Mystery vibration

fiddler2068 · Sep 2, 2011

I have a honda 2000 CR-V. I keep getting vibration from the right rear passenger side. The vibration starts at around 45 mph and gets worse then disappears around 70 mph.

I know, unbalanced tire. It got rebalanced, still the vibration. Tire rotated, still the vibration. Tire rotated again, still the vibration from the same spot, right rear side.

Since the vibration is dependent on speed, it has to be coming from a rotating part. It's not the tire, had it rebalanced twice and rotated. If it was the tire, the vibration should be coming from where the unbalanced tire is.

I got under the car and the CV boots and shaft look fine. the right rear sway bar linkage is broken (have the part, it will be replaced soon). Since the sway bar is not rotating, it can't be the source of the vibration. the vibration thing was starting to drive me crazy, no pun intended.

I was watching autozone repair videos and the guy on there mentioned that the CV can produce clicks, snapping sounds or produce vibration like an unbalanced tire. He further said that the problem may not be visual. In other words, its inside the boot but the boot could look fine. This has to be it. i've eliminated everything else. The vibration is not coming from the differential because it would be in the middle of the back not the right rear side.

Oh and no noise at all when turning or moving, just vibration at that speed.

Any thoughts?

fiddler

punisher · Sep 2, 2011

That last paragraph of your post is absolute truth.

CV joints can cause all kinds of vibration. Put it in neutral, block the wheels and see if there is any play in the half shaft at either joint. Plunge joints usually vibrate worse under load, so if you let off the gas and the vibration diminishes, you know where to look first.

Never count out the odd when looking at NVH problems. Maybe the end of that loose swaybar happens to vibrate at whatever frequencies you encounter from 45 to 70 mph.

I have had my share of "duh!" moments chasing noises/vibrations.

fiddler2068 · Sep 2, 2011

Originally Posted By: punisher
That last paragraph of your post is absolute truth.

CV joints can cause all kinds of vibration. Put it in neutral, block the wheels and see if there is any play in the half shaft at either joint. Plunge joints usually vibrate worse under load, so if you let off the gas and the vibration diminishes, you know where to look first.

Never count out the odd when looking at NVH problems. Maybe the end of that loose swaybar happens to vibrate at whatever frequencies you encounter from 45 to 70 mph.

I have had my share of "duh!" moments chasing noises/vibrations.

I am gonna change out that sway bar linkage. It would be nice if that was the cause. I won't have to change the CV then but i don't think i am gonna get away that easily.

Two different Honda dealers, all i get is your tire is unbalanced. greedy idiots, then they proceed to itemize everything that could be changed on the car and wanted me to pay $4500 for the "repairs". I told him no. What i wanted to do was tell him there is a special [censored] for people who try to rip off others.

fiddler

mechanicx · Sep 2, 2011

Yeah as unlikely as it sounds I wouldn't rule out the sway bar link being unattached on one side causing a vibration to develop at certain speeds.

sittingduck57 · Sep 2, 2011

Since you had your tires rotated, this is not likley to be your problem, but when it seems like a balance problem and isn't, it usually ends up being somthing like a bent rim. quarter inch isn't noticeable to the casual glance,but will do some shaking.

fiddler2068 · Sep 2, 2011

Originally Posted By: mechanicx
Yeah as unlikely as it sounds I wouldn't rule out the sway bar link being unattached on one side causing a vibration to develop at certain speeds.

I am going to change this asap. just got the grease gun and, after reading BITOG, schaeffer #274. I hope this will solve the problem.

