I got the shimmy shimmy shake.

[JT20]

Well, it seems like intermittently, on the highway, and at random times, mostly cruising 65, 70, 75, 80... As the title says, my car does the Shimmy Shimmy Shake though the steering wheel.

Drives straight
Feels fine
Just.. wheel shakes.

So this is a 2000 Subaru Legacy (Outback.) For now it has to stay this way, I drive every day to work and it's got ohhh like 165k on the clock. Drives pretty smooth, engine oil filtering mostly figured out (Purolator PL14460 or L14460, whatever they got. That's a Subaru OE clone anyways. Cool) and now the only other thing I have to worry about is the Shimmy Shimmy Shake, just like the song.

Any ideas on what this could be?

 

[MRC01]

Since it only happens at freeway speeds... it's most likely front end alignment or wheel balance slightly off.
My '04 Subaru does the same thing.
Note: check the front sway bar end links. Mine went bad, and replacing them improved things, though it didn't cure the problem.

 

[LeakySeals]

Front wheel bearing/hub replacement usually solves it for me.

 

[mk378]

Check the tire pressure in all 4. Lift a front wheel off the ground and see if there is any looseness in the bearings or suspension. Swap the front wheels/tires to the back and test drive.

 

[AutoMechanic]

Check the balance on the tires if not that then I would say most likely a bearing issue

 

[RooflessVW]

Lower control arms can cause it as well.

 

[JT20]

What is "high speed balancing"?

Any site I can use to somehow locate a shop that does good alignments etc?

Sure hope it's not LCA. BTDT on a Honda....

Good suggestions so far!

And if the tire PSI is too high..?

 

[JimPghPA]

And check that all the lug-nuts are tight.

 

[mattd]

What are you running for tire pressure?

There are LOTS of things that will cause vibrations. My first suggestion is checking the front end for loose components, and having the tires balanced on a road force balancer, and having the technician check for bent wheels while on the balancer.

 

[tc1446]

Had a persistent shimmy at 70, balancing didn't help. Turned out to be slightly bent wheel.

 

[JT20]

What are you running for tire pressure?

There are LOTS of things that will cause vibrations. My first suggestion is checking the front end for loose components, and having the tires balanced on a road force balancer, and having the technician check for bent wheels while on the balancer.

Pretty high. 41psi

 

[mattd]

What kind of vehicle? That is too high for pretty much any sedan or SUV

 

[JT20]

What kind of vehicle? That is too high for pretty much any sedan or SUV

Its my Subaru. I have the Pirellis so.. it's cold out, I blow them up that high because the car sure does seem to move easier with it like that. Mostly because it is wintertime...

Could it be that simple? Should I let some out and then go from there? (As suggested.. possible loose lugs but that's actually kind of scary. I should check those too)

 

[HangFire]

As you can see from the excellent suggestions above, anything out of balance or worn out up front can be a suspect.

To add to that list, front CV joints.

 

[mattd]

Check the inside of the drivers door jamb for the recommended COLD tire pressure.

In my experience pirellis are a vibration prone tire.

 

[Rand]

That's a Subaru OE clone anyways.

Seems like you are getting some good advise in here.
I'd say tires, bent wheel, worn out front end components, CV axles
IF your strut(s) are completely done in that can cause some too.

and btw fram makes the blue oem filter not purolator.

 

[JT20]

Seems like you are getting some good advise in here.
I'd say tires, bent wheel, worn out front end components, CV axles
IF your strut(s) are completely done in that can cause some too.

and btw fram makes the blue oem filter not purolator.

True.

Also. Tokyo Roki makes the black ...

13:40 on Purolator as a "clone of the original"

 

[Rand]

True.

Also. Tokyo Roki makes the black ...

my 2011 came with black filter.
And i used about 3dozen on them between the 2011 forester 2015 forester and 2013 outback.
but we were talking about the blue filter.
the current OEM blue filter is made by fram
please rewatch your video he never says the current blue oem filter is made by purolator.

Edit: added:
He says and this isnt word for word or anything
The old oem filter before subaru shrank it to fit the new exhaust manifold design was made by purolator.

That was 10+ years ago. IIRC. from memory.