 o clock and 6 o clock and wiggle it to check for play. Then grab them at 9 o clock and 3 o clock and check for play that direction. They should be tight.
 
You can feel a shake from the rear through the steering wheel, as well as though the seat and floor. If the steering wheel moves vertically- from 6 o clock to 12- that's likely from the rear. If the wheel jiggles back and forth as if you were turning it, the source is likely in the front.
I would make sure all the lugs are tight and check for loose parts as described above. If nothing is loose spin the tires and see if one is extremely out of round.
Did the shake start suddenly or did it increase gradually over time. If it appeared immediately after the tires were installed, you have your answer.
By the way, what you're describing is called a cycling vibration.
 
^^i keep questioning whether the shake was previously there but i always ignored it, i didnt get concerned about the vehicle shaking until it got violently shaking and clunking ...which was resolved with upper balljoint replacement. ill go ahead and check the steering wheel for up and down play later today

note:
when i replaced two bald tires, i noticed they kept the old wheel weights on. i always assumed these shops balance the tires before installing on truck, i guess not. well they balanced my two older tires for free, but just inspected by-hand the two used tires they sold me and told me theyre fine. they feel fine when i run my hands along them. i figure i may as well pay the $30 to get those two tires balanced as well

the wheels i have always had a tiny bit of side-to-side play, but i compared it to like 10 other trucks at pick n pull and they all had that tiny bit of play in the wheel.

I would blame the tires first and foremost
i have a buddy trying to convince me to buy a set of four aluminum rims off an explorer, he said i may be able to find a set for $100 or more. he said it could be a case of my old steel rims being bent up.
will this mix up my tire sizes and odometer reading? any other concerns with the switch?

maybe i could hit up "Rent-a-Rimz" and try a different set of wheels for a week, lmao!
 
Last edited:
^^i keep questioning whether the shake was previously there but i always ignored it, i didnt get concerned about the vehicle shaking until it got violently shaking and clunking ...which was resolved with upper balljoint replacement. ill go ahead and check the steering wheel for up and down play later today

note:
when i replaced two bald tires, i noticed they kept the old wheel weights on. i always assumed these shops balance the tires before installing on truck, i guess not. well they balanced my two older tires for free, but just inspected by-hand the two used tires they sold me and told me theyre fine. they feel fine when i run my hands along them. i figure i may as well pay the $30 to get those two tires balanced as well

the wheels i have always had a tiny bit of side-to-side play, but i compared it to like 10 other trucks at pick n pull and they all had that tiny bit of play in the wheel.

i have a buddy trying to convince me to buy a set of four aluminum rims off an explorer, he said i may be able to find a set for $100 or more. he said it could be a case of my old steel rims being bent up.
will this mix up my tire sizes and odometer reading? any other concerns with the switch?

maybe i could hit up "Rent-a-Rimz" and try a different set of wheels for a week, lmao!
Rim size wont affect it as long as tire size is the same

Bent rims can cause nasty shakes
 
can a tireshop visually inspect rims for bends or do they need to put it on some sort of balancing machine? how much would they chagrre for such services?
 
You should be able to jack each corner up and spin the wheel and visually see if is is wobbling
 
I don't get tires balanced anymore. I buy balancing beads in bulk add enough to each wheel and everything is good.
Next time I'm using airsoft BBs.
I especially like this way because if I have mud or ice or snow in my wheels I'm still balanced.
 
You should be able to jack each corner up and spin the wheel and visually see if is is wobbling
Depends how bad its bent

can a tireshop visually inspect rims for bends or do they need to put it on some sort of balancing machine? how much would they chagrre for such services?
Usually theyll put them on a balancer machine and when it calls for obscene amounts of weight theyll get alerted somethings not right
 
Depends how bad its bent


Usually theyll put them on a balancer machine and when it calls for obscene amounts of weight theyll get alerted somethings not right
If we found a major imbalance we would break the tire down and rotate it 180 degrees on the wheel, then check it again. It's possible for the heavy spot in the tire to line up with the heavy spot in the wheel.
 
It may be worth having the tires road force balanced. The road force machine puts a roller against the tire and measures the force it takes to deflect the tread and will pinpoint problems quickly. A tire can look perfectly round and have 50-60lbs difference in the pressure it takes to deflect the tread- meaning the tire is junk.
 

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