My mom likes to borrow my car. She then hits things with it. The rear bumper is discolored on left and right from low speed impacts. The front has one side reflector knocked out and she, somehow, took out the fog lights on the bumper without damaging the bumper. So i think she did something to the poor CV and sway bar link and broke it. I hate lending my car to other people.

fiddler

gomes512 · Sep 2, 2011

If the new links don't solve the problem then my vote goes for bent rim as sittingduck mentioned. Use your spare to sub in one at a time. Our Toyota's rim was slightly out of round, couldn't be seen by eye. Sounds like your ma may have sank it into a large pothole.

brandini · Sep 2, 2011

A RoadForce balance will detect and out of round tire and rim and will test both for roundness and allow for correction of it. Give that a shot as well.

snapcrackle12 · Sep 2, 2011

have the shocks/struts ever been replaced?

fiddler2068 · Sep 2, 2011

where do i get that roadforce balance? never heard of it until i got on here. Thanks. I will do that first. although, you would think that after 2 tire rotations, the vibration would go somewhere else. I rotate tires front to back directly and back crossed to the front.

fiddler

fiddler2068 · Sep 2, 2011

Originally Posted By: snapcrackle12
have the shocks/struts ever been replaced?

no. not sure how to check to see if the strurs/shock is causing the problem.

fiddler

ComfyShorts · Sep 2, 2011

Inner CV joint is failing. Replace the axle.

fiddler2068 · Sep 3, 2011

Originally Posted By: ComfyShorts
Inner CV joint is failing. Replace the axle.

that's what i figured. gonna do it when I get back in town in a couple of weeks. just in time for the advanced auto's $50 off $100. yay!

thanks.

fiddler

mechtech2 · Sep 3, 2011

Faulty suspension components do not cause rotational vibration, but they do ALLOW it.
How about a wheel bearing?
That C/V should have other symptoms other than medium speed vibration.
There is not much there. It may even be brakes.
You gotta dive in and check things individually.

fiddler2068 · Sep 3, 2011

Thanks mechtech, I will do that. probably not the brakes, the stealership checked it at 166k or about 2k miles ago.

the suspension is getting old but i didn't see anything wrong with it except the sway bar link. Need to get it off the ground and then yank on the components and see what happens.

fiddler

snapcrackle12 · Sep 3, 2011

Rear shocks can become weak and cause a (basketball effect) while driving. I'm sure you have seen it driving down the road, a car with a tire bouncing while driving. I'm not saying that is what it is. Look for any oil leaking out or excessive dirt around shock. Also look for tire chop across tire. Just something to check.

fiddler2068 · Sep 4, 2011

Originally Posted By: snapcrackle12
Rear shocks can become weak and cause a (basketball effect) while driving. I'm sure you have seen it driving down the road, a car with a tire bouncing while driving. I'm not saying that is what it is. Look for any oil leaking out or excessive dirt around shock. Also look for tire chop across tire. Just something to check.

no oil or anything leaking around the shocks. they actually look to be in pretty good condition. I am surprised how good things look under there. The only thing is that the paint on the sway bar is coming off.

and it doesn't feel like a suspension thing. the vibrations start low and increases till it feels like the car is gonna come apart then goes away at 70+. At the strongest point, it doesn't just feel like there is vibration from the back, you can feel it through the steering too.

fiddler

mechtech2 · Sep 4, 2011

When they checked the brakes, more than likely they checked how much pad was left, and the general rotor condition.
This does not include rotor out of roundness or pad material deposition which is uneven, which may be problems.

fiddler2068 · Sep 5, 2011

Ok guys, i changed out the sway bar linkage today. see the thread on 168k struts for my rant on Honda not using anti-seize and "lifetime" suspension parts which obviously are NOT.

anyway, I got the car up on ramps so i had room to yank on stuff really hard. The CV on the passenger side, rear, made a clicking sound when i moved it in and out. couldn't move it sideways.

The driver side did not make any noise at all. I did this several time to make sure i wasn't imagining things. The passenger side definitively clicks when shoved hard in and out while the other side does not.

so i'm wondering why it is doing that? broken or warped or something?

fiddler

fiddler2068 · Sep 5, 2011

Took the car out on a test drive. The vibrations are much less now from 50-65. I can still feel them but they are much much less than before. So it looks like the broken sway bar link was making the vibration much worse.

Once i get my jack I am going to rotate tires to see if the vibration changes spots. don't think it will but have to check from beginning to see what happens.

fiddler

